Michael Scudamore is looking for a "perfect" start to the season as Do Your Job bids for victory in this Sunday's Jewson St Helens Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase at Aintree Racecourse.
The progressive eight-year-old is vying for favouritism for the Grade Two feature of Aintree's seven-race card on Jewson Halloween Family Day at the home of the Randox Grand National.
Do Your Job is a best-priced 9-2 with William Hill behind the Paul Nicholls-trained Hitman – the 7-2 favourite with the same bookmakers – and Scudamore confirmed he will make his seasonal return on Merseyside this weekend.
The gelded son of Fame And Glory made a winning debut over fences at Warwick last season. Then despite three defeats at Grade One and Two level he bounced back when dropped down into handicap company at Newcastle in February. He followed that win with his biggest career success on his final start with victory in the Grade Two Future Champions Novices’ Chase at Ayr. On his only trip to Aintree, Do Your Job was runner-up to Belfast Banter in the Grade One Top Novices’ Hurdle at the 2021 Grand National Festival, and returns in fine form. And his Herefordshire-based trainer is hopeful he can make a winning return back at the famous Liverpool venue.
Hitman heads 11 entries for Old Roan Chase at Aintree
Scudamore said: “It is very much the plan to go to Aintree as long as they get that bit of rain that is forecast.
“It was probably his best performance of the season when he won up at Ayr. These flat tracks really suit him and he has good form at Aintree over hurdles.
“The handicapper didn’t over react to his win at Ayr and he looks to have solid hurdles and chase form so it is not a bad mark to be going into the race on.
“We’ve done plenty at home and the team have done a great job so he should be pretty straight enough for this. He is often there or thereabouts on his first run of the season.
“If everything goes well and he puts his head in front it would be the perfect way to start this season for us, the owners and the horse.”
Mac Tottie heads 47 entries for the Grand Sefton Chase at Aintree
Despite winning over the minimum distance over hurdles and on his chase debut, Scudamore believes he is more at home over this 2m4f trip. He added: “We started off over two miles last season but found out that was not really suiting him and as soon as we stepped him up to two and a half he looked much happier.
“Going up in trip was something we had always wanted to do but we tried it a couple of times over hurdles and for some reason he didn’t get the trip, but he was very big and gangly when he first came to us and he was probably just a bit weak.
“He was just warming into the race when he came down in the Henry VIII at Sandown Park. The way Edwardstone won I don’t think we would have beaten him but I’d like to think we would have been in the money
“Richard Patrick rode him in the Grade Two Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park and said if he didn’t know better he wants two and a half and Richie McLernon said the same thing about him after the Grade Two defeat in the Lightning at Doncaster.
“On pedigree it suggests he should stay and it ended up being the right call and we might even think about stepping up further but let’s get this out of the way first.”
Scudamore is yet to decide who will partner Do Your Job back at Aintree, with both Richard Patrick and Luca Morgan in contention for the ride. He said: “We have got to sit down and have a chat about who rides him. Richard rode him a lot last year while Luca also won on him as well up at Newcastle. Luca can take a three pounds off his back which in a race like this could be handy but the decision as to who rides him is yet to be decided.”
Cheltenham Festival and Welsh Grand National-winning handler Scudamore may also send new recruit Heads Or Harps – who was last seen winning a point-to-point by 16 lengths at Dromahane in April – to Aintree for in the Jewson Birkenhead, Price Street Maiden Hurdle on Sunday.
He added: “Heads Or Harps is in the maiden hurdle up there but he will have a couple of other options. He won his last point very impressively.
“He is a big chasing type going forward. He has done everything right at home and hopefully he is a nice young horse for us going forward.”
Sunday’s seven-race card at Aintree starts with the opener, The Jewson Click and Collect Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, due off at 1.30pm and the finale, the Jewson Southport, Bispham Road EBF Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race, is scheduled for 5.05pm.
Gates open at 11.30am and the afternoon is being billed as a Halloween Family Day with plenty of entertainment off the track as well as on it for families including a ghost train, haunted house, Halloween treasure trail and face painters.
Tickets cost £25 (although there are discounts for groups of 15 plus), while accompanied under-18s go free. There are also hospitality packages from £45 in the Platinum Lounge.
For more details and to buy tickets go online at https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/aintree/events-tickets/october-afternoon-racing/tickets/#filteredby=ga&tab=day1
Entries for the Jewson St Helens Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase (Grade Two) (2m4f) at Aintree Racecourse on Sunday, October 23
Beakstown (Dan Skelton)
Captain Tom Cat (Dr Richard Newland)
Coconut Splash (Evan Williams)
Do Your Job (Michael Scudamore)
Ga Law (Jamie Snowden)
Hitman (Paul Nicholls)
Il Ridoto (Paul Nicholls)
Millers Bank (Alex Hales)
One True King (Nigel Twiston-Davies)
Riders Onthe Storm (Richard Hobson)
Soldier Of Destiny (Jamie Snowden)
