AINTREE – THURSDAY
2:20 G1 4-y-o Anniversary Hurdle
SIR GINO (NICO DE BOINVILLE)
I’m afraid it’s very much up to this lad as the first to carry the baton for Seven Barrows since coming out of an enforced ‘hibernation’, shall we say, and we will certainly know our fate by 2:30pm on Thursday.
We have run very few horses over the past few weeks, not necessarily because they’ve all been Ill, there just hasn’t been the races for them and the ground has, and still is, very testing.
Everybody knows how much we like this horse, and I simply didn’t want to risk running him in the Triumph; you could say I sort of lost my bottle but it wasn’t worth the risk because running there could’ve set him back a lot and he’s only a young horse with a very bright future.
His work has been excellent, and I don’t think the ground will be an issue because he won on Heavy at Auteuil, and it was soft enough at Cheltenham on Trials Day. He could end up extremely good and I’m looking forward to getting everything back on track.
Unibet are BOOSTING the price on Sir Gino!
2:55 G1 Aintree Bowl
SHISHKIN (NICO DE BOINVILLE)
He won this last year on his first start at the trip and while things have been slightly skewiff since, notably when it was his own fault at Ascot, but certainly wasn’t in the King George, he came back and looked very good in the Denman which was the perfect prep for the Gold Cup – but as we all know, he didn’t make that race.
I’m pleased to say he is in great shape at home, and he worked very well when Nico gave him his final gallop on Saturday. He appeared to handle the ground at Newbury and all of his tests have come back 100% as we’d like, therefore I’m hopeful of a bold show.
Unibet are BOOSTING the price on Shishkin!
3:30 G1 Aintree Hurdle
LUCCIA (JAMES BOWEN)
We have always toyed with the idea of stepping up in trip because she always finishes her races well, which would suggest she’ll stay, and if we didn’t come here, we’d end up bumping into Lossiemouth at Punchestown, so this seemed as good a time to try as any and she was the one ray of light at Cheltenham with her excellent third in the Unibet Champion Hurdle. She wasn’t far behind State Man that day which does make me wonder what might’ve been had Constitution Hill turned up for the party because I know what there is between him and Luccia, but that’s by the bye.
She ran very well in the Novice here last year and hasn’t missed a day since Cheltenham so I’m optimistic of a decent run from this very consistent mare.
MARIE’S ROCK (NICO DE BOINVILLE)
We were considering going over three miles in the Liverpool Hurdle, but I rather feel this is her optimum trip, especially when the ground is this testing, and she has some very high-class form to her name, but the going is a slight cause for concern.
Unibet are BOOSTING the price on Luccia and Maris’s Rock!
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