We almost made an incredible start to the flat season on Saturday. Our 50/1 Brocklesby fancy Son Of Sarabi was beat a nose into second. However, our luck changed with our 33/1 NB Pearl Eye who was awarded the Spring Mile by the stewards (SP 50/1). On Sunday at Leopardstown Cercene ensured we didn’t go home empty handed, placing at 40s. I look forward to seeing how she'll be priced up for the Irish 1000 Guineas. Now it is time for our 2025 Aintree Grand National meeting day 1 tips, see who Dave fancies below.
1.45 – Manifesto Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
Jango Baie had a hard race at Cheltenham and while Impaire
Et Passe is fresh, his jumping makes him hard to trust implicitly. I am a big
fan of Croke Park and Gordon Elliott’s decision to swerve the festival and come
here instead might pay handsome dividends.
In the hope that a couple of the market leaders misfire, I’m
going to take a chance on The Kalooki Kid here for Nicky Richards and Danny McMenamin.
A mid-120s hurdler, this grey son of Gentlewave has proved to be a much better
chaser and he has won both of his last starts at around this trip.
He got off the mark over 19f at Doncaster in his second chase start in a novice handicap, winning easily by 5.5l off 124. A 7lb rise wasn’t enough to stop him following up at Musselburgh where he beat a decent handicapper in Saint Segal and he now comes into this race rated 138.
Clearly, he needs to improve again to trouble the best of
these but he’s fresh, he’s still relatively young and there could easily be
more to come. At odds of 25/1, The Kalooki Kid is the each way selection.
2025 Aintree Grand National meeting Day 1 Tip: The
Kalooki Kid e/w @ 25/1
2.20 – Boodles 4yo Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
He isn’t a massive price but if Wendrock can reproduce the form
of his Leopardstown maiden win when he beat subsequent Grade 1 runner up Galileo
Dame, I think he can go very close here at odds of 11/1.
Yes, he finished 7.5l behind Putyourhandstogether in the
juvenile handicap at Cheltenham but he’s now 6lb better off with that rival and
Gordon Elliott’s horses are in better form now. Wendrock was 10 horses wide
coming into the final turn and ended up making his challenge up the inner. It
wasn’t Jack Kennedy’s finest hour and I suspect he may have still been feeling
the effects of the injury that almost ruled him out of the festival.
When he won at Leopardstown Sam Ewing always had him close
to the pace and I am hoping that similar tactics are employed here. If they
are, hopefully Wendrock will hit the frame on ground he should enjoy at odds of
11/1.
2025 Aintree Grand National meeting Day 1 Tip: Wendrock
e/w @ 11/1
2.55 – Golden Miller Bowl Chase (Grade 1)
It is hard to make a case for anything at a big price here.
We backed The Real Whacker in the Gold Cup but he weakened at almost the exact
same point as he did when running in the race a year previously. He might have
a better chance of staying this less taxing test but I am happy to let him run
without the weight of my money this time.
Djelo won a class 3 handicap chase here over 2m back in 2023
but he never figured here last year over the same trip. He may do better over
this longer distance but he ran a stinker at Cheltenham and it is hard to be
confident in him after that tame effort.
The rest of the field are priced up at 10/1 or shorter and I
wouldn’t be taking those sort of odds about the likes of Ahoy Senor or Gaelic
Warrior. Embassy Gardens would be of interest on testing ground but on good to soft,
he has it to prove. I am happy to leave this race alone. No bet.
2025 Aintree Grand National meeting Day 1 Tip: No bet
3.30 – Aintree Hurdle (grade 1)
Just seven run here and I am afraid this is another race I’ll
just be watching. If the old Constitution Hill turns up, he’ll be hard to beat
but he’s starting to remind me of Buveur d’Air. Like Constitution Hill, he fell
when fancied to make it three in a row in the Champion Hurdle and he also made
a couple of similar mistakes in two of his prep runs for that race. He went on
to get beaten at Aintree and I fear it could be a similar story for Constitution
Hill.
Lossiemouth was impressive against the mares at Cheltenham
and she looks well placed to take advantage if Constitution does make more
mistakes. The fly in the ointment could be Wodhooh but you’d have to think that
her stylish win at Cheltenham took a bit out of her and this is a quick enough
turnaround. However, she looks a Grade 1 horse all over and if it doesn’t
happen here, she will be dining at the top table next season.
If there were three places on offer, I would probably back
Take No Chances again. She landed the place money for us at tasty odds at Cheltenham
but it is hard to see her turning the 9.25l deficit to Lossiemouth around.
Hopefully the big dogs all turn up in top form and put in a clear round. If they
do, it should be a cracking race to watch.
2025 Aintree Grand National meeting Day 1 Tip: No bet
4.40 – Red Rum Handicap Chase (Premier)
I mentioned on X that my best bet of the week was running on
Day 1 and if you haven’t guessed who it is by now, you must be a relatively new
follower. It is the one, the only, the inimitable, Tommy’s Oscar. Long time followers
will know how much I rate this horse and it looks like the Hamiltons, who love Aintree
and who have had winners at this meeting before, have laid him out for this big
pot.
It has been a quiet campaign for Tommy but Ann Hamilton’s
horses weren’t running well in the early part of the season. On his last two outings
he’s been ridden by Sean Quinlan and the 3lb claimer Peter Kavanagh but today
he is reunited with the jockey who has been on board for nine of his twelve
career wins, Danny McMenamin.
The upside of his three moderate runs this season is that his
mark has fallen from 157 to 152. The last time he was rated 152 was last April
at Ayr’s Scottish National meeting and he hosed up in a G3 handicap chase over 16.5f.
He has run once at this track before, in the Old Roan Grade 2 Handicap Chase off
157, and travelled very well but didn’t quite see his race out over that 2m4f trip.
This is a much more suitable distance for him and the Hamiltons
are 3/13 with two seconds and a fourth at this venue (+29.50 to a 1 unit stake),
a remarkable record for such a small operation. Tommy’s Oscar is a 160 horse on
his day and if he is in peak form on Thursday, he is capable of going very close
here at odds of 16/1 off 152. Hopefully he does the business.
2025 Aintree Grand National meeting Day 1 Tip: Tommy’s
Oscar e/w @ 18/1 NAP (4 places)
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