Saturday is Grand National day from Aintree, with the nation tuning in for the world’s greatest steeplechase. The surrounding card is also full of top class action and Matty Sutcliffe gives you seven bets to fill your coffers throughout the day, including two in the big one.
1:20 Aintree – William Hill Top Price Guarantee Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Nurse Susan 14/1 1pt WIN + Rushmount 16/1 0.5pt EW 5 places
My original fancy for this contest, Mr Hope Street, was balloted out after declarations and I was fairly keen on his chances due to the fact Dan Skelton has won three of the last five runnings of this contest. I had considered Catch Him Derry, given he’s the mount of Harry Skelton who’s been on board for all three of Skelton’s winners in this contest, but he had a hard enough race in the Pertemps last time out and it may pay to favour the fresher legs of NURSE SUSAN.
Two of the last six winners of this race came from the Martin Pipe last time out, and despite Skelton noting Nurse Susan wasn’t quite ready for that contest, she led the eld until halfway up the home straight before fading late on, naturally due to the 418 days off the track. I was impressed regardless with he throughout, but given she is generally seen held up in her races, there’s an inkling that the race was perhaps a leg stretcher to set her up for this one.
The daughter of Doctor Dino was formerly fourth in the Dawn Run at the Cheltenham Festival, and since returning from her latest brea, she went unbeaten in handicap hurdles. The latest of those came in a 33k contest at Lingeld when a game winner of just 3lbs higher, and the form’s worked out well with the third, Gowel Road, a G2 winner since.
If returning to her usual hold up tactics, this race should work out in her favour and the application of cheek-pieces will do no harm, alongside the 3lbs claimed off from Tristan Durrell effectively putting her on her last winning mark.
The other I can’t let go unbacked is RUSHMOUNT, who nearly landed a gamble for us at the DRF when given an almighty amount of work to do in rear. That was a strong race, with the third subsequently nine lengths behind Mares Hurdle second Jade De Grugy, and he backed that effort up with a comfortable success at Thurles on good ground last month looking well ahead of his mark.
He’s still well handicapped on his form behind Lecky Watson from last season, and Brian Hayes retains the ride who’s 2/3 all time for the yard.
1:55 Aintree – Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Kappa Jy Pyke 20/1 0.5pt EW 3 places
I’m happy to let Lulamba win this at 5/4 who is supposedly the second coming, but I can’t let KAPPA JY PYKE go off unbacked at 20/1. Willie Mullins has won this with Yorkhill and Nicholls Canyon in recent years, who both came from the Ballymore at the Cheltenham Festival.
Kappa Jy Pyke was too keen for his own good in that race, but the front three were a class apart and he was still travelling well enough alongside them two out. He was entitled to weaken late on particularly given his inexperience, having only broken his maiden in January, and he’s entitled to step up once more given that effort came from a previous outing.
This flatter, sharper track at Aintree can suit better than the galloping nature of Cheltenham, and on the official ratings he comes out second, only to Lulamba.
2:30 Aintree – William Hill Handicap Chase (Registered As The Freebooter Handicap Chase) (Premier Handicap) (GBB) (Class 1) (5yo+) – Imperial Saint 7/1 1.5pt WIN
It pains me to desert Happygolucky who I was condent would go well in the Ultima, and also won this contest off 10lbs higher in 2023, but he was all out at Cheltenham, and I wouldn’t be all that sure he could reverse the form with Myretown.
IMPERIAL SAINT was also a bet for us earlier on in the season, and this step up to 3m1f can bring out further improvement from this progressive son of Saints Des Saints. He beat a subsequent winner in Petit Tonnerre here on chase debut, jumping very much like a seasoned professional. He then backed that up off top-weight in open company over the same C&D, moving through the race in effortless fashion and taking the race up swiftly after the second last, before winging the last and drawing away in the manner of a very smart chaser.
He couldn’t quite land the hat trick at Newbury, but he proved his love for Aintree when stepped up in trip to 2m4f, making all in impressive style with the second franking the form in his next two outings, placing in the Peter Marsh and a competitive handicap at Uttoxeter.
