By Molly Hunter, Press Association
Sober Glory can build on his solid Cheltenham Festival performance to take the Thatprizeguy Top Novices' Hurdle at Aintree on Friday.
Trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, the Brocade Racing-owned six-year-old has done barely a thing wrong in progressing from point to points to bumpers and then to hurdles.
When lining up at the Festival he had just one loss on his record, a fourth-placed run in a Listed Sandown race, but a line can be thoroughly drawn through that effort considering the two wide-margin Newbury efforts that followed.
In the Supreme at Cheltenham he looked a real threat coming into the last, but a jumping error took the wind out of his sails and he was also then hampered when rallying up the hill.
Though having to settle for second the run was hugely encouraging and he will not have this Cheltenham conqueror Old Park Star to contend with, so this looks just the spot for him to gain a Grade One during his novice season over hurdles.
In the Melling Chase it is Henry de Bromhead's Heart Wood who looks the horse to beat in a field of seven, with Jonbon an absentee.
A 10-length winner of the Ryanair at the Cheltenham Festival, the eight-year-old has enjoyed a productive season with two prior Grade Three win on home soil.
He arrives in Liverpool in good heart then, and has run pleasingly at the track before when third in the Mildmay in 2024.
Jonbon, who finished second behind him at Cheltenham and who has won the Melling Chase for the past two seasons, has Sandown in his sights instead and this therefore looks a nice chance for Heart Wood to complete the Cheltenham-Aintree double.
No Drama This End failed to land a blow at the Festival when considered a good thing in the Turners, and he has a chance to set the record straight in the Oddschecker Sefton Novices' Hurdle
Trained by Paul Nicholls to win three graded races this term, including the Grade One Challow, the grey was a 5-2 chance at Prestbury Park but was pulled up after an utterly luckless run.
He steps up in trip, which his point to point form invites, and can put the woes of Cheltenham firmly behind him with a far more true-to-form effort on what will likely be one of his final runs over hurdles.
Top tips for today’s UK meetings
TAB is betting on 5 UK meetings today. Here are the tips.
AINTREE: Race 1: 14.45 Hot Fuss, Race 2: 15.20 Miami Magic, Race 3: 15.55 SOBER GLORY
(NAP), Race 4: 16.30 Heart Wood, Race 5: 17.05 Will The Wise, Race 6: 17.40 No Drama This
End, Race 7: 18.15 Wandering Ego.
SEDGEFIELD: Race 1: 14.57 Tom Creen, Race 2: 15.32 Wendywilldo, Race 3: 16.03 Rebel
Tribesman, Race 4: 16.38 Mobile Mamma, Race 5: 17.13 Star Vantage, Race 6: 17.45 Clean
Getaway.
THIRSK: Race 1: 15.08 Final Appeal, Race 2: 15.43 Clonquest, Race 3: 16.18 Inferno, Race 4:
16.53 Jamaican Storm, Race 5: 17.25 Poet Master, Race 6: 18.00 Asmen Warrior, Race 7: 18.35
Good Karma, Race 8: 19.10 Mark's Choice.
WEXFORD: Race 1: 16.45 Dunleer Crystal, Race 2: 17.20 Le Moulin Rouge, Race 3: 17.55
Accustomed, Race 4: 18.28 Rocky's Howya, Race 5: 19.03 Duffys Hodey, Race 6: 19.38 Supreme
Jet, Race 7: 20.08 Driveonwill.
WOLVERHAMPTON: Race 1: 17.50 Sirius A, Race 2: 18.23 Jolly Good Fellows, Race 3: 18.58
Caim, Race 4: 19.30 Supreme King, Race 5: 20.00 Divot, Race 6: 20.30 Dayman, Race 7: 21.00
Tactical Blitz, Race 8: 21.30 Three Socks On.
ALL TO COME: Sober Glory and No Drama This End (Aintree, Races 3 and 6).
For fields, race betting and more information go to www.tab.co.za