Ahoy Senor can bounce back from his fall in the Cheltenham Gold Cup to win at the Grand National meeting for the third successive year in the Grade 1 Alder Hey Aintree Bowl Chase on Thursday.
It is a big week for Lucinda Russell given she houses the Grand National favourite Corach Rambler and Ahoy Senor can get the stable off to a good start as he clearly loves the Merseyside air, reserving his best performances of the last two seasons for April.
An unconsidered 66-1 chance when he won the Sefton Novices' Hurdle two years ago, 12 months ago he reversed Cheltenham form with L'Homme Presse to win the Mildmay Novices' Chase.
Subsequent King George winner and Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame was even further behind that day, though it is widely accepted he was not at his best so rates a big danger. He will have had a hard race at Cheltenham, though, with the same sentiment applying to Conflated.
Ahoy Senor came down when still travelling well in the Gold Cup, too far out to say what would have happened, and he will be ridden by champion jockey Brian Hughes for the first time, with Derek Fox nursing a sore shoulder.
There are two potential flies in the ointment in Henry de Bromhead's 2022 Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard and Shishkin, who flew home in the Ryanair after a horrendous error coming down the hill. It remains to be seen which Shishkin turns up, so with that in mind, Ahoy Senor looks a safer bet.
While Nicky Henderson perhaps cannot bank on Shishkin these days, the same cannot be said of Constitution Hill.
The Champion Hurdle winner steps up to 4000m for the first time in the William Hill Aintree Hurdle and it should be another cakewalk.
Bar letting fly at the last at Cheltenham, he has looked bombproof and another 800m is unlikely to prove his undoing. He has 7kg in hand over his nearest rival, but already we are thinking of the exciting possibility of seeing him over fences next season.
Saint Roi is the value alternative in the Racehorse Lotto Manifesto Novices' Chase.
Stage Star sets the standard based on his very brave win in the Turners Novices' Chase at Cheltenham, his fourth victory from five outings over fences. He benefitted from an astute front-running ride from Harry Cobden there but is unlikely to be left alone this time and he has been busy enough.
Banbridge has been saved for this race, with Joseph O'Brien choosing to skip Cheltenham to wait for this but with rain around, the ground will go against him.
Saint Roi is a Grade 1 winner over an extended 3200m but always finishes strongly and has looked ready for a step up in trip for some time.
Mullins can also strike in the other Grade 1, the Jewson Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, with Zenta. She stepped up massively on what she had achieved previously when beaten less than three lengths by stablemates Lossiemouth and Gala Marceau in the Triumph last month.
That form is head and shoulders the best on offer with the UK-trained juveniles below their Irish counterparts this season.
Zenta was having just her second run for Mullins at Cheltenham and she rates as banker material.
Latenightpass holds strong claims to win back-to-back renewals of the Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase for the all-conquering Tom Ellis and Gina Andrews, with Douglas Talking taken to continue his rapid improvement in the Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase.
Naxos looks interesting at Newcastle in the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Restricted Novice Stakes. The three-year-old Saxon Warrior gelding was an impressive three-length winner on debut at Gosforth Park, but he was a beaten odds-on favourite under a penalty at Kempton after that.
The horse who beat him is unbeaten in two, though, so there was no disgrace in trying to give him weight and he is expected to get back to winning ways. - Press Association
Top tips for today’s UK meetings
AINTREE: Race 1: 14.45 Saint Roi, Race 2: 15.20 ZENTA (NAP), Race 3: 15.55 Ahoy Senor, Race 4: 16.30 Constitution Hill, Race 5: 17.05 Winged Leader, Race 6: 17.40 Douglas Talking, Race 7: 18.15 Ici La Reine.
TAUNTON: Race 1: 15.00 Bob And Co, Race 2: 15.35 Iliko D'Olivate, Race 3: 16.10 Picks Lad, Race 4: 16.45 Furkash, Race 5: 17.20 Sayadam, Race 6: 17.55 Man Of The Sea, Race 7: 18.25 Idamix.
NEWCASTLE: Race 1: 15.10 We Still Believe, Race 2: 15.45 Sahara Mist, Race 3: 16.20 Naxos, Race 4: 16.55 Ron O, Race 5: 17.30 Time Traveller, Race 6: 18.05 Bella Kopella, Race 7: 18.40 Blazing Son.
CHELMSFORD: Race 1: 18.00 Early Morning Dew, Race 2: 18.30 Dal Mallart, Race 3: 19.00 Rhythm N Hooves, Race 4: 19.30 Huscari, Race 5: 20.00 Wiseacre, Race 6: 20.30 Thomas Equinas, Race 7: 21.00 Shining Crystal, Race 8: 21.30 Smooth Ryder.
DOUBLE: Zenta and Ahoy Senor (Aintree, Races 2 and 3).
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