The second day of the Grand National Festival features plenty more fantastic racing, with the likes of Gerri Colombe, Fakir D’oudairies, Pic D’Orhy, Found A Fifty and Luccia all set to line up.
Racing expert Dave Young (AKA @cheltmentalFB on Twitter) gives us his through-the-card selections for the second day of the Aintree Festival.
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13:45 – Mildmay Novices Chase
Great race to kick start Day 2 and GERRI COLOMBE will be looking to make amends for a narrow defeat a Cheltenham where he had Bronn just behind. I tipped the former for the race and marked the latter as the lively outsider but I do feel now that the price difference between the two is massively in favour of Gerri. He’s the only horse to have officially posted an RPR in excess of 160 and he’s done that the last twice so I do think he’s well clear of this field.
GALIA DES LITEAUX does want a bog to show her best running but if you take into account her mares allowance her RPR of 153 achieved on her penultimate start would suggest she’s capable of being best of the rest but for me Gerri Colombe will take some stopping and he’s a strong fancy.
Selection – GERRI COLOMBE
Danger – GALIA DES LITEAUX
14:20 – William Hill Handicap Hurdle
CAMPROND was another horse at Cheltenham who was only narrowly denied and he ran a big race there 12 months ago before getting redemption at another spring festival when winning at Punchestown. This race looks to be this years redemption given he’s running off just a 5lb higher mark, but I’d want some cover in a big field handicap such as this.
DARGIANNINI for Harry Derham has been a revelation since reverting back to hurdles and coming to this yard and you can easily upgrade his latest win at Newbury where he was hampered early on. A part of me feels like his former boss Paul Nicholls has given him a helping hand with this horse and while this is a much better race than he’s ever raced in, you can’t argue with him looking to be in the form of his life and loving his racing which can’t be said for a lot of these.
Selection – CAMPROND
Cover – DARGIANNINI
14:55 – Top Novices’ Hurdle
A good looking race even if it might not be a genuine Grade 1 field but there are a few that could prove me wrong including LUCCIA who was a bit disappointing in Cheltenham. She was good earlier this season on better ground and she won her bumpers on slower ground so this going will be ideal. She was strangely weak on the exchanges for the Mares’ Novice and had an issue before so I don’t think she was 100% that day and this is now where we’ll see her at her best.
Inthepocket I think wants a longer trip but Henry De Bromhead is adamant he’s a two miler and should know better than me, while Found A Fifty has good looking form but his last line was franked when the winner ran over a mile further and his first scalp has been well beaten since.
The one I think could be overpriced is NO LOOKING BACK, who put in a good effort in defeat the last day. At Christmas he landed a Grade 2 (albeit just a match race) and I think he’s probably as good as any of the Irish but he’s 3 or 4 times the price.
Selection – LUCCIA
Lively Outsider – NO LOOKING BACK
15:30 Marsh Chase
Good competitive race this one but it’s similar to the Novice Hurdle before where it’s probably not quite a Grade 1 standard. I know I’ll take some criticism for that with Fakir D’oudairies in here who has won the last two renewals of this and is 4 time Grade 1 winner. He beat Hitman here 12 months ago but he doesn’t arrive here in the same form, having posted 169 & 167 RPR’s respectively when winning this the last twice but posted just a 159 back in February.
HITMAN, however, put in a career joint best 165 RPR at Cheltenham which means his last 5 completed starts have been 160+ and 6 of his last 8. He’s just a 7yo and is on the up so coming here off a 6lb higher rating and Fakir coming here on a lower number means I think he’s easily bridged that gap and I think he’s a great price too. Lorcan rode him last year when Harry Cobden made the wrong choice and I think he’s made a mistake again.
Selection – HITMAN
16:05 – Topham Handicap Chase
I’ve got to be honest and state that this is not a race I tend to look to deeply at as it’s quite a niche event. Haut En Couleurs will attempt to be the first top weight winner since 1995 and he is Paul Townends choice so I give him a chance but BATCIO for Ted Walsh was second in this last year off a 3lb lower mark. He’s only been seen once since and you could be disappointed with his effort before unseating, but it can’t have been more than a pipe opener for this and he was running against a proper horse in Bachasson.
I’ll give a chance to KILTEALY BRIGGS too who is a horse I’ve always liked and is now back down to his last winning mark of 137. He has course form albeit not winning form and I think the ground will be perfect for him.
Selections – BATCIO + KILTEALY BRIGGS
16:40 – Sefton Novices’ Hurdle
IROKE was a good winner of the Martin Pipe and he didn’t go unbacked. He’ll surely go close here if in the same mood or even more so if he’s taken a step forward again. STAY AWAY FAY is the type you would say “anything he does over hurdles is a bonus” but don’t let that detract from what he’s achieved. I know he was beaten in The River Don but I think he was the best horse that day and he’s got to be the selection in here.
MOFASA would need to find a stone or more on figures to have a chance here but his two Cheltenham efforts back in October and on Trials Day in January both suggest he wants this step up in trip, despite a poor run in between those over 2m 6f at Newcastle. He’s priced accordingly but could find the improvement he needs in this extra distance.
Selections – STAY AWAY FAY
Lively Outsider – MOFASA
17:15 – Abersoch Land And Sea Handicap Hurdle
Joe Tizzard has had a pretty good first season as a trainer in his own right but in JPR ONE I think he has a horse who could make it even better. He defied a year absence to win at Taunton off 127 and up just 4lbs for that. He was keen but this race will be run faster so I think he can go close again.
Big field handicaps require some cover and I’m looking at GO DANTE for Olly Murphy and Jamie Codd. He’s always been highly regarded having been declared for the Grade 2 bumper here in 2021 before a late non runner and he ended that year by running in the Grade 1 Challow hurdle. He found himself down to a mark of 122 the last day when winning well and he might have just turned a corner now. Jamie Codd is always a positive in the saddle and the first time cheek-pieces could help too.
Selection – JPR ONE
Cover – GO DANTE
Take a look at Dave’s Runner-By-Runner preview to the feature race of the Festival – The Grand National. He gives a verdict on every runner, including a 1-5 star rating for each horse:
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