Aintree festival day one preview

Our best bets on Thursday’s card

We have arrived at day one of the Aintree festival, three days of top quality horse racing, headlined by the 2017 Grand National on Saturday. There’s plenty to get through before looking to solve the big one however, starting with a competitive Thursday to bring the curtain up.

Click here to place all your horse racing bets, or read on as we give a selection in every race at Aintree. Let’s start as we mean to go on…..

1.40pm – Novices’ Chase

We get up and running with this grade one six-runner contest over two-miles three-furlongs. Coral traders have come down hard on the side of Top Notch for Nicky Henderson, and I find that difficult to argue against. Daryl Jacob’s ride arrives in stunning recent form, winning four of his last five. That purple patch includes victory in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown on his penultimate go, and that looks the form of the bunch. A narrow second behind Yorkhill in the JLT Novices at the Cheltenham Festival last time. Opened with us a 5/4 jolly.

2.20pm – Juvenile Hurdle

Defi Du Seuil goes as short-priced favourite in this grade one eye-catcher, and so he should. The three-year-old super-star is now unbeaten in six, and added the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham to his list of achievements last time. Beat Mega Fortune by a comfortable distance that day, and seemed to have plenty left in the tank at the end. You’d be hard pressed to make a strong case against backing him, so we won’t bother. Currently 1/3, he’s expected to go around unchallenged for the most part.

2.50pm – Aintree Bowl

Now we have a race on our hands, and the early betting suggests this will be a two-horse battle between fan’s favourite Cue Card and Empire Of Dirt. That shouldn’t be far off, but we’re going with Tizzard’s Cue Card to justify favouritism. Of course, we all remember him falling in the Gold Cup, again, and he did look a beaten horse that day, but it happens. He’s a top-class chaser and, putting a line through the Gold Cup, he has already won the grade one Ascot Chase this year. Claimed this race last year, after falling in the Gold Cup, no less. 7/4 is a price punters can work with.