Kempton Park stages a high-class card this Saturday, featuring the £37,000 Listed 6 Places At Aintree At BetVictor Magnolia Stakes over 10 furlongs and two valuable Class 2 handicaps.
High-class sprinter Hoof It, who was third in last year's Group One Haydock Park Sprint Cup, will warm up for All-Weather Championships Finals Day (Good Friday, April 18) in the £19,000 Grand National 6 Places At BetVictor.com Handicap (3.30pm) over six furlongs.
The Mick Easterby-trained seven-year-old has had two starts during the championships, finishing fifth to Tarooq under top-weight in a lucrative six-furlong handicap at Lingfield Park in December before staying-on strongly to take third behind the same rival in the Listed Cleves Stakes over the same course and distance on February 22.
David Easterby, assistant to his father Mick, reported: "We have been very happy with Hoof It since his run at Lingfield and we can't wait to get him out again.
"He nearly got up last time but hopefully he won't be coming with such a late run and I think the track at Kempton will give him more opportunity to show how good he is.
"You can't give the jockey too many orders because it's all about getting him in and out of the stalls. We will get that out of the way and let him run from there.
"This will be his third run on the All-Weather and the plan after this would be to go to Lingfield on Good Friday."
Hoof It, who will be ridden by Frederik Tylicki for the first time, will face 11 rivals, headed by improving course and distance winner Lancelot Du Lac (Dean Ivory/George Baker). Also engaged is Trinityelitedotcom (Tom Dascombe/Richard Kingscote), Forest Edge (David Evans/Declan Bates) and Ascot scorer Annunciation (Richard Hannon/Sean Levey).
The highlight of the seven-race card is the Listed 6 Places At Aintree At BetVictor Magnolia Stakes in which Group Two winner Trumpet Major (Richard Hannon/Sean Levey) will clash with improving mare Modernstone (William Knight/Shane Kelly), Contributer (Ed Dunlop/George Baker) and Squire Osbaldeston (Martyn Meade/James Doyle).
A competitive field of 13 will line up in the most valuable race of the day, the £45,000 BetVictor 6 Places Grand National Roseberry Handicap (2.55pm) over a mile and three furlongs. Among the runners are course winners Media Hype (Karl Burke/Ben Curtis) and Rebellious Guest (George Margarson/George Baker), who ran well when a close seventh in the Winter Derby, as well as Vital Evidence (Sir Michael Stoute/James Doyle), who scored by eight lengths on his final start last year.
