STAR RACING PREVIEW: Aintree Saturday

This is it. The Grand National is here and it looks to be one of the most competitive renewals in recent memory. I’ve landed on a couple of horses with contrasting profiles in the Aintree showpiece, along with a few strong selections on the supporting card, writes LEWIS WILLIAMS.

Click here to read all about Star Sports ambassador Harry Skelton’s chances on Saturday in his exclusive blog

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1.20 Aintree – William Hill Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) 3m½f

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To kickstart Grand National day I’m leaning towards Star Sports ambassador Harry Skelton delivering his second winner of the Festival with WEST BALBOA in a handicap hurdle which seems to be the team’s go-to plan for big winners lately.

The daughter of Yeats ran in the now famous Kempton race in which Kateira was a massive eye-catcher finishing in 4th, who obviously went on to strike in extremely impressive fashion on Friday.

West Balboa finished less than 2 lengths behind Kateira that day and was positioned in a much less favourable position further back and detached from the pace that held up and fellow stablemates who finished closer than her. In fact, West Balboa was arguably even more of an eye-catcher than Kateira that day in a race that wasn’t at all run to suit her after hoping for a pace collapse which never came, and being pulled out wide into no man’s land. There’s already some market support for this horse who is currently ? with Star Sports.

Although Johnnywho deserves some respect at ? , I can’t forgive his run in the Albert Bartlett and I see no other obvious unexposed runner to upset the potential chance of the Skelton team winning this race and by extension the possibility of a first Trainers’ Championship.

Read what Harry has to say about the horse and his other chances on the biggest day of them all by CLICKING HERE

1.55 Aintree – Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m4f

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It’s a whole month after the biggest hype horse of the Cheltenham Festival failed to live up to the noise but I’m retaining the faith in BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD to redeem herself and her profile in the Mersey Novices Hurdle.

When Jack Kennedy did the classic goggle clean entering the straight in the Mares Novice I thought it was going to be a question of how far. But somehow, the confidence and Jack’s body language went from everything to nothing as Golden Ace slipped up the inside and put the race to bed rather convincingly in the end. Instead of drowning my sorrows after defeat, I instead asked the question how good is Golden Ace – who came into the race unbeaten over hurdles?

Jeremy Scott withdrew Golden Ace from the Top Novices’ Hurdle on Friday and so we’ll never know how she would have gone against the likes of Mystical Power and Firefox but I believe she would’ve ran a very respectable race which would’ve surely resulted in the shortening of Brighterdaysahead. I’m happy to back her on the retrieval mission at Evens.

Main danger Caldwell Potter has just been ruled out which isn’t as crazy as the 740,000 Euros that was spent in buying him. The Muillins camp seem to be learning all the time with Ile Atlantique at ? whose form with Firefox over two miles now looks fascinating but was subsequently well beaten to Ballyburn and 66/1 Jimmy Du Seuil in the Baring Bingham. Does he really want 20f?

3.05 Aintree – JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1) 3m½f

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The Liverpool Hurdle makes for a fascinating betting contest now that Stayers Hurdle winner Teahupoo was taken out of the picture and I’m leaning toward some form that is unrelated to that race at the Festival in a division that seems to take turns beating each other.

It’s for that reason I love the chance of HEWICK currently priced at ? . He’s a very quick and nimble jumper of a fence who rarely gets over it with too much to spare vertically which makes you think he’d take to a properly run Grade 1 staying hurdle with no issue. This was certainly the case in the King George on Boxing Day when he came from another planet to strike late under Gavin Sheehan where he seemed to constantly be brushing through the top of the fence without losing too much ground.

He took to a hurdle perfectly fine in America last year and on ground that’s drying all the time, he’s quicker than many give him credit for and is surely the class act in a market that is dominated by the same old faces that seem to have permanent tickets for the staying hurdle lottery division.

Monkfish seems a danger at a big price of ? but a beating of 12 year-old Summerville Boy in the Galmoy Hurdle doesn’t look the strongest piece of graded form on offer. However, the son of Stowaway reportedly bled from the nose most recently when fading out of the Gold Cup so is certainly an unknown quantity at double figures.

4.00 Aintree – (Grand National) Randox GRAND NATIONAL Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) 4m2½f

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Although I referred to the staying division as a lottery, the biggest race of them all at 16:00 has to win that particular race but it would be remiss of me not to spin through some of the key contenders in what is the first year with the new modifications which include a standing start and a reduction of runners by 15%.

After a spectacular Grade 1 treble on Friday, I’m backing J P McManus to win the Aintree showpiece with MEETINGOFTHEWATERS at ? . The 7 year-old had nothing above an ordinary career over hurdles and was used as a summer horse by Eugene O’Sullivan before changing hands to Patrick Mullins and Paul Byrne when he scooped the 110,000 Euro winning prize in the Paddy Power Chase at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting off a mark of 130 with Panda Boy in 2nd.

He was given no chance at the Dublin Racing Festival when hampered at the first and unseated, but in all truth that might have been the biggest blessing in disguise for this son of Court Cave who has had his eye on the big one since then.

A mark of 147 was enough for him to become the talking horse of the Cheltenham Festival handicaps and he ran an excellent 3rd in the Ultima beaten just five lengths to Chianti Classico. He jumped in patches that day and although he’ll have to improve on that to win on Saturday, he finished the race with plenty left in the tank and I’m hoping the Ultima provides the winner of a National once again.

At a bigger swipe I’m taking MR INCREDIBLE to give the incredible Brian Hayes a big winner at ? and this horse has a contrasting profile to Meetingofthewaters with just a fraction of outings compared to the previous selection.

With just 11 runs under rules, the son of Westerner is certainly a quirkier type but there was nothing wrong with his run last year when he was travelling perfectly fine deep into the race after jumping the Canal Turn well when the saddle sadly slipped and I’m sure Brian Hayes will forever have that ‘what if’ in his head.

After a 336 day break the 8 year-old ran a spectacular race in the Midlands National at Uttoxeter exactly four weeks ago at 6/1 and stayed on late to be denied by the clinical Beauport by 2 lengths. That was a bitterly encouraging return to action and he might not even have to find anything extra on last year’s performance to go very very close in this year’s renewal if the saddle stars align.

GALIA DES LITEAYX is the mount of Star Sports ambassador Harry Skelton at a price of ? . I’m sure the Lodge Hill team will be doing a rain dance all night as heavy going will further boost her chances of giving the Skelton team their first Grand National winner. The team took the daughter of Saddler Maker to the Brown Advisory and Mildmay Novices Chase last term and although she was beaten 15 and 16 lengths respectively, I Am Maximus wasn’t too far ahead of her in the former so don’t rule her out winning a big pot.

This has been in mind for a while for the Grade 2 winning 8 year-old and it’s clear from her 2nd-placed effort in Warwick’s Classic Chase that she’ll stay all day. She pulled a long distance clear of 3rd that day and she is certainly one to be on the right side of because there’s a lot of room in her mark and she’ll surely have a big day in the sun at some point.

Hear what Harry Skelton himself had to say about his chance on Saturday, and what advice Davy Russell had for him, below.

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BACK Hewick to win the 3.05 at Aintree 1pt at 9/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Meetingofthewaters to win the 4.00 at Aintree 1pt at 11/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Mr Incredible to win the 4.00 at Aintree 1pt at 12/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)