He hit the line strongly there, and he was far from disgraced when matching that career best RPR of 148 at Cheltenham giving 8lbs and 15lbs to the pair two lengths ahead of him, hitting the Kline strongly. Hit lost little in defeat under a prominent ride in the Pendil when fading late on, but he stuck to his task to be beaten a credible seven lengths with the first three home all finishing in a different order together in the G1 Manifesto at Aintree on Thursday.
He’s three from three at Aintree, and the return here with a step up in trip visually looking to suit can see him make it four from four on Merseyside for a yard who won this in 2010 with From Dawn To Dusk, and in 2014/2015 with Duke of Lucca.
3:05 Aintree – Ivy Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) – Monmiral 40/1 0.5pt EW 3 places
The calibre of stayers around at the moment is far from at the higher end we’ve ever seen in recent years, and the reigning one, Teahupoo, is vulnerable once again with the livelier ground not in his favour. I fancied MONMIRAL at Cheltenham, and I initially thought he was withdrawn due to the ground, but he was supposedly cast in his box which for those unaware of what that entails, essentially means the horse has fallen in their box and got themselves into a position where they are unable to get backup without external help, and Monmiral will likely have kicked out and knocked himself in the process.
It may have been a blessing in disguise, as he comes here fresher than some and was far from disgraced in the three mile handicap hurdle here last season off joint top-weight, beaten twelve lengths into fifth. The formerly smart hurdler won the 4yo Anniversary here in 2021, and was a fourteen length second to Epatante here a year later in the G1 Aintree Hurdle.
He returned this season after his Pertemps success with a quiet ride in another Pertemps qualifier, and it probably wasn’t the plan to get to within three lengths of Strong Leader in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury with a view to lowering down the handicap, but that forced Nicholls’ hand to stay down the graded route and he was a staying on second to Gowel Road giving him 4lbs in the Cleeve Hurdle, finishing five lengths ahead of Strong Leader who used this race as a prep run last season before going on to win the Liverpool Hurdle.
Paul Nicholls hasn’t won this since the last of four successes with Big Bucks in 2012, but Monmiral is certainly overpriced with last years’ winner and should the blinkers continue to provide their spark (1522), he comes here with a winning chance.
4:00 Aintree – Randox Grand National Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (7yo+) (Intense Raffles already advised 14/1 1pt WIN) Three Card Brag 20/1 1pt EW 6 places + Minella Cocooner 14/1 1pt EW 6 places
Gordon Elliott first won the Grand National with Silver Birch in 2007, before historically winning back to back renewals with Tiger Roll in 2018/19 and THREE CARD BRAG makes large appeal now stepping up in trip. The Jet Away gelding is half brother to a Northumberland National winner and a Scottish National fourth both over four miles so there is stamina to boot in his pedigree, and having stayed on well in the 2023 Albert Bartlett, staying chases always looked his bag. He went without winning during his novice chase campaign, bumping into the likes of Corbetts Cross, Monty’s Star, Nick Rockett and Spillane’s Tower, but those four rivals make him a credible opponent for the Grand National and his form from this season reads well, winning a Beginners Chase in Navan in January with Now Is The Hour in fourth who was running a big race in the National Hunt Chase, and he lost little in defeat when third to Better Days Ahead and the neck second Stellar Story, with that pair finished 3rd and 2nd respectively in the Brown Advisory.
He’s on a workable mark of 147 in that respect, his record in the cheek-pieces read 3313 and the services of Sean Bowen can only bode well.
The other I’m keen to play is MINELLA COCOONER, who has the perfect profile for a race of this calibre. The former G1 Nathaniel Lacy winner finished second in both the Albert Bartlett and Punchestown equivalent later that season as a novice hurdler, and after only having one run the following season, he progressed throughout last term to finish a four length third in the Irish Grand National off topweight, finishing four lengths behind Intense Raffles.
He backed that effort up when a game winner of the Bet365 Gold Cup, staying on strongly to beat Annual Invictus, finishing two lengths ahead of Nick Rockett giving him 4lbs who’s now rated 14lbs higher. He’s been campaigned well this season with a view to protecting his mark, hiding around in rear in top grade one contests before a staying on eight lengths fourth to Nick Rockett in the Bobbyjo Chase. He’s better off with Intense Raes and Nick Rockett at the weights, the ground is spot on for him, and with stamina looking assured, he rates a confident each-way play.
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