High-class National Hunt racing, which has been, something of a rarity this season because of wet weather and the foot and mouth crisis, takes pride of place at Ayr tomorrow when the £100,000 Gala Group Scottish Grand National is the jewel in the crown.

Run over an extended four miles, this marathon race places the emphasis firmly on stamina, and one horse not short of that is Celtic Giant.

Dumfries trainer Lenny Lungo's gelding stays three miles well and should have no difficulty getting the extra distance, especially on the forecast good ground which will suit him ideally.

Winner of the Kim Muir Chase at the 1999 Cheltenham Festival, Celtic Giant scored at Newcastle two outings ago and has since finished an excellent third to Banker Count (a winner at Wetherby earlier this week) when trying to concede a stone to the winner.

From a stable which has had a cracking season, Celtic Giant has a lot going for him tomorrow and is napped to triumph. Supreme Glory and Take Control may be the two to follow him home.

In the Samsung Electronics Scottish Champion Hurdle Bring Sweets can land the £26,000 prize for Norton trainer Brian Ellison. A good winner at Haydock on his last start over hurdles, Bring Sweets has since run a fine race on the Flat at Doncaster.

I fancy Wahiba Sands to land the Ashleybank Investments Future Champions' Novices' Chase. Tony McCoy's mount just failed to win at Aintree on his latest outing and is capable of going one better in this Grade 2 contest.

At Newbury, Richard Hannon, fresh from his Craven Stakes success at Newmarket yesterday with King's Ironbridge, can enhance his claims on the Sagitta 2,000 Guineas courtesy of the highly-rated Tamburlaine.

A top-notch juvenile, who was never out of the first two in four starts and was an impressive Newmarket winner before a first-rate effort in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, Tamburlaine has all that is needed to confirm himself a leading Guineas contender. Success in tomorrow's Lane's End Greenham Stakes would be a fitting launch-pad for this exciting colt.

In the other Classic trial, the Dubai Duty Free Stakes, make a note of Henry Cecil's Rolly Polly. Although the Warren Place stable has had mixed fortunes at Newmarket this week, there is plenty of confidence behind the potential of Rolly Polly, a very smart two-year-old last season when trained in Italy.

Tomorrow's tips:

Ayr:

1.45 Najjm

2.20 Valigan

2.50 Wahiba Sands

3.20 Bring Sweets

4.00 Celtic Giant (Nap)

4.35 Aghawadda Gold

5.10 Double Timer

5.40 Joss Naylor

Newbury:

2.00 Welsh Border

2.30 Rolly Polly

3.00 Tamburlaine

3.30 The Whistling Teal

4.10 King Spinner

4.45 Mosaahim

5.20 Lord Alaska

5.50 La Passione.

KEMPTON (televised race): 2.35 Hurricane Lamp.

Updated: 13:05 Friday, April 20, 2001