I am taking a chance on old friend Maskada in the Grand Annual.

We had Henry de Bromhead’s mare on side when she won the won the Tim Duggan Chase at Limerick over Christmas.  She was very good that day, she was keener than ideal early on, but she finished off her race strongly to beat Rebel Gold by almost three lengths, and Rebel Gold has since won the Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Chase, and followed up by winning the Grade 3 Newlands Chase.  He is now rated 12lb higher than he was when Maskada beat him at Limerick.

Maskada was raised by 9lb for that win to a mark of 141, and she was beaten off that mark in the Leopardstown Chase, but it never really happened for her at Leopardstown, and that was over two miles and five furlongs.  She is back down to two miles today.  She should love the fast pace.  A well-run two miles on easy ground is probably optimal for her.

She is racing off a British mark of 142 today, just 2lb higher than her Irish mark, and that is fair.  She has raced just four times for Henry de Bromhead, she is unlucky not to have won two of those races, and is is significant that her trainer ran her in a Grade 1 race on her first run for him.

I can see the two other Henry de Bromhead horses in the race, Coeur Sublime and Epson Du Houx, running well, but Maskada is the bet.