There's plenty of no-hopers in the Scottish National - but I've found one with a lovely profile

With Punchestown just around the corner, we have a blank weekend for jump racing in Ireland with a Flat double-header at Navan and Limerick on Saturday and a complete day off for both codes on Sunday. 

Ayr stages its flagship jumps meeting on Saturday and, as usual at this time of the year, it's not a very easy programme to try to locate winners, but there are a few possible opportunities so we will certainly do our utmost to find them. 

The opener is the Scotty Brand Handicap Chase (1.15) over 2m½f and I very much like the look of Frere D'Armes, who had a mid-season break following a positive start to the campaign. He returned earlier this month when finishing a creditable second to Black Gerry having looked a likely winner for much of the journey.