The Betway ambassador runs through Friday's card at the Grand National Festival and picks out the horses she will have her eye on.
13:45
There has been lots of talk about Caldwell Potter 3/1 all season due to his price tag, but it all came together for him in the Novices’ Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last month. He was foot perfect, led them from start to finish and simply won the race with a savage round of jumping. It was one of, if not the most impressive jumping performance from any horse at the Festival. I expect Harry Cobden will look to do the same again by utilising this horse’s jumping ability, bucking out in front and hoping to get into a similar rhythm as he did three weeks ago. It is a step up in grade but you can’t help but be impressed by the way he did it at Cheltenham.
14:20
As you’d expect, this race is ultra-competitive with 22 declared runners and you can make a case for a handful of them. Be Aware 15/2 was campaigned around the Coral Cup at Cheltenham, but was a big eyecatcher running better than his finishing position suggests. Wade Out 15/2 is still relatively unexposed. I’m happy to put a line through his run at Cheltenham two starts ago but he showed his wellbeing by winning very easily last time out. He is clearly still improving and could be better than his mark of 128.
I’ve always had a feeling that Favour and Fortune 10/1 will pop up and win a big prize someday. His first run of the season at Ascot was eyecatching and he stayed on all the way to the line, and then was a good fourth at Newbury behind Joyeuse. Last time out he stumbled around two out, which hindered any chance he had, but we know these connections love winners at Aintree so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him run very well.
14:55
Romeo Coolio has been very consistent this year, but you’ve got to question whether this race will come too soon after his good effort in the Supreme. I thought Salvator Mundi 11/4 ran well enough having been further back than Patrick Mullins would have necessarily liked, but he did stay on right the way up the hill. I don’t think that race would have taken as much out of him as it would Romeo Coolio, which is why I’m siding with the Willie Mullins’ five-year-old.
15:30
The Melling Chase only has four runners but is very competitive. I can’t split Jonbon 4/6 , El Fabiolo 11/5 and Protektorat 17/2 who all on their best form are capable of beating each other. It’s a race I’m just happy to sit and watch.
16:05
The Topham Chase, which is run over the Grand National fences, looks incredibly competitive, doesn’t it? I like Blue Lord 15/2 as a horse, and thought he could have run a big race in the Ryanair if he had run in it. The owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede hold a strong hand in this race with last years second James Du Berlais, but I think Blue Lord is a classier animal and if he does take the national fences, he could be very tough to beat.
At a bigger price, on his best form Eldorado Allen 22/1 could well be in the mix. He ran well enough for a long way in last years Grand National before not seeing out the trip so this step back to 2m5f could see him show up better.
16:40
Mister Meggit 100/30 is a fine stamp of a horse who hasn’t been seen since winning at Aintree in November. I don’t know whether he has had a setback or whether he has been purposefully kept for this race to explain for not seeing him during the winter but he has always looked above average. He could easily be a graded class. I expect him to go over fences next season and think we will see him in the Grade 1 Novices’ Chase, back here in 12 months’ time.
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