Pauling’s Proud the one but Be Aware of Skelton team

A BRILLIANT concluding card to the National Hunt season begins with the Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle (1.50pm).

It’s as competitive as you would expect with many horses being targeted at a final big payday of the season before they head out to the paddocks for the summer.

Ben Pauling’s FIERCELY PROUD was entered to run in the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr last weekend, but connections have decided to go for this race instead.

I fancied for him that contest in Scotland and in this weaker event he makes even more appeal.

This is his first handicap start, but off an opening mark of 130 he looks well-treated on several bits of his form.

He’s run well in strong novice events this season, including in Grade Two company, when third at Doncaster and then when going place better behind Lump Sum at Kempton last time.

Much of his form is on decent ground and with the forecast looking fairly settled ahead of the weekend, it would be a surprise if the going was worse than good-to-soft on Saturday.

Those conditions would be ideal, and he is my idea of a cracking each-way bet at around 10/1.

A theme of this season, particularly since the turn of the year, has been Dan and Harry Skelton mopping up in valuable handicap hurdles.

The stable remain in fine form and it’s always worth giving their handicappers maximum respect, so watch out for BE AWARE.

He makes his handicap debut here after only three starts, the last of which saw him beaten only a length by a rival that won a Grade Two earlier in the season.

On the balance of his form a handicap mark of 126 looks more than workable, and he could well land the Skeltons another valuable prize.

POINTERS                          SATURDAY

Fiercely Proud e/w           1.50pm Sandown

Be Aware e/w                    1.50pm Sandown