Nicky Richards’ Famous Bridge is preparing for a Scottish Grand National bid after his fourth-placed effort in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

The eight-year-old runs in the silks of the late Trevor Hemmings and has developed into the classic chasing type associated with those colours.

After taking a good handicap chase at Haydock in November, the gelding returned to the same track to win the Tommy Whittle the following month.

He was pulled up in the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster and then parted ways with Sean Quinlan when going well in the Grand National Trial at Haydock last month, but put both runs behind him when lining up at Cheltenham.

A 25-1 chance for the three-mile-one-furlong Ultima, Famous Bridge came home fourth of 21 runners to set up a possible Scottish Grand National run to round off his campaign.

“He seems fine, we’ll just see how he is for the next week or 10 days or so, if he’s all right and the ground’s all right, we’ll go for the Scottish National,” said Richards.

“He ran a decent race in the Ultima, he’s a very tough and consistent horse, we were pleased with him.

“He’s had a busy season running in competitive races, so he’ll go up there to Scotland and that’ll be his last run this time.

“He’s had a grand year, it’s a shame he unseated at Haydock but there you go, he’ll make up for that next year and we’ll train him with the National in mind.”

Nicky Richards’ Famous Bridge will head next to the Virgin Bet Grand National Trial at Haydock after a luckless run in the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster.

The eight-year-old was well fancied for the Town Moor contest and sent off as the 13-2 joint-favourite under rider Sean Quinlan, with Paul Nicholls’ Kandoo Kid sharing the same starting price.

Famous Bridge’s popularity in the market can be attributed to his fine start to the season, with the gelding finishing a close fourth at Ayr and then winning two competitive Haydock chases, including the Tommy Whittle.

However, the field of 18 did not get away cleanly at Doncaster and there was a false start initially, meaning the horse lost his position and was left at the rear of the pack when they did begin to race.

He never really progressed from that spot and, as the race got away from him behind the successful front-running ride given to Annual Invictus, Quinlan made the call to pull up Famous Bridge and save him for another day.

Richards reports the horse to be none the worse for the run and hopes to have a little more luck in the Grand National Trial at Haydock in just over two weeks’ time.

“He’s fine, he’s had a little steady canter this morning and he seems well,” said Richards.

“The race was won and lost at the start, they were all coming in grand and if he’d been able to get away first time, he’d have been in the perfect position.

“It ruined it for him, the winner bobbed out and made every yard but as soon as you’re out of it in a race like that, it’s over.

“Sean made a very sensible decision, he felt there was no point going on with him. If he’d have gone the whole trip, he probably would have finished in the same place.

“Hopefully, we’ll get him freshened up and we’ll go for the Grand National Trial at Haydock.

“He seems fine, he only went a mile and a half and Sean did the sensible thing.

“Hopefully, we’ll get him nice and fresh and well and he’ll be grand.”

There will be no Grand National bid for Famous Bridge in 2024, but the improving stayer will be set some stern tests as he attempts to continue his rise up the chasing ranks.

Trained by Nicky Richards, the eight-year-old is becoming a real force over staying trips and made it back-to-back Haydock victories when landing the Tommy Whittle Chase just before Christmas.

His thirst for a stamina test and sure-footed jumping makes him the ideal candidate for the Grand National and sporting the colours of the Hemmings Family, the Aintree showpiece will always be high up on the agenda.

However, Richards is keen to keep building Famous Bridge’s chasing experience in the second half of the current campaign where he will seek to add to his burgeoning CV.

“He’s going along grand and he looks like he stays well, he’s a good, tough lad,” said Richards.

“I think myself and Mick (Meagher, racing manager to Hemmings Racing) thought it was probably just a year too soon (for the National).

“It was just his seventh run over fences in the Tommy Whittle and he is a lovely horse going forward. If he gets another two or three nice runs this year, hopefully we will be able to work towards the National next year.”

Options for Famous Bridge’s next outing include a return to Merseyside in search of a Haydock hat-trick in the Sky Bet Peter Marsh Chase on January 20 or wait an extra week for Doncaster’s Great Yorkshire Handicap Chase.

“There’s the Peter Marsh back at Haydock but I don’t know if that might come a week too soon for him,” added Richards.

“I haven’t done a great deal with him yet but he’s had canters and everything and everything seems grand with him so we will see.

“Then there is the Great Yorkshire the week after and we probably need a bit of rain there.

“There are nice races about for him and he’s a grand horse going forward. We will be racing him and he will be running in good races.”

