Key events
Turners Mersey Novice Hurdle (1.55pm) betting
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Brighterdaysahead Evens
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Jimmy Du Seuil 11/4
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Ile Atlantique 7/2
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Staffordshire Knot 22/1
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Esprit Du Potier 25/1
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Mahonâs Way 25/1
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Bugise Seagull 50/1
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Josh The Boss 70/1
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Odds via BestofBets.com
Turners Mersey Novice Hurdle (1.55pm) preview
Greg Wood
The luckless Caldwell Potter, who missed Cheltenham after his owners suddenly decided to sell up and quit the game, is a notable absentee here, leaving Brighterdaysahead, the runner-up in the Maresâ Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham last month, as the warm favourite at around 11-10. She has obvious claims but looks quite short given that this will be her first outing outside maresâ-only company, and one or both of Willie Mullinsâs contenders, JimmyDu Seuil and Ile Atlantique, do not have a great deal to find to give her a proper race. Jimmy Du Seuil seemed to surprise everyone when he ran second behind his stable companion, Ballyburn, in the two-and-a-half mile novice hurdle at Cheltenham, but he posted a useful timefigure and so it is probably worth accepting at face value for now.
SELECTION: JIMMY DU SEUIL
Thereâs a great story behind Grand National day first race winner Gwennie May Boyâs owners which you can read here â¦
William Hill Handicap Hurdle (1.20pm) result
1 Gwennie May Boy (C J Todd) 9-2
2 Lord Snootie (Jack Tudor) 18-1
3 West Balboa (Harry Skelton) 11-4 Fav
4 Johnnywho (Jonjo OâNeill Jr.) 9-1
21 ran
Non Runner: 15
William Hill Handicap Hurdle (1.20pm)
And theyâre off ⦠Johnsonâs Blue leads in the early stages with two laps to go! ⦠Classic Concorde is now challenging the early leader ⦠Johnnywho is in a good position ⦠Landrake has badly lost his place and Ramo is already in trouble at the back ⦠Storm Nelson is being pushed along ⦠favourite West Balboa is in midfield ⦠Bold Endeavour is in third behind the leaders ⦠West Balboa is making ground ⦠turning towards home and Classic Concorde leads ⦠Gwennie May Boy leads at the last from Lord Snootie and West Balboa and kicks clear for a comfortable win.
1.20 race market movers from Oddspedia
I love that ITV still open up their National day coverage (as the Beeb used to) with the theme music from the 1984 film Champions based on the victory of Bob Champion and Aldaniti in 1981. I still havenât seen the movie but I found it for a quid this year on DVD.
William Hill Handicap Hurdle (1.20pm) betting
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West Balboa 5/2
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Gwennie May Boy 6/1
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Cuthbert Dibble 7/1
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Black Bamboo 8/1
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Monmiral 10/1
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Johnnywho 11/1
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Bold Endeavour 14/1
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Chantry House 14/1
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Fine Margin 16/1
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Lord Snootie 18/1
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Johnsons Blue 28/1
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JAi Froid 33/1
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Red Risk 33/1
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Seefin 33/1
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Ramo 40/1
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Floueur 50/1
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Landrake 50/1
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Classic Concorde 66/1
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Russian Ruler 66/1
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Ailie Rose 80/1
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Storm Nelson 100/1
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Odds via BestofBets.com
William Hill Handicap Hurdle (1.20pm) preview
Greg Wood
A big field of handicappers to kick off the proceedings on National day, with Dan Skeltonâs West Balboa favourite to repeat her win in this race last year. She was five lengths clear 12 months ago so it is perhaps a little surprising that she is just 6lb higher in the ratings today after four subsequent runs, and she has even been dropped 1lb after each of her last two starts. Skeltonâs well-earned reputation for getting his handicap hurdlers in particular primed for the big day could well be enhanced, but this is a hot race and there are plenty of decent each-way alternatives to the favourite, including Monmiral, from the title-chasing Paul Nicholls stable, Irish raider Black Bamboo and Nicky Hendersonâs Bold Endeavour, one of the few runners from the stable to acquit himself well at Cheltenham last month. His early price of around 20-1 has gone but he still offers some value at around 14-1.
