DAY two of the Randox Grand Festival 2024 features three Grade 1 races including a fascinating renewal of the Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices’ Chase with a fascinating field of six runners with Inotherwayurthinkin, Broadway Boy, Giovinco, Heart Wood, Iroko and my selection Chianti Classico Unibet 7/2 , who I napped for the Ultima Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Chianti Classico jumped and travelled well throughout, and this is a step up which he is more than capable of making. Heart Wood looks the main danger, who I marked up when he won the Leopardstown Handicap Chase at the Dublin Festival and will go very well again.
The My Pension Expert Melling Chase Grade 1 over two miles four furlongs looks a thriller too with Jonbon, Protektorat, Pic D’Orhy and Conflated all the field. This is very tight, and Jonbon Unibet 2/1 for Unibet Ambassador Nicky Henderson looks sure to benefit from the step up in trip and just at the time of writing Sir Gino has just won the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle Race for Seven Barrows. It is great to see the yard back on home and excellent for the meeting too.
Enjoy whether on course at Aintree or watching #athome on ITV Racing and Racing TV.
Cheers
The Wine Tipster
2:20 Aintree – Handicap Hurdle (2m 4f)
Making Headway (nap) creeps right into the bottom of the handicap and can make that pay.
A ready winner of a Newbury novice hurdle in heavy ground two starts ago, he finished fourth in the Imperial Cup last time out, which looked a very hot handicap beforehand and the form of which looks strong, with the winner Go Dante having finished third in Newbury’s big handicap hurdle on his previous start, second Faivoir running another solid race in the County Hurdle later in the week and third Jipcot had dotted up at Huntingdon the week before. There’s a lot to like about that, particularly as it was only his second handicap start, and importantly he dropped off the pace and then rallied up the hill at Sandown looking like a step up in trip would be a big plus. The other point is that he was dropped a pound, which looks remarkably generous. He can definitely go close with conditions well in his favour, having won on the heavy twice this season and he raced well in the Imperial Cup at Sandown in soft.
Unibet are paying an EXTRA PLACE in this race!
Theatre Man was my selection in my Unibet blog for the Plate Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival when falling at the third when at the rear of the field. This was his first fall and the only time he hadn’t finished in the first three in his career, having run well in his other three chase starts this season, which included a second to Ginny’s Destiny. Here Theatre Man returns to hurdles after winning on his last hurdles appearance back in March 2023 over 2m 5f when leading from the front and beating Issuing Authority by 5½ lengths in good style at Kempton. He looks well handicapped here on his chase form and is proven in the testing conditions and trip.
2:55 Aintree – Trustatrader Top Novices’ Hurdle Grade 1 (2m ½f)
Firefox has got 3½ lengths to find with Mystical Power on their Supreme running, but a fair few things went wrong for Firefox, who was the pick of the paddock on the day, and there are good reasons for thinking he can reverse the form today.
A small mistake three out put him on the back foot, but no sooner had he got himself back into contention than he found himself outpaced and among horses, causing him to check his run, and by the time he got going up the hill, the first two had flown.
The flat track at Aintree could really suit him and with a small field he should have no such issues and given a more positive ride, can outstay Mystical Power after the last.
Unibet are paying MONEY BACK AS CASH if your pick finishes 2nd or 3rd in this race!
4:05 Aintree – Randox Supports Race Against Dementia Topham Handicap Chase (2m 5f)
Frero Banbou in a wide-open Topham, looks sure to give a bold showing over the National fences again after finishing third to Gesskille in the Grand Sefton back in November, when he was pretty much the last one off the bridle. He returned to form after a couple of poor efforts with a solid sixth in the Plate Handicap at the Festival, only giving best again late in the piece.
It needs saying he finds winning hard, but he always gives his all and can’t be faulted for consistency. Heavy ground is no problem to him, and you can expect to see him front rank from the off. He can give each-way players a return.
Unibet are paying an EXTRA PLACE in this race!
The Edgar Wallace has form figures of 1122 this season, with wins on the soft and heavy at Wetherby and Leicester respectively. He also ran well on his last start at Newcastle when second to Cheddleton at Newcastle late on last time out in February. This bold front running type, who is a good jumper, could really take to Aintree and ran a big race in a very competitive Topham.
The Wine Tipster’s Treble
The corks really would be popping and glasses overflowing if this one lands!
Roll these picks from our red-hot tipster into an each-way treble – £5 each way potentially returns over £4,500 if they come in! Of course, it’s a long shot, but…
Click the image below to add directly to your betslip!
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