Saturday Ante-Post Racing Tips: Knip to be our nap hand at 20/1 for Scottish Grand National

• Mullins has a massive team for Ayr this weekend

• Three feature races from Scotland all priced up on the Sportsbook

• Alan Dudman has three antepost tips for Saturday including a 20/121.00 each-way pick 

Flat fans will be treated this weekend with Newbury's first meeting of the season and Greenham Stakes day while the those very same Flat fans still won't be able to shake off the shackles of the jumps, nor the UK trainers shaking off the shackles of Willie Mullins - whose quest for the trainers' title means a whole new assault on the prizes this weekend.

A great Saturday awaits on ITV and on Tuesday a whole host of races were already priced up on the Sportsbook.

Ground conditions in Scotland will be on the good side, as is often the case at Ayr for this meeting and three sunny days won't change the thinking, while Newbury are equally blessed with a dry week, so watch the watering at both tracks. If the info is forthcoming.

Ayr - 14:43: Back Lombron @ 8/19.00

Let's get the ball rolling at Ayr and the main chunk of the jumping action as the Scottish Champion Chase for Novices' over 3m starts off at 13:43 and Mullins accounted for five of the 25 entries, and as always trying to play Mullins, you never quite know what's going to pan out with the double entries.

Out of the Closutton phalanx, I am most interesting in Lombron - a rookie chaser who is probably about the 50th best chaser in the Mullins' yard, but he's unexposed and might just improve for the better ground.

It also helps he has the sole entry in this race rather than Scottish Grand National and it looks the right race for him.

Paul Townend rode him to win over fences at Clonmel last month and while the second made him work a bit that day, the front pair were a streak ahead of the third and making the running enabled him to get into a rhythm and on the whole his jumping was good under pressure - in particular the final two fences up the short run-in.

The jockey commented afterwards that they thought a bit of him when winning over hurdles at Thurles but he completely regressed over the smaller ones, so he got back on track and Townend commented that his jumping at Clonmel should lead to him being a better chaser.

Going-wise, it was good to soft at Clonmel and I can see him suiting the spring conditions and the step up to 3m doesn't look a negative from Clonmel at all.

Masaccio heads the market for Alan King, but at 5/16.00 I'd want a little more juice in that price for all he ran well at Cheltenham while the second favourite Jasmin De Grugy has been running on winter deep ground.

Ayr - 14:15: Back Absurde @ 6/17.00

Kargese, who won the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival will be hard one to beat in the Scottish Champion Hurdle and even on her form of last season at Aintree and Cheltenham behind Sir Gino and Majborough, could be a stand out. However, there are usually one or two flops from Prestbury to Liverpool then Scotland.

She's 5/23.50 and a perfectly acceptable fav.

Mullins accounts for seven of the 18 entries and UK trainers must be dreading another round of battle, but in battle you need a co-conspirator for a race and it's up to the others to raise their game, but it's a daunting task.

You only have to look at Absurde - a former County Hurdle winner and unlucky Melbourne Cup horse who isn't even favourite here, and at 6/17.00, I am backing him to turn the tables on Kargese.

Absurde has three lengths to find on the mare, but that was his first run after a break and a first run since his winter travels out in Oz, and you'd like to think he could improve on that.

He's a horse that will relish the spring conditions and Ayr, with his pace, will suit him well.

A mark of 148 is 10lb higher than last year's Fez win, but he's a classy sort for a 6/17.00 poke. Wins and places in these races should net Mullins over 100k and game on.

Ayr - 15:35: Back The Kniphand E/W @ 20/121.00

No respite from the UK trainers in the Scottish Grand National with just the 11 for Mullins and the all-out assault on the title - as he accounts for 30% of the field at entries stage.

Chosen Witness was the rage yesterday and he's been cut to 4/15.00 favourite for the race, and it would be something if he goes off even shorter.

Away from the Mullins love-in for the column, I am playing each-way here with The Kniphand for Nigel Twiston-Davies - who looks to possess the tools to stay following his second in the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster last time.

Now I am mad or stupid, or both for opposing the Closutton maestro, but The Kniphand looks as though a thorough test of stamina might unlock some improvement as he was upped in distance at Doncaster to 3m2f last time and coped well with the increased yardage.

His jumping still looks as though it can be field under the "needs to improve" category, as he can balloon a fence, and that was the case at Ludlow in the past, but the cheekpieces have been on for the last three times and at times he was better at Donny as they really tore at pace into the first couple of fences.

He finished to third to Monbeg Genius at Uttoxeter in February from 125 in soft, but his best form has been at Doncaster and they tend to have drying ground and better ground there, so I am hoping with the conditions and the new trip he can go well - if his jumping holds up.

We have the five places on the Sportsbook at 20s as I do think he'll stay from a low weight and the Twister has won this three times - last in 2009 with the brilliant Hello Bud.

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