Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
So many of us get excited about the start of the Grand National meeting at Aintree. It makes us susceptible to suggestions from bookmakers that today’s card is easy, set to begin with four, yes, four, easy-to-find winners. Stick them in an acca and you won’t need to worry about finding the National winner!
Racing fans of long standing know such temptations don’t usually lead anywhere wonderful. This particular race-meeting can throw up very surprising results, what with it being the end of term, some horses are losing their form and few of the high-profile ones have actually been aimed at this week.
So I’ll give you Top Notch (1.45) in the opening novice chase. I’ll give you Defi Du Seuil (2.20) in the juvenile hurdle, what with him being an absolute machine and all. After that, I think the script may start to surprise.
In fairness, defeat for Cue Card in the Bowl would not be an enormous shock, since most of us felt he was already beaten in the Gold Cup when he fell three-out. I’m afraid the Tizzard stable seems to have done its winning for this season. Empire Of Dirt (2.50) is not a brilliant price at 11-4 in view of his unplaced effort in the Ryanair but he looked again like a three-miler waiting to happen that day. There’s nothing much wrong with his close second to Sizing John in the Irish Gold Cup. He’ll do for me.
Taking on Buveur D’Air is more controversial. There’s nothing much wrong with him but the price, which has no twang in it to allow for risks like him feeling the effects of a big effort three weeks ago. So I’ll take a chance at 14-1 on his stablemate My Tent Or Yours (3.25), who hasn’t done much winning in recent years but will absolutely relish the drying ground and might be ready for a bit of extra distance at this late stage of his career. He needs to not pull his head off, as he so often has in the past, but I thought he behaved fairly well at Cheltenham, where he was runner-up in the Champion Hurdle for the third time.
I quite fancy Balnaslow (4.05) for the Foxhunters but who wants to stick money on an amateurs’ race at a track that amateurs rarely ride well? So let’s move on to Yorkist (4.40) in the Red Rum.
I was gripped by the fact that Dan Skelton had this in mind for the horse all the way back at Christmas, when Yorkist won at Wetherby. That was just his second run since joining Skelton from Micky Hammond and it would hardly surprise if the new trainer could eke out a bit more improvement from him. Skelton’s yard was going through a slow patch when Yorkist was beaten on his only run since. Better can be expected here and he’s no 14-1 shot.
Thursday’s tips, by Chris Cook
Aintree: 1.45 Top Notch, 2.20 Defi Du Seuil, 2.50 Empire Of Dirt, 3.25 My Tent Or Yours, 4.05 Balnaslow, 4.40 Yorkist (nap), 5.15 Drops Of Jupitor.
Southwell: 1.55 Trust Me Boy, 2.30 Ventura Knight, 3.00 Copper Baked, 3.35 Brassbound, 4.15 Alexander M, 4.50 Viva Verglas, 5.25 Dark Forest.
Taunton: 2.10 Taurian, 2.40 Garo De Juilley, 3.15 Milord, 3.55 Skint, 4.30 Black Corton, 5.05 Jepeck, 5.35 Captain Simon.
Chelmsford: 5.45 Brother In Arms, 6.15 Extra Mile, 6.45 Tricorn (nb), 7.15 Magic City, 7.45 Weekender, 8.15 Masterson, 8.45 Captain Lars.
(all times BST)
