KEEPATEM'S featherweight could be the crucial factor come the finale of Uttoxeter's Midlands Grand National, one of the most bruising races run on the National Hunt calender.

David Casey's mount only has 10st 11b to shoulder, a massive plus considering the majority of the fancied horses will have to concede lumps of weight to the consistent eleven-year-old.

With three winners apiece at Cheltenham, it's already been a fantastic week for owner J P McManus and trainer Jonjo O'Neill, and victory for Keepatem (3.15) will undoubtedly put the icing on the cake for the in-form Irish duo.

Neither the soft ground nor long-distance trip should be a problem for the selection, a gallant runner-up behind Bellaney Jewel in the four-mile Scottish Borders' Grand National at Kelso last time out.

The class angle is slightly more problematical since Keepatem is by no means a superstar, but rated 129 at best he's now 4lbs lower, so the official handicapper has at least given him a squeak.

In the preceding two-and-three-quarter-mile John Smith's Handicap Hurdle, Heir To Be (2.40) bids to repeat his success in the £15,000 contest 12 months ago.

Lucy Wadham's gelding hasn't managed to win during the intervening period but he gave an indication his turn was once again nigh by finishing a close-up third at Newbury on his most recent start.

Although Heir To Be was partnered by a perfectly competent conditional rider that day, Wadham's decision to reunite the eight-year-old with last year's triumphant jockey, Leighton Aspell, suggests now is the time strike.