Aintree Card Bowl-ed Over With Quality

The spectacular National Fences

CHELTENHAM is always seen as the best week of the year for national hunt racing, it is built towards for months and is full of hype and excitement. Aintree is a massive festival too but thankfully from the point of view of the punter does not have the same hype.

One thing that can be seen nowhere else is the spectacle of the Aintree fences and we are treated to a race a day over them for the Grand National Meeting.

The say they save the best to last but at Aintree the best goes first. Big Buck’s is seeking his fourth consecutive win in the Liverpool Hurdle at 2:00 against a weak field. Should he win he will set the record for most consecutive wins in National Hunt racing with 17, and break Sir Ken’s record stretching back half a century.

Arguably his best ever performance was in this race last year and to see him repeat that would put a smile on any face.

Big Buck's (L) on his way to a stylish vistory in 2011

But from a betting perspective is there really any reason to get involved? Big Buck’s is odds of 1/4 for victory (value for a horse like him you could say!). Who can chase him home, or since there is three places at least there is an EW option for punters. 

Paul Nicholls has Tidal Bay and Poungach also. The former has plenty of form at the track and was 4^th in this in 2010 when trained by Howard Johnson, the latter is just out of novice company, he won a handicap at Sandown easily and fared ok behind Oscar Whiskey at Cheltenham in January.

He has the quality but there may be better options despite Nicholls turning up an option of going the handicap route at this festival.

 Won In The Dark was ridden for a place here last year and duly did the job coming home well behind Big Buck’s to finish 3^rd. He is notoriously hard to win with but is capable of competing for minor money in the top races. If the race pans out in a similar nature to 2011 then he could be worth chancing for a place at big odds (currently a 66/1 shot).

Smad Place is second in the market and never runs a bad race, improved to come third in the World Hurdle, he is most likely to come second. There will be races to be had next season I imagine but they will be the ones without Big Buck’s in them.

The Anniversary Hurdle for 4-y-o’s looks one of the strongest renewals of the contest in recent years. The winner, third, fourth, sixth and last hurdle faller from the Triumph Hurdle all reoppose.

Countrywide Flame was a somewhat surprise winner at Cheltenham but now looks the one to beat. Grumeti has just under four lengths to find and the return to a flat track looks likely to suit, he holds Paul Nicholls’ Dodging Bullets on both meetings but this will be just his third run over obstacles and could improve.

Pearl Swan was flying up the straight at Cheltenham before falling at the last. You would have to think he would have been in the first four. If he gets over that and does not fall behind early on again he is sure to play a leading role under Ruby Walsh. Hinterland comes here fresh but the fact he is passed over by Ruby he can probably be discounted.

Saddler’s Risk has been very much a talking horse this year and would have to improve in a whole host of areas to win.

A tough race to call but there is no need to look away from the top of the market and take your choice from those who contested the Triumph. Personally I would be with Pearl Swan who will have improved for the experience.

Riverside Theatre can improve on the  Ryanair performance

The highlight of Day1 and perhaps the festival on the Mildmay Course is the Betfair Bowl at 3:05. A field of 11 includes the last two winners of this event, Nacarat and What A Friend. They look to have work to do this year though. The former is 11-y-o now and the race fell apart a touch last year with a couple underperforming. What A Friend took a heavy fall last time in the Gold Cup and may not be capable of beating the favourites here although holds a better chance than his 12/1 price says.

I would love to see Hunt Ball win just for the antics of his fantastically entertaining and passionate owner Anthony Knott. This horse will be having his ninth run of the campaign that started out in the lowest possible grade, a class5 at Folkestone. He now takes on one of the biggest staying races in the season.

Nicky Henderson has the primaries; Riverside Theatre and Burton Port. Barry Geraghty has stuck with Riverside Theatre after their gutsy and gusty performance to win the Ryanair. Nothing really went right for him that day other than Captain Chris! He surely will perform better here and if he was good enough to win last time there is no reason to desert him now.

The horse does stay the distance although this is only his second run over 3m+.

Burton Port won over C&D as a novice and did well to finish fourth after labouring for a while in the Gold Cup. That can be put down to the ‘bounce factor’ following his lay-off and is likely to be far more dangerous now. However that Gold Cup may turn out to be one of the poorest in years and therefore Riverside Theatre is preferred.

Medermit also deserves a mention being only a length behind Riverside Theatre in the Ryanair. There is no reason to prefer him over the longer trip as he was outstayed near the line at Cheltenham.

BEST BET: RIVERSIDE THEATRE