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 ALBERTAS RUN POISED FOR VICTORY
ALBERTAS Run is set to win the £100,000 Racing for Change Order of Merit after victory in the John Smith's Melling Chase at the Grand National meeting.
He leads the championship on 81 points, six ahead of Big Buck's on 75 and Khyber Kim on 61. The two hurdlers have run out of races to catch the leader.
The Trevor Hemmings-owned and Jonjo O'Neill-trained steeplechaser has scored in five Order of Merit races this season, including three victories.
First place in the Amlin 1965 Chase at Ascot was followed by third spot in the totesport.com Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon prior to Christmas.
February saw the horse as runner-up in the Betfair Ascot Chase, and then 40 points were secured with wins in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham and the John Smith's Melling Chase.
Big Buck's had been the ante-post favourite for the championship.
The Racing for Change Order of Merit comes with a prize fund of £100,000. This is split: £50,000 to the winning owner; £30,000 to the winning training yard; and £20,000 to the winning trainer.
The Order of Merit contest concludes at Sandown Park on the closing day of the 2009/10 jump racing season.
Nick Attenborough, Racing for Change's Consumer PR Director, said: "If, as expected, Albertas Run is confirmed as the winner later this month, then it will be a hugely deserved victory for his connections.
"The Order of Merit was designed to reward horses that ran consistently in some of the season's major races. Albertas Run scored points in five races, and climaxed his campaign with wins in grade one races at Cheltenham and Aintree."
The points system for the championship is: Grade 1 races 1st (20 points) 2nd (16) 3rd (12) 4th (10); Grade 2 races 15, 12, 10 and 8; Grade 3 races 10, 8, 6, 5.
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