The Aintree Grand National meeting begins on Thursday and Ed Quigley points out three highlights you don’t want to miss…
Best races from the 2024 Aintree Grand National Meeting – the ones to watch
Check out the Aintree Grand National preview and horses to watch.
‘Longshot Ted’ will cover all the racing action, with his best bets and tips, for Grand National Thursday and Grand National Ladies Day.
3 horses to watch this week at the Grand National
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Thursday, 11th of April – Aintree Bowl (2.55)
This race tends to be a real footrace, with top-notch individuals ready to fight. Most notably, we have this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up. Gerri Colombe ready to attempt to add to the glory he managed to achieve in that encounter 12 months ago.
All the rain that has been coming to the Liverpool area lately will only help his cause and he is currently the market leader. He found Galopin Des Champs to be too good at Prestbury Park, and without that rival Gordon Elliott will be confident his eight-year-old can get the job done in suitable pitch conditions.
However, a certain Shishkin may have something to say about how proceedings are going, and Nicky Henderson will be desperate to get his star back on track after missing last month’s Gold Cup while the channel at Seven Barrows was under a cloud. Shishkin is the reigning champion in this mission and will not give up his crown lightly, so this promises to be an exciting competition.
When you add things like Oh sir and previous King George winners Bravemans game And Hewickwe have the potential for a Thursday afternoon thriller – and one not to be missed!
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Friday April 12th – Melling Pursuit (3h30)
The Melling Chase is heating up well, and there are some big names who could end up competing here. If Jonbon, Pic D’Orhy, Envoi Allen And Protectorate do the concert, then we will experience something special. Jonbon will be looking to restart his season, after a shock defeat at Cheltenham Trials Day, where his jumping offenses got the better of him, and he was beaten in 1/4f.
Nicky Henderson’s well-documented stable problem ruled him out of the Champion Chase, a race that was there for the taking after El Fabiolo’s early departure. He has winning form at Aintree and is a fascinating contender here. Pic D’Orhy loves flat tracks and started this race 12 months ago. Deliberately kept cool by Paul Nicholls’ team for this race, it has benefited from good preparation, and should not be hampered by soft terrain.
Protektorat was impressive when landing the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, where the combination of traveling on soft ground allowed Dan Skelton’s representative to get the better of previous winner Envoi Allen. This race has all the ingredients to be one of the races of the week and it is difficult to have a clear idea of how it will go.
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Saturday April 13 – Grand National (4h00)
This is the big one. I’ll give my verdict on the world’s most famous Steeplechase later in the week, but with the prospect of truly testing the waters on the national course, it will be even more demanding on endurance than ever. Can Rambler Corach join elite company and become a back-to-back race winner? He’s 13lbs heavier than last year, but officially 3lbs after his excellent third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month – he’s in sparkling form. Can he repeat his exploits? The ground may be softer than ideal and is it possible that Prestbury Park’s efforts have eased Lucinda Russell’s burden?
These are all questions we’ll find out in due time, but he’s popular in the outpost market and could be a hot order that day. Keep an eye on the weather, as current forecasts suggest more rain is on the way, with areas of the course already heavy in places, which will put a damper on many test marathon hopefuls. This may be the ultimate race for mudlarks and I’ll try to solve the riddle with my Grand National preview on Saturday!
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Best bookmakers and offers for the 2024 Grand National
As the action for the Grand National gets underway, we’ve reviewed the best bookmakers to bet on the races. Find all our reviews, and a list of the best offers at our best bookmakers and offers for Grand National 2024 preview.
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