Reveley hopes for dry fortnight ahead of Aintree for Night of Milan

Details will be published at midday with Reveley’s staying steeplechaser one of four Yorkshire entries. The horse, the probable mount of the Saltburn trainer’s son James, only narrowly failed to make the 40-runner cut last year. However, his win in last year’s Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster makes him a virtual certainty for April’s race.

Reveley senior said Night In Milan will bid to defend his Grimthorpe title on February 28 before heading to Aintree.

“We thought that he might scrape in the National field last year so we schooled him over the National-style fences at Malton and he jumped them really well,” he added.

“He is in great form and we are just praying for a dry fortnight in the build-up to Aintree. Hopefully, we will be around 10st 10lb, which means James could do the weight with no problems.”

Guiseley jockey Jonathan England made it two wins in successive days when partnering Sue Smith’s Bennys Well to victory at Carlisle.

It followed Raktiman’s success at Market Rasen the previous day for Richard Drake.

Rotherham rider Joe Palmowski, buoyed by a notable success over the soon-to-retire AP McCoy at Kempton 10 days ago, recorded his sixth career win when Madam Lilibet prevailed at Carlisle for Richmond trainer Sharon Watt.

Another jockey off the cold list is former Northern Racing College graduate Rhys Flint. The former champion conditional recorded his first win in nearly a year when outsider Paddy The Oscar won at Lingfield.

McCoy heads to Wetherby today where jump racing’s record-breaker has three rides.

The most eyecatching is Jonjo O’Neill’s Rainman in a competitive novice hurdle which also features dual course winner One Track Mind for trainer Warren Greatrex and jockey Gavin Sheehan. Local hopes rest with Sue Smith’s recent Catterick winner Hainan, the mount of Harry Haynes.