Aintree Thursday

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Ardross

Senior Jockey
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Interesting fields - the Red Rum looks like a re-run of the Grand Annual without French Opera, I hope to see Somersby win the Manifesto chase but am surprised AP is not back on him - but pleased to see AP is back on Barizan - jocking him off at Cheltenham almost certainly cost the horse the race. Good jockey as Tom O Brien is , he seemed to lose his head in the straight .

Imperial Commander - ought to win but Nacarat could be value.
 
Aintree - Thursday

I'll be in attendance tomorrow and there are a couple of really good races to get stuck into.

In the 4yo Hurdle i'm hoping to get a nice price about Mo Voici who swerved the Festival in the hope of getting softer ground here. The going is listed as g/s, good in places which is a bit off putting but Barizan and Sanctuaire running may mean he is relatively ignored in the betting.

In the Totesport Bowl Imperial Commander is trading at evens on the machine and he has to be taken on given his profile. I really fancy Nacarat for this and will cover with What a Friend. The former ran ok in the Melling Chase last year so doesn't mind the course but needs to improve on that effort to win this. I'm hoping the step up in trip will see that improvement materialise.
 
I think the Aintree festival is everything Cheltenham should be. No unnecessary handicaps nor consolation races for 4 year olds not good enough. 3 days of top quality graded racing interspersed with top quality handicaps. Lets hope they don't try to extend it - the best National Hunt meeting for me.

I think Sanctuaire could be something quite special, and agree about Somersby.
 
I hope Me Voici can win and Honest John is a nice horse in the last. But, we all know I'm biased towards my two favourite trainers. If those two, and Peddlers Cross (for my third favourite trainer) won this week , I'd be one happy chappy. :)
 
I'm planning on taking Somersby on - I was really impressed with the Nightingale last time, particularly his jumping, and the form of that race was given a boost by Othermix (Who looks like he may finally fulfil his potential). Trip should not be a problem and provided the word soft appears in the going he looks a nice price to me.

I like Black Jack Blues in the last as well. Geraghty booked and looks an improver to me.
 
Still undecided about whether to go tomorrow, or Friday. Don't fancy Somerby either. Will be having a little on Sir Boreas Hawk in the last. When the stable got him last year, believe it or not, they thought he might make a champon hurdle horse after his lay off through injury.
 
Dave G said:
Still undecided about whether to go tomorrow, or Friday. Don't fancy Somerby either. Will be having a little on Sir Boreas Hawk in the last. When the stable got him last year, believe it or not, they thought he might make a champon hurdle horse after his lay off through injury.
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Good to hear from you Dave on here .

My concern about Somersby is the bounce factor after Cheltenham rather than anything else but hope he wins.
 
Simon said:
I hope Me Voici can win and Honest John is a nice horse in the last. But, we all know I'm biased towards my two favourite trainers. If those two, and Peddlers Cross (for my third favourite trainer) won this week , I'd be one happy chappy. :)
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I bet Williams is wishing he had run Me Voici in the Triumph now considering it turned into a slog - That may be why he didn't but he always stated it was ground dependant. I don't think he'll be quick enough to win round Aintree and I can't understand why he swerved the triumph in favour of this but he is an amazing looking horse and one to follow when he goes chasing.

Now i've said that he'll probably win - March was probably the worst month of punting i've ever had!!! As opposed to March last year which was the best :blink: Come on April and the unexposed 3yo's!!! :lol:
 
I'm not sure, he hasn't really been tested yet, so who knows. I think the reason he didn't run was because they seem him more as a long-term prospect than one you can ruin in a Triumph, but others on here will know more than me.
 
I like Kayf Aramis each way in the first and after that I would take on Imperial Commander in the win market and Pigeon Island in the place market.
 
Everything I like tomorrow is a big price - could be a good day!! I think Bouggler, Olofi, Penny Doc, Blaze Ahead, Songe and El Dancer can run big races at nice prices. From a personal point of view I'd love Penny Doc to win and I hope he gives Philip a good ride.
 
Sometimes as you know they just all fire in at big prices at this meeting, SL, so good luck with those.

I had a look at the form but might end up just going for payback on beaten horses from cheltenham. Not many tomorrow but they'd include Songe, Wishfull Thinking, Ainama and Pistolet Noir (ante-post for the Triumph but gubbed in the Imperial Cup). Unfortunately, they're all in the one race :blink::confused::)

I might see how the market is without Big Buck's (impossible to oppose) and the one I like is Tidal Bay. (I'm keeping an eye on Possol for next year's Grand National.)

Henderson-Geraghty took the Triumph so I'll probably pin my hopes on Super Kenny, who didn't qualify there, and hope for a price.

I'd want to take on Imperial Commander today but would love to see it win. Nacarat strikes me as the alternative but I might just lay the fav if I can do so at odds-on.

