The Betway ambassador offers her thoughts on the card as the Grand National Festival kicks off, including the big race of the day, the Aintree Hurdle.
This is the first Grand National meeting I am unable to attend in years, which I am absolutely gutted about because it is such a brilliant few days of racing and the city of Liverpool is always a fantastic night out.
With the sales going on, I’m having to stay at home, working with the two-year-olds and I’ll be watching this year’s racing from the sofa.
13:45
The opening race looks an absolute cracker. Arkle winner Jango Baie needed all of the hill at Cheltenham to win, which would suggest this step up in trip would suit him. Obviously the big question, which will go for many horses this week, is that there is just a three-week gap between Cheltenham and Aintree, so you don’t know how hard of a race they actually had until they race again.
I’ve seen it many times before – a horse can be bouncing at home following a big race win, yet when they go to the racecourse they can feel the effects and run flat. The one horse who won’t have that issue, though, is Impaire Et Passe / , who skipped Cheltenham in favour of Aintree. His run at the Dublin Racing Festival behind Ballyburn and Croke Park, who are both better stayers, wasn’t a bad run, and his two previous chase starts were impressive wins. Coming here with that freshness would just give him the advantage in my eyes.
14:20
Puturhandstogether / absolutely sluiced up in the Fred Winter. He’s a horse clearly capable of winning at graded level. With no disrespect to the other runners, this doesn’t look like the strongest renewal of this race, and I’ve noticed he’s been very well backed in the last 24 hours, and should take all of the beating. I am looking forward to seeing Live Conti / run again. He has only run once for trainer Dan Skelton when he dotted up at Wetherby, and remains unexposed. He missed Cheltenham with this race in mind so he could be a good each-way prospect.
14:55
It could be a great festival for Dan Skelton, who looks to wrap up his first Trainers Championship, and Grey Dawning / would have a great favourite’s chance on his best form. It’s going to be quick ground all week, which is a relative unknown to lots of these horses. There is one horse who will appreciate this week’s weather forecast – the outsider of the field, The Real Whacker / . We know he stays all day as he was a previous winner of the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham a few years back, and he’ll be ridden to pick up the pieces late. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ran well at a big price.
15:30
Obviously two horses will steal the limelight in this race and it’s very hard to split Constitution Hill / and Lossiemouth / . The question mark around Constitution Hill is that he is running off the back of a fall at Cheltenham, but we do know how good he is on his day. Lossiemouth was very impressive in the Mares’ Hurdle and also gets the 7lb Mares’ allowance, which could give her the edge, but it’s still very hard to split them both and is a race I’m very much looking to watching.
16:40
Despite not having the best start to the season, Henry de Bromhead’s horses peak – as ever – for the big Spring festivals and it looks like The Folkes Tiara / has been targeted for this race. I do think he will be very tough to beat. He was second at the Dublin Racing Festival behind an improving horse of Paul Nolan’s and skipped possible entries at Cheltenham in favour of this. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him go off favourite for connections who have done so well at this meeting previously.
17:15
One of the most talented trainers in Ireland, Paddy Twomey is known for being a flat trainer so it’s rare to see him have a runner under National Hunt rules. His mare Seo Linn / was so impressive at Cheltenham in November and has been put away since, clearly with this race in mind. This race is very difficult to win because these young mares can improve rapidly from race to race, but Seo Linn has already shown a high level of form, and if we’re going on form alone she is definitely the horse to beat.