However, it is unlikely the Cheltenham Festival will enter the equation with a further Town Moor contest, as well as Aintree and Ayr taking precedence when the season enters spring.

“Mr Hemmings loved Aintree and he loved the Ayr festival as well, so that will all be discussed as we go along, one race at a time,” continued Richards.

“You also have the Grimthorpe (at Doncaster) as well which is quite a valuable race now, so there are plenty of different options.

“That one (Grimthorpe) is early March, so it would probably be too quick to then go to Cheltenham.

“But we will be keeping our options open and he’s in grand old fettle and we are very happy with the way he is going along.”

Famous Bridge continued his ascent up the staying ladder with a determined victory in an attritional renewal of the Betfred Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase at Haydock.

Although a dual winner over hurdles, the Nicky Richards-trained seven-year-old always looked the type to do better over the larger obstacles and he won three of his first six chase starts.

Fresh from a course-and-distance success four weeks ago, Famous Bridge – sporting the famous silks of the late Trevor Hemmings – was the 5-2 favourite to add to his tally and stuck to his guns admirably in the testing conditions to emerge victorious.

Burrows Diamond had built up a clear lead by the time he rounded the bend into the the home straight and soon had the majority of his chasing rivals in trouble, with only Famous Bridge and Credo able to stay in the fight from the third-last fence.

Burrows Diamond did not bend in front, but Famous Bridge slowly ate into his advantage and he was a length to the good at the line.

Richards said: “He crept away and did it grand. Sean (Quinlan, jockey) thought he was going to win from the second-last. I don’t know if we would want to run him on that ground too many times as it is fairly gruelling.

“He is a youngish horse for a chasing horse and I think he is on the up, but you don’t want to keep putting the gun to their head on that ground.

“He is a young horse, and he has not had a lot of mileage. He is improving and I want to keep seeing improvement as the handicapper is going to make sure we need to improve.

“We know he is going to come (through near the end) as he likes to get in a battle and he is the type of horse that is hard to beat when he gets in one.”

Famous Bridge was given a quote of 25-1 for the Grand National by William Hill, but the Greystoke handler has other targets on his mind away from Aintree.

He added: “He won’t go up enough in the weights for the National this time. We’ve got thoughts. I don’t think we want to go extreme distances on gruelling ground yet.

“He has won two nice races now and something like the Grimthorpe we could go for. Mick (Meagher, racing manager to Hemmings Racing) would love to come back here for the Peter Marsh, but I don’t know if he wants to be on that ground all the time.”

Famous Bridge will return to Haydock as he attempts to continue his rise up the staying ranks in the Betfred Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase on Saturday.

Nicky Richards’ seven-year-old is beginning to get his act together over the larger obstacles and has appeared extremely progressive in winning three of his last four starts.

He thrived for a stamina test when accounting for Anthony Honeyball’s reopposing Credo late last month and seen as a Grand National prospect of the future, the gelding – who runs in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings – will now attempt to add this prestigious staying prize to his roll of honour off a career-high rating.

“I’m looking forward to it, he seems well and hopefully we are going in the right direction,” said Richards.

“We’ll enjoy the journey with him and he went round Haydock as smooth as silk last time. He was good and hopefully he has another smooth run round and runs a good race.

“He’s a typical Mr Hemmings horse and hopefully he carries on improving.”

Only a length separated Famous Bridge and Credo last time and Honeyball is keen for another crack at the likely favourite on revised terms.

“She’s a lovely, plucky mare who ran well at Haydock the last time, so it made sense really to go back there again,” said Honeyball.

“I’m not quite sure what the ground will end up but she has quite a lot of stamina, so if the ground went softer that might suit her.

“I’m looking forward to running her, she’s a few pounds better off with the horse who beat her last time, so she should run very well.”

Venetia Williams’ Eleanor Bob was fourth on that occasion and is another set for a return to Merseyside with the stable in good form, while Topham hero Bill Baxter will attempt to boost his National credentials representing Warren Greatrex.

Meanwhile, Enqarde will bid to win the contest for the second time following a pleasing return to form at Warwick.

Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole’s nine-year-old snapped a near two-year wait for a win there and this race has been top priority on the gelding’s wish list since.

“He’s in great form and has been laid out for the race,” said Newland.

“He won the race a couple of years ago and seemed to come back to form at Warwick, so we’ve just been patient with him waiting for this race.

“We’re hoping he will run a big race and it is obviously a competitive race with others with great credentials, but my nervousness would be a little bit the ground. The ground suits him, but he is a horse who has had wind surgeries and that could be the biggest challenge, will his wind stand up to the heavy ground?

