Tony Paley's live Aintree blog There's no need to hype up this day's racing. In terms of quality the card today would not be out of place at Cheltenham and it's sure to be exciting viewing. Whether it's possible to come out of the day in front is another matter.
The big conundrum for backers today is whether they regard the first three favourites as bankers or blowouts and if they believe Inglis Drever, Kauto Star and Celestial Halo are horses to be with or against as they bid to follow up their Cheltenham Festival victories. Ron has put up a cogent case against Kauto Star but he's very much behind the other two.
It's drizzling but the clerk of the course Andrew Tulloch has just announced that he is still undecided about watering between now and Saturday's Grand National. I will try and give some estimation of the ground when the evidence is in after the first race. BBC expert Norman Williamson agrees with the official going verdict -- no surprise there. Has there ever been a time when the ex-jockeys have differed from the oficial line. We will attempt to give you an accurate description on the evidence of the clock as the day goes on.
2.00pm John Smith's Great Float Social Club Liverpool Long Distance Hurdle When I spoke to Ron yesterday he was keen to oppose Inglis Drever at the odds but he said he couldn't find one with a convincing enough profile to oppose the favourite with. Inglis Drever is on the drift out to 13-8 and that might look a big price in a few minutes. Someone obviously think so as they have had £50,000 on Inglis to win at the track.
Inglis Drever usually has to come under the cosh at some stage during a race and that's more likely to happen here than at Cheltenham. He has just made a mistake and has to be urged along with some vigour. And he now looks in serious trouble four out . . .
What a race -- three in line at the last and Blazing Bailey battles best to beat Faasel and Inglis Drever. The punters are bloodied after the first. The winner, livened up by the application of blinkers, has reversed Cheltenham form. Interestingly, the trainer Alan King has done the same thing with Group Captain later on the card.
The unofficial time is 6:18.4secs which if correct and if the clerk hasn't been messing about moving the rails then the ground is much slower than the official description of good would suggest. This happened at Cheltenham and could be the case here but we will get a clearer picture as the afternoon progresses.
2.30pm Totesport Bowl Chase Here we go again. Another short-priced favourite in Kauto Star. This time it's odds-on at 8-13. If the ground is softer than anticipated that is going to make it difficult for Our Vic and Monet's Garden who might struggle at the distance if the ground is testing.
Richard Dunwoody says Kauto Star is not looking wonderfully well but Andrew Thornton says he's looking better than at Cheltenham. You pays your money . . .
Fascinatingly, Kauto Star is being put in the race very early. Ruby Walsh, who rides Kauto, is obviously not worried about serving it up to the others early. What a great race again. Our Vic wins after a great duel with Kauto Star who ran way below form and jumped shoddily before weakening badly in the closing stages. The mistake at the second-last fence has cost Kauto Star the race -- the mistake was so bad it almost stopped him.
There will be plenty said after this race. Were those right to say that Kauto Star ran below his best at Cheltenham in the Gold Cup and the Ascot race he won in February took more out of him than was realised. Maybe Kauto Star is on the decline as some have suggested he would be as a French-bred horse? We probably won't know the answer to these questions until next campaign after the close season but it will be fascinating to hear what trainer Paul Nicholls, who was so bullish beforehand, has to say.
Walsh looked utterly gutted after the photo-finish result was announced while his conqueror, Timmy Murphy on Our Vic, was ecstatic. This is a race Walsh will be so disappointed to lose. Interestingly, Murphy says the ground is riding "good to soft" and it could be they have over-watered here.
Nicholls has said he was at odds with Ruby Walsh over tactics on Kauto Star. He said: "Ruby's not happy with me. I told him to be positive with him, bowl along - probably he should have just got a lead and not have been so positive. We get it right more times than we get it wrong. I'll take the blame."
BBC presenter Rishi Persad has just told viewers that on his first night out in Liverpool he ended up with a pair of knickers with a telephone number on in his pocket. For those wanting to see more of the charm of Rishi I can thoroughly recommend this. Beware of toes curling! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9yKU1j4zvdE
3.10pm Anniversary Novice Hurdle It just got worse for Walsh. Binocular romps home, beating Walsh aboard Celestial Halo, but the backers got this one right backing the winner down to favouritism. The result certainly gives a boost to his Cheltenham conqueror Captain Cee Bee. I wrote on here post-Cheltenham that that winner looked a good bet for next year's Champion Hurdle and this victory by the horse he defeated at the Festival certainly backs that up.
3.45pm Fox Hunters' Chase This is barmy amateurs and fox worriers charging over the Grand National fences. Is it just me or do the National fences look smaller? They're privet hedges!!
They still brought a few down though -- another good performance on the winner Christy Beamish by rider Josh Guerriero who we noted at the Cheltenham Festival. The man on top certainly did well to recover from a bad mistake at Becher's Brook and he's a jockey very much to watch out for in amateur rider races.
He's certainly cleverer than Jackie Coward riding Holy Joe who eventually finished third. She started celebrating (after finishing third!) when she thought she had crossed the finishing line, stopped riding and nearly lost third place.
4.20pm Red Rum Chase Ron's nap, Dev, gave us hope, fighting back into second spot but this goes to the complete outsider Stan. Stan and Dev?? Shades of Corrie here for sure. The winner was ridden by Aidan Coleman who won the big race at Newbury last Saturday and rides Mon Mome in Saturday's National. He looks another young jockey to keep a close eye on.
Oh dear. They're showing sketches of Clare Balding and Gordon Ramsay on BBC2. Camera went in a bit close there -- got quite a fright. Now a spokeswoman (that's what we've got to call them at the Guardian . . . it's in the style guide which you the readers/bloggers/surfers can buy for £14.99*) is on talking about Liverpool capital of culture. (*we need the money) Now Rishi is doing that awful everyone-in-a-line-summing-up- the-day slot that Racing UK do so badly.
4.55pm Citroen Novice Hurdle Again a slow time suggests it's good to soft ground out there. Got a feeling Nick Luck (watch out for him more on Channel 4 now Big Mac is being rested for part of the year) is right in Racing UK in his view that Ruby Walsh on board Elusive Dream has outridden the second and third here. Jason Maguire (Whiteoak), who rides National favourite Cloudy Lane on Saturday, has just too much ground to make up after Walsh galvanises his mount and after his mount clouts the last is always fighting a losing battle. Whiteoak's run is another steer towards Tazbar tomorrow who our regular reader will know beat Whiteoak in January and is an especially strong fancy for racing here tomorrow.
For those who can't wait or, heaven forfend, don't buy the paper I can reveal that our tipster Ron Cox will be napping Tazbar. Odds of 15-8 are being advertised -- and there will be plenty of burnt fingers among the serious backers if that doesn't win.
5.30pm John Smith's Handicap Hurdle Auroras Encore wins at 50-1 and the bookies have had a field day. Couldn't have found that if I'd studied the race till they set off for next year's National.
Click here for all the day's racecards, form, stats and results.
And click here for today's latest odds.