I reckon Trust Fund is a better horse than Baby Run and was probably using Cheltenham as its prep for this.

I'll probably punt Watch My Back but wouldn't be surprised if Chapoturgeon gave the weight away or if Pepsyrock suddenly returned to form.

I presume AP isn't on Somersby because he didn't ride it at Cheltenham so wuldn't read too much into his not being on it. I'd had Riverside Theatre in mind for this but they're sticking with Mad Max, which might be a tip in itself. However, I think The Nightingale might be the one. My rating for him is very close to the others and they hit their figures at Cheltenham. I think it's reasonable to expect improvement from the Nicholls horse. Hey Big Spender might be the danger.
 
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LUKE said:
I like Kayf Aramis each way in the first and after that I would take on Imperial Commander in the win market and Pigeon Island in the place market.
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Have similar thoughts about Kayf Aramis.

I also think Calgary Bay will go very close and there must be nothing worse than Pricewise tipping your fancy. Also had a small inkling for Joacci (a horse i thought was destined for big things!) so not great to see both plastered across his tipping page.
 
I also really like Silverhand, who i backed in the Coral Cup and I felt he was going really well when hampered. 11/1 more than fair.
 
Not looked at the card but it looks pretty competitive.

I like Nacarat in the 3 miler - granted he had a tough race last time out but he missed Cheltenham and is a tough old sort and we know he will love the trip and track. Imperial Commander looks the worse possible horse to be turned out again so quickly and is easily enough opposed.

Somersby will be hard to beat at Aintree - think Mad Max really appreciated the better ground at Cheltenham so the ease in the going will not suit him. Thenightingale looked good last time out but he looked good in weak events in bumpers/hurdles but came up short when push came to shove then. Plenty to prove imo.
 
Hamm said:
Galileo - what do you think of Tidal Bay today?
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I purposely did not mention him after Cheltenham!!:o

I will have a couple of quid on him but he is clearly not one that you can rely on to run his race despite his considerable ability. The ease in the ground might help him today (despite me thinking better ground would suit at Cheltenam) and his run at Cheltenham prior to the festival gives him every chance of placing or winning if the favourite disappoints.
 
same with me :p what made it worse was I had him in an antepost each way double with Long Run at decent odds for both and the place part would have been nice.

clearly not one to back each way, but wouldn't be surprised to see him win.
 
Agree with SL regarding Penny Doc - he wasn't far behind Reach For The Top at Detling IIRC yet is three times the price today having easily won a HC since. 50/1 looks a very big price.

Other fancy in the race is Nedzer's Return who is now 2/2 since tackling Hunter Chase company and missed the Cheltenham race to come here.
 
I like Bouggler each-way on the basis that Big Bucks will have to come down not to win, Tidal Bay is untrustworthy (and no e/w price in any case), and he might just like it around here more than Souffleur and Kayf Aramis.

A small interest in Me Voici will do me in the 4yo hurdle, but there's still too many could-be-anythings for me to get too involved.

Has the apparent easiness of taking Imperial Commander on now made him too big to ignore at odds-against? I don't think so. He doesn't just run below form, he tends to bomb out completely. I had intended to back Nacarat for this since the Gold Cup, but the more I look at it the more I like What A Friend. I'll stick with Nacarat but won't be surprised if WAF improves again.

Finally, I think The Nightingale is perfectly placed to take on some potentially Cheltenham-weary horses in the Grade 2 Novice Chase.
 
Hamm said:
I also really like Silverhand, who i backed in the Coral Cup and I felt he was going really well when hampered. 11/1 more than fair.
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Me too, big chance.

Also think Sanctuaire won't be beaten, and Trust Fund will go very close.
 
Notus De La Tour a great price at around 8/1 for the Anniversary. This sharp track will suit better than Cheltenham, and I think he has every chance of reversing Fred Winter form with Sanctuaire on today's terms.
 
Silver token a non runner in the first meaning only 2 places - will leave the Kayf Aramis bet (bet he goes and wins it now!).
 
Trust Fund won't see which Baby Run went in the Foxhunters. Best bet of the day bar none. I'll even predict that he'll trade 1.05 jumping the last only to idle badly at the elbow, causing his nearest pursuer to touch 2.02, whereafter he will rally to win cosily. Fill yer boots.

If you're backing Tidal Bay (God help you) then you can take a crumb of comfort that the horse has yet to take the piss out of Brian Hughes (he's been laughing at poor Denis O'Regan for a while) and perhaps a bit of a pasting from the saddle will get him to put his best foot forward. Yeah. Right.

Wishfull Thinking could win the last if a bad fall at Cheltenham hasn't left its mark. He was a standout in the paddock and looks all quality.
 
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