NAP of the Day: Officer to serve it up to Musselburgh rivals

Away from the Dublin Racing Festival on Saturday, there's five meetings here in the UK - and I'm taken to Musselburgh for the NAP of the Day.

It would be nice to see Bryony Frost win a race named after her beloved Frodon, but I'm afraid I will be taking on Monmiral in this novices' handicap chase over 2m4½f.

Who with, you ask? General Officer for Donald McCain.

The seven-year-old son of Soldier Of Fortune was a fairly average novice hurdler, but he's taken well to fencing this season.

In handicap company off a mark of 121, he was runner-up on his chase debut at Hexham in October last year before another second, this time behind a horse of Nigel Twiston-Davies' called Mister Chewy, at Aintree later that month.

Time has proved that was an impossible task as the latter, who raced off level weights with the selection that day, is now a Grade 2 winner who's rated 150.

The selection then went to Doncaster in early December and absolutely bolted up by 15 lengths in an admittedly weak race, which earned him a seven-pound rise in the handicap.

Connections then decided to give him a chance at landing a decent pot, at Aintree on Boxing Day, where he performed with plenty of credit behind Paul Nicholls' Tolworth-winning Tahmuras. The pair were 26 lengths clear of the third.

I rate that performance highly in the context of today's race and don't envisage a further rise of two pounds being enough to stop him. I think there's plenty more to come.

With conditions to suit and questions marks surrounding several of his five rivals, I'm hopeful of another bold bid from General Officer at an attractive price.