Aintree Saturday

1:20 William Hill Handicap Hurdle 3m 149y

The opening handicap looks very open and while West Balboa really caught the eye at Kempton last time and has been laid out for a repeat bid in this race, she’s shorter in the betting than I would have liked and I’m reluctantly passing her over for now.

Johnson’s Blue makes some appeal at a much bigger price and although the handicapper was harsh enough in raising him for his Doncaster victory last time (looked held when left in front again two from home), he’s entitled to come on for that, his first run over hurdles since winning a Pertemps Qualifier at Haydock last February, and remains unexposed at this trip.

He made all the running for that penultimate success and while that’s not easy to do around Aintree, Hometown Boy made just about every yard in this race a couple of years ago, as did Fountains Windfall in 2017, so it can hardly be deemed a disadvantage.

The selection has an excellent record in handicap hurdles at two and three-quarter miles or further which now reads 11114111. It’s true that the fourth came over course and distance but that was on his seasonal return last term and he shaped as if the run was needed on his first try at three miles.

He’s since proved his stamina and the only blot this season was when unseating on his chase debut. At 25/1 and bigger I’m happy to take the chance that the handicapper hasn’t quite caught him.

1:55 Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f

Brighterdaysahead runs against her half-brother Caldwell Potter in one of the most intriguing clashes of the meeting and I expect the pair to dominate, with Gordon Elliott’s mare expected to have too much for her sibling given the generous mares’ allowance.

She met her first defeat in the Dawn Run Novices at Cheltenham with Jack Kennedy caught ‘playing jockeys’ and giving first run to Golden Ace. In that steadily run race, speed was at a premium over the two-mile trip and Golden Ace had… the aces, if you’ll excuse the pun.

In my view, Kennedy was intent on keeping market rival Jade De Grugy in a pocket and while he did that with aplomb, he underestimated the winner in the process.

Brighterdaysahead will prove better suited by the longer trip having won well over two miles, five furlongs on her penultimate start and she needs more use making of her as her only weak point is the lack of a telling turn of foot, which was exposed at Cheltenham.

This mare has impressed me enormously with the scope she has for the future and I think she could be an absolute superstar in the years to come.

2:30 William Hill Handicap Chase (Freebooter) 3m 210y

Anthony Honeyball won this with Sam Brown a few years back and he is triply represented here.

Of his trio, I much prefer Forward Plan who has been shaping better than the bare result in victory and defeat this season. A winner at Doncaster in December, he shaped best when just failing to catch the enterprisingly ridden Annual Invictus in the Great Yorkshire Chase there in January.

He looked beaten at the last in the Coral Trophy at Kempton next time, but produced an irresistible surge to go from fourth to first at the line, looking for all the world like a stiffer test would bring more improvement. The handicapper has raised him just 4lb for that win and he looks capable of scoring again.

For those with long memories, he reminds me of Docklands Express who ran up a sequence of handicap chase wins under the unfashionable Anthony Tory before finishing third in the Gold Cup.

For Tory, swap the unfashionable Ben Godfrey, and the parallels are there, with Docklands Express running in the same races as Forward Plan has on his two runs before Aintree, and with similar results.

The stories diverge there, with Docklands Express falling at the first in the Grand National before winning the Whitbread, while Forward Plan finds a much more suitable spit here.

3:05 JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1) 3m 149y

The likeliest winners on paper of the Liverpool Hurdle are Sire Du Berlais and Flooring Porter, but the former is well into the veteran stage now and the latter, beaten by Sire Du Berlais in this in 2022, is probably a better horse at Cheltenham.

A win for either would be no surprise, but they do look vulnerable. Unfortunately, those who might progress past them have questions to answer of one sort or another, and it’s hard to find a strong bet in the circumstances.

Hiddenvalley Lake could be the answer given his flop in the Albert Bartlett last year was eminently forgivable and he landed a gamble in the Boyne Hurdle on his first start over timber since Cheltenham.

The downside is that this race will take a lot more winning than the Boyne, the form of which was hardly boosted by the poor run of runner-up Beacon Edge in the Aintree Hurdle. I can see the horse progressing again, but he’s short enough on balance, so preference is for Stayers’ Hurdle also-ran Crambo.

His Grade 1 win in the Long Walk at Ascot has been knocked, but he had Dashel Drasher, Champ and Botox Has in his wake that day, and ought to confirm form. True, he was well held at Cheltenham, but he shaped well here last year and again showed his liking for the track when bolting up in a handicap here in the autumn, so if he’s going to back up that initial Grade 1 win, it’s likely to be here.

4:00 Randox Grand National Handicap Chase 4m 2f 74y

PANDA BOY is my pick for the National having had a perfect prep, and I have faith that the brilliant Martin Brassil will have him primed to run the race of his life.

He’s better off at the weights with Meetingofthewaters having finished second to that smart rival in the Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Leopardstown at Christmas and that race is proving a valuable trial for the new-look Grand National.

Last year’s Irish National fifth then ran really well over hurdles at the DRF and sneaks in with bottom-weight.

Meetingofthewaters has a similar profile, albeit a year’s less experience, and he rates a danger having impressed with his jumping at Cheltenham last time.

Seven-year-olds can’t win this race, they said, but no-one told Noble Yeats that in 2022, and the younger horses are set to become more dominant.

Of those at bigger prices, I’ve found myself gravitating towards Galia De Liteaux, who is well weighted for a mare with high-class form, while Latenightpass can run well for husband and wife team Tom and Gina Ellis.

Johnson’s Blue 1:20 Aintree – 0.5pts e/w @ 25/1 (general – 6 places)

Brighterdaysahead 1:55 Aintree – 2pts win @ 15/8 (general)

Forward Plan 2:30 Aintree – 1pt e/w @ 13/2 (Bet365, 6/1 general – 4 places)

Crambo 3:05 Aintree – 1pt win @ 15/2 (general)

Panda Boy 4:00 Aintree – 1pt e/w @ 12/1 (Hills, 888Sport – 6 places)