THERE will be a couple of extra valuable opportunities for fillies and mares in Scotland this year after the BHA revealed details of two new Listed races. The first will be staged over seven furlongs at Musselburgh on the Edinburgh Cup programme on Derby day, June 3, while the Ayr race is over five-and-a-half furlongs and adds even more quality to the Ladies Day card on September 22.

With this addition, Ayr now have six Class 1 contests on the Flat, comprising five Listed races and the Group 3 Firth Of Clyde Stakes.

THERE was plenty of quality on display at Musselburgh’s two-day Cheltenham Trials meeting last weekend. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls enjoyed a particularly fruitful raid as he reaped five winners from his 11 Somerset raiders.

Charlie Longsdon had three winners, and they included Forth Bridge carrying the colours of the Queen. Gaining his second course and distance strike of the season, Forth Bridge will represent the Royal silks in either the Triumph Hurdle or Fred Winter Hurdle at next month’s Festival.

The first running of the Edinburgh National went to Dancing Shadow, a first runner at the East Lothian venue for Devon trainer Victor Dartnall. I hear he is set for another long-distance visit in the spring for the Coral Scottish Grand National.

IF ever a lad was bred to be a jockey it is Henry Morshead. He is the son of former Perth supremo Sam Morshead and Kelso, Cartmel and York clerk of the course Anthea Morshead.

His mum and dad partnered plenty of winners over jumps and Henry rode his second winner at Huntingdon on Brandon Roc on Thursday for his boss Kim Bailey.

Henry, 19, is another to graduate through the pony racing ranks and he is also tipped as a rising star on the point to point circuit.

NEXT racing in Scotland takes place at Ayr on Tuesday and I see some leading names booked for rides including champion jockey Richard Johnson, Tom Scudamore, Paddy Brennan and Brian Hughes. The action gets underway at 2.20 and 48 hours later it’s Morebattle Hurdle day at Kelso.

There are always quality horses on display and Nicky Henderson has a good record in the feature race having saddled Top Notch to victory last year and Simonsig in 2012.

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