Gordon Elliott commenced the Grand National meeting on Thursday with an impressive Grade One double at odds of 15-1, and he is now gearing up to field five competitors in Saturday’s Grand National. A victory would secure him a place in the record books as one of the most successful trainers in the history of this iconic steeplechase.<\/p>\n
The standout moment of Elliott’s day came from Brighterdaysahead, who triumphed over Dan Skelton\u2019s The New Lion by two and a quarter lengths in the Aintree Hurdle. This outcome reaffirmed the performances from the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last month, where the two horses finished second and third, respectively. Brighterdaysahead also marked a second win at Aintree over the same distance, although she has yet to secure a victory at Cheltenham after three attempts.<\/p>\n
Despite this Cheltenham record potentially dampening enthusiasm for her ante-post odds for the March 2027 festival, Brighterdaysahead is set to be an exciting addition to the novice chaser ranks if she transitions to larger obstacles as anticipated next season.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s the apple of all our eyes,\u201d Elliott remarked after the race. \u201cI believe two and a half miles is her distance, and we are likely to move her to chasing next season.\u201d He added, \u201cShe had plans to chase this year but suffered a muscle injury, which is why she didn\u2019t participate. I don\u2019t see her Cheltenham record as a significant issue; she performed admirably in the Champion this year, and we are hopeful the best is yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skelton, on the other hand, reflected on a missed opportunity with The New Lion, whose jump at the final flight fell short, leaving him unable to catch Brighterdaysahead on the flat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not devastated, just a bit frustrated that we didn\u2019t get the jump we needed at the last,\u201d Skelton stated. \u201cHad we cleared it well and still couldn\u2019t pass the winner, I would accept that. It\u2019s just unfortunate how it turned out. I feel there\u2019s more to achieve, and next year everyone will be a year older, which could work in our favor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, Willie Mullins swept all four Grade One events on the opening day, leading to a successful title defense as National Hunt trainer. However, this year he faced a setback, with Koktail Divin from Henry de Bromhead’s stable and Nicky Henderson\u2019s Jango Baie winning the Manifesto Novice Chase and the Racing Welfare Bowl, respectively, while Mullins’s Selma De Vary was narrowly defeated by Elliott’s Mange Tout in the juvenile hurdle.<\/p>\n
Koktail Divin secured a decisive victory following the mid-race exit of the 1-2 favorite, Lulamba, who unseated jockey Nico de Boinville at the 10th fence, marking a disappointing pattern for favorites in Grade One events at both Cheltenham and Aintree.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s feeling very fresh, but unfortunately, we have no races lined up for him,\u201d Henderson commented after the race. \u201cI didn\u2019t enter him in anything at Punchestown at the end of April because there weren\u2019t any suitable races. He won comfortably today, but sadly, there wasn\u2019t a jockey on board to guide him.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Henderson and De Boinville experienced a turnaround in the Bowl, where Jango Baie, who finished as a runner-up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, capitalized on Mullins\u2019s Impaire Et Passe, who fell heavily at the penultimate fence. Fortunately, both horse and rider, Paul Townend\u2014who will ride I Am Maximus, likely the favorite for the National\u2014were unharmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was tough for Nico, especially after the incident with Lulamba, and then having to jump straight into another Grade One,\u201d Henderson said. \u201cHis ability to bounce back speaks volumes about him as a Grade One jockey. The King George and the Gold Cup are the two major races we are eyeing for him next season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lineup for the Grand National will include two horses from the reserve list, as both Nick Rockett, last year\u2019s champion trained by Willie and Patrick Mullins, and Spillane\u2019s Tower, a competitor in the Bowl, were withdrawn on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Elliott\u2019s Pied Piper was briefly promoted to the final field in place of Nick Rockett but was soon ruled out by his trainer. Consequently, both Imperial Saint, trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, and Amirite from Henry de Bromhead\u2019s stable, will fill spots in Saturday\u2019s 34-horse lineup.<\/p>\n
Aintree will also feature the Topham Handicap Chase, a significant betting event on the second day. Many bettors are eyeing Dan Skelton\u2019s Madara as a strong contender at around 9-2, following an impressive victory in the Plate Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last month.<\/p>\n
Madara demonstrated superior travel and jumping skills, finishing nearly eight lengths ahead, showcasing the best form available for Friday\u2019s race. However, past performances indicate that horses placing at the festival have struggled in the Topham, with only two wins from 36 entries since 2003, and the last four festival winners failing to finish in the top ten.<\/p>\n
This statistic suggests that Madara may not offer good value at his odds, and an each-way bet on a competitor that bypassed the festival could be more prudent. Gentlemen De Mee, last year\u2019s victor, is one option, but Henry de Bromhead\u2019s Coming Up Easy, priced around 14-1, also merits consideration.<\/p>\n
The eight-year-old\u2019s jumping faltered when he was pulled up in his last race, but he remains a viable candidate moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gordon Elliott commenced the Grand National meeting on Thursday with an impressive Grade One double at odds of 15-1, and he is now gearing up to field five competitors in Saturday’s Grand National. A victory would secure him a place in the record books as one of the most successful trainers in the history of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6313,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[780,779,781,569,88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-aintree","category-uk-grand-national","category-uk-horse-racing","category-uk-sport","category-uk"],"yoast_head":"\n