With 71,000 people in attendance Grand National day is sure to have an absolutely electric atmosphere about it, the Aintree course will be a fantastic place to be and good luck and have fun to anyone going! My selections for the premier day of the Aintree festival follow, I've allowed myself more than one in the Grand National but surely the reader can forgive that! Hopefully if you played your office sweepstake you are happy with your selection, theres not much you can do about it now anyway but you can always add to your betting portfolio and perhaps this blog can help you there! I've put up selections in three of the races, the 2.05 while a great looking race looks very hard to call between Trifolium, Hinterland and Balder Succes, so hopefully we can finish the Aintree Festival on a high. Good luck!
1.30 Aintree Wild Blue Yonder
Plenty have horses have been running well and winning at the Aintree festival this year after running well at Cheltenham and I'm hoping Wild Blue Yonder can add to those by taking the first race on the card. He ran well to finish 5th behind Vautour in the Supreme Novices hurdle, form that is working out very well considering Friday's results at this venue and whilst not lacking a turn of foot he has always shaped like a longer trip would suit. Two falls over the winter came on more testing ground, back on a sounder surface his jumping seems to hold out a lot better, and the slightly slower pace of this race over a longer trip should also help him on this front. The King stable are still going well and Choc got a winner on friday, take Wild Blue Yonder to give them another on Saturday.
2.50 Zarkandar
The selection was ridden like connections were unsure he would stay the trip in the World Hurdle at Cheltenham, however given the way he finished any concerns should be well and truly banished as he finished really well to take 4th spot that day. Zarkandar goes really well round Aintree and can be ridden with more confidence given a) the Cheltenham experience and b) The flatter, easier nature of the Aintree track. At Fishers Cross beat him at Cheltenham but I fancy Zarkandar to turn the tables here at a trip he has always looked like appreciating.
4.25
Prince De Beauchene - Would have been close to favourite if he had lined up in the two previous renewals of this race, cruelly being denied by injury both times. His mark has eased since then however and he was a lot better on his latest run out. The fact Mullins has pushed so hard in previous years to get Price De Beauchene here is significant for me and I hope he can reward the master trainers efforts in 2014.
The Package - The form of his comeback run this season has been well and truly franked with the winner taking a Grade 1 at Aintree of Friday and the 2nd also winning on the same card. The Package has been tried over these fences before, unsuccessfully, but the race has changed in the intervening years and the fences made easier. The Package carries a really nice weight in the 2014 renewal and has winning form over distances in excess of 3 miles giving hope his stamina can last out. If Scudamore can get him into a rhythm early on, and he can avoid the dreaded bounce factor, The Package can go really well.
Alvarado - His best form came on his penultimate outing, where he went over the furthest he has ever done (3m3f) with some good horses in behind, the likes of Knockara Beau, Monbeg Dude, Spring Heeled and Goulanes, indicating the marathon Grand National trip could be right up his street. Fortunately the ground doesn't look like getting too testing as he didn't look like he enjoyed soft ground at Cheltenham latest and he has snuck in here off a really low weight. He can go well for Evan Williams and Paul Moloney.
Once again Good Luck, you'll certainly need it on Grand National day, and thanks for reading!!
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