“I don’t think he has actually officially won on heavy. He’s won on soft quite a few times, but with that said, it must have been close to heavy at Warwick. In theory it should suit him but could be his Achilles heel as well.”

Stuart Coltherd’s Cooper’s Cross was seen to good effect last season and won Doncaster’s Sky Bet Chase before finishing second in the Scottish Grand National, with Burrows Diamond (Sue Smith), Dr Kananga (Ben Clarke) and Conkwell Legend (Neil Mulholland) completing the field.

Nicky Richards is on weather watch with Florida Dreams ahead of a possible tilt at top honours in Aintree’s William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle on Boxing Day.

If given the go-ahead for the newly-created festive Grade One, it would mean a return to the scene of the five-year-old’s finest hour, and the place where he kept on gamely to land the Grade Two bumper that concludes the Grand National Festival in the spring.

Since then, the Jimmy Fyffe-owned gelding tasted defeat on his hurdling bow at Ayr, but the Greystoke handler had his charge firing on all cylinders when returning to the Scottish venue to open his account over obstacles earlier this month.

On that occasion, he reeled in David Pipe’s Phantomofthepoints to score by a neck and Richards believes that could turn out to be a smart piece of form.

He said: “The plan is to go to Aintree and I hope they have a dry week. If it does get too soft, he probably won’t go, but we’ll see how the week goes with the weather and take it from there.

“Hopefully, it (the bumper) won’t be the last Graded race he wins and the journey is only beginning with him – I’m quite sure he is going to make into a very good horse.

“He got the job done (at Ayr) and I would say there is no doubt David Pipe’s horse is probably not a bad horse as well. We will find out in the future, but my lad is a horse with a lot of ability and I hope he goes on to prove it.”

The Aintree race, which was formerly run as the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown, has attracted a strong cast of 14 entries, with Gordon Elliott’s Royal Bond scorer Farren Glory a notable name that could be given a raiding mission.

Only a nose separated Nicky Henderson’s Jango Baie and Ben Pauling’s Tellherthename when they clashed at Ascot and, with the latter impressing subsequently, connections will be eyeing turning the tables in this Grade One event.

Fergal O’Brien’s Kamsinas will look to supplement his Haydock Grade Two victory with a perfect Christmas present up at the highest level, while Chepstow scorer Jackpot D’Athou could represent champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

Favour And Fortune has appeared a classy operator and is now deemed ready for the next level by Alan King, with Paul Robson keen to gauge Cannock Park’s true ability after a taking success at Cheltenham in November.

A continental feel to the race is added by French challenger July Flower, with the four-year-old set to represent trainer Mickael Seror.

Nicky Richards is confident Haydock scorer Famous Bridge can keep progressing through the staying ranks, but a lack of chasing experience may put any Grand National ambitions on hold for this season.

The seven-year-old delighted his trainer when enhancing his fencing record to three wins from six appearances at the weekend and the handicapper was equally impressed, raising the gelding 6lb to a new rating of 135.

Richards will now seek out further opportunities for the talented stayer to continue his progression having always been hopeful he would develop into a handy operator.

“He did what we hoped he would do and I thought he did it nicely,” said Richards.

“He jumped economically and he jumped well down the home straight when he had to and stayed on well. He did everything nicely.

“He’s always looked fairly progressive. Hopefully he is still looking like that.

“I’m not quite sure where he goes next and he’s young for a staying chaser. He will be running in a nice race or two, but I’m not sure where that will be. We won’t be rushing into things, we will have a look at the programme book and take it from there.

“He’s a progressive horse and when you get one like that you want him to run in the little bit better races and we will be stepping up as he goes through the ratings hopefully.”

Famous Bridge runs in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings who was synonymous with Grand National success thanks to the exploits of Hedgehunter, Ballabriggs and Many Clouds at Aintree. And given connections, Richards admits that the Liverpool showpiece has entered conversations.

However, the Greystoke handler is unsure whether the stern examination of the National is what Famous Bridge requires at this early stage of his chasing career.

“I’m sure Aintree will be on the agenda at some stage if things are going right, that goes without question,” continued Richards.

“Mick (Meagher) and the whole team think very similar to how the boss used to think, but we will try to do what is best by the horse this year and make the right moves.”

He went on: “He’s only had six runs over fences and if he was going to go in the National this year he might only have one more run, maybe two at the most, and would that be just enough experience for him? I’m not quite sure.

“It’s very interesting and we don’t know where the journey is going to end, but hopefully we are on an interesting one.”