Ewart voices Grade 1 dream at morning of bubbles and butties

James Ewart is looking forward to a successful season with a team of up and coming jumpers that has been strengthened by the arrival of some promising youngsters and the return from injury of some old favourites.

The Dumfriesshire trainer, who galloped over 30 horses before a crowd of around 100 on Wednesday morning, will be particularly strong in the novice chase department if Aristo Du Plessis, the winner of six of his last seven competed starts and the stable's highest-rated horse, takes to fences. He also still has old stalwarts like Civil Unrest and Lord Wishes on the team sheet.

Ewart said: “We opened to the public on Wednesday, and although it was nothing flash - just bubbles and bacon butties - we wanted them to see the horses actually doing something, so we galloped them, rather than parading them, in two lots of 16 horses each.