Mr Moonshine puts forward his case for Grand National

The 10-year-old, who runs in the colours of the Smith stable’s now retired 2013 Aintree hero Auroras Encore, jumped for fun under National-winning jockey Ryan Mania before pulling four lengths clear of the lightly-weighted Persian Snow who was in receipt of 13lb from the victor.

Mr Moonshine’s Aintree task will become clearer tomorrow when the National weights are published and it will be interesting to see how the handicapper responds to the horse’s back-to-back successes at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day, and now Warwick.

The other imponderable is whether the gelding can stay four miles three furlongs. While Auroras Encore was a proven stayer, Mr Moonshine’s latest wins were both over two and a half miles.

Pulled up in last year’s National, he was third in last December’s Becher Chase over the Aintree fences and Smith believes his chaser is a better horse this season and has the right profile for the world’s greatest steeplechase.

“This horse is owned by the same people who had Auroras (Douglas Pryde, Jim Beaumont and David van Der Hoeven) and just jumps the others to death in his races,” he observed.

“He could not have done that better in my eyes as he was good at his fences.

“He’s entered for the Grand National and should get in off his handicap mark.

“He’s likely to have another race before Aintree as you have to be race-fit to have a chance of winning the big one.”

Mania and Smith will be teaming up at Catterick today with the promising Pinerolo, Blake Dean and Herdsman on a competitive card that sees the record-breaking AP McCoy travel to North Yorkshire for four rides, including Jonjo O’Neill’s Mr Watson who will be looking to break his duck over fences at the fourth time of asking.

The meeting has also attracted Son Of Flicka who won the 2012 Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival before switching from Donald McCain’s stable to the North Yorkshire yard of Tony Coyle. The revitalised 10-year-old’s last two appearances have been at Catterick and he has been placed on both occasions.

John Quinn is confident Cockney Sparrow is capable of running a “mighty race” in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, a race that the Willie Mullins-trained Quevega will seek to win for a sixth successive year.

The five-year-old won a Listed event at Wetherby in November before filling the runner-up spot behind My Tent Or Yours in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle. She faced the formidable mare Annie Power a fortnight ago and appeared beaten when falling two out.

“She’s fine and her next run will be the mares’ race in Cheltenham,” said Malton-based Quinn.

“It’s hard to know what would have happened at Doncaster. The winner is obviously very good and I’d say our mare prefers drier ground as well. If she stays, I think she’ll run a mighty race at Cheltenham.”

However, Quinn suggested that Racing Pulse could miss Cheltenham after his five-year-old hurdler was a beaten favourite at Musselburgh eight days ago.

He is confident his charge is better than he showed at the Scottish track and will not rush him back to the racecourse.

“He didn’t run his race. He seems to have come out of it okay, but they are not machines and he obviously had an off day,” said the trainer. “I’ll give him a bit of time now and wait until the ground dries up. I need to speak to his owner, but Cheltenham isn’t the be all and end all for him.”