SELECTION: BOLD ENDEAVOUR
Still saddens me that Tiger Roll didnât get to try for three in a row and emulate Red Rum. I mean there are plenty of reasons to dislike Michael OâLeary but thatâs got to be high on the list. The great horse is back at Aintree today ⦠got to love his reaction.
Throughout the National Hunt season, Betfair has been challenging the brilliant Rachael Blackmore to raise up to £250,000 for two racing charities â for the Injured Jockeys Fund and Irish Jockey Fund.
On Saturday, 25 November, (Betfair Chase day) Betfair launched the Serial Winners Fund with an initial £100,000 donation.
Betfair have added £5,000 to the pot for every winner Blackmore secured up until the Grand National on Saturday (13 April) with an exception at the Cheltenham Festival, where the donation was doubled to £10,000 for her two winners.
With the Fund coming to an end today in Liverpool, heading into the Aintree Grand National Festival she had managed to land 19 winners throughout the time period.
On the final day of racing at Aintree this weekend, the fund stands at £210,000 after Betfair paid out £5,000 for Rachael and Bob Olingerâs photo-finish second in the Aintree Hurdle on day one of the Festival.
Blackmore said: âIâm delighted to have such a fantastic ride [on Minella Indo] in the Grand National. Itâs such an important, special race. Itâs brilliant to be riding in the race. I think if you are down at the start in the Grand National, you have as good a chance as anyone. But to be down at the start on a former Gold Cup winner will be brilliant.
âMinella Indo is a very classy horse who Iâm hoping will take to Aintree well. It was really disappointing that he didnât get to run at Cheltenham, when the Cross-Country Chase was abandoned. But heâs in great order and weâre really hoping that he can run a big race. It should be a great race. It always is.â
Hello and welcome to Grand National day, the biggest day of the racing year bar none and the one event that truly transcends the sport. Personally, I loved the days before racingâs weights-and-measures man, Phil âTinkermanâ Smith, started to fiddle about with the race but these days itâs truly wide open and the shortlists have become ever longer â everyone has an opinion which are not as easily dismissed and consequently more and more people are having a wager again. Thereâs nervousness about as the powers that be await to see if the latest tinkering with the track (the race is 20 yards shorter), the fences (No 11 has been lowered), the start (which will be a standing one and now at 4pm) and the field (reduced from 40 to 34 maximum) will assuage the critics. Meanwhile, I Am Maximus is now clear favourite â¦
The start (not a standing one)
Greg Wood
Good morning from Aintree racecourse, where the slightly surprising early news today is that the going on the Grand National course is now soft, good-to-soft in places, having been heavy, soft in places when it staged the Foxhuntersâ Chase on Thursday.
âItâs improved again today,â Sulekha Varma, Aintreeâs clerk of the course, told ITV Racing this morning. âThe only thing I would say about the Grand National course is that the good-to-soft is really just between fences 13 and 14, once you get over [the other] side, it really is pretty soft.
âAintree is a course that can dry given the opportunity, itâs been warm and breezy and itâs done exactly that.â
Something north of 55,000 racegoers are expected at the track this afternoon, but they will not, apparently, be joined by any activists from the group Animal Rising, which attempted to get the race called off last year.
And they will watch one of the smaller Grand National fields in recent history, as the new minimum field of 34 runners has been reduced to 32. Venetia Williamsâs Chambard, a Cheltenham Festival winner in the past who was due to be ridden by his regular amateur rider, Lucy Turner, was scratched after being found to be lame this morning. While you can also delete Run Wild Fred from your calculations.
Early betting news is that last yearâs winner, Corach Rambler, is a little weak in the market and is now vying for favouritism with I Am Maximus at around 8-1, while Limerick Lace, a âplungeâ horse in recent days, is now no bigger than 10-1 and could easily head the market at some stage if the money continues to come for her. Her stamina for this trip is completely unproven, but her full brother, Inothewayurthinkin, won the stayersâ novice chase on the card here yesterday and that may be giving punters confidence that she will get the trip.
A full runner-by-runner guide to this yearâs race is here, some picks for the other ITV races are here â although Caldwell Potter, the likely favourite for the 1.55, is a non-runner â and the action on the track is underway at 1.20.
