Baily Green can confirm promise of Arkle run in Ireland

The majority of the leading players in Aintree’s Maghull Novices Chase line up once more in Thurday’s Grade 1 Ryanair Novices Chase, due off at 6:40 with Baily Green and Alderwood hoping to turn the tables on that Aintree race’s surprise victor Special Tiara. Baily Green looks most likely to do so with a range of excuses for his poor effort in Liverpool.

A mass incredulous spitting-out of tea followed by a hasty reach for the form book greeted Special Tiara’s shock-victory in the Maghull Novices chase, with Henry De Bromhead’s 124-rated chaser beating a field of rivals rated between 19lbs and 34lbs his superior in the eyes of the handicapper.

However, subjecting that race to scrutiny doesn’t seem to yield any obvious reason why the form is not kosher and it may be that the combination of tight track and good ground where just what he’d been crying out for.

With ground soft at Punchestown it may be tricky for the Special Tiara to repeat the dose and it may be that Baily Green – pulled up behind the six-year-old at Aintree – is the solution to the puzzle.

After running a surprise stunner of his own behind Simonsig in the Arkle at Cheltenham, handler Mouse Morris had a several excuses as to why his charge performed so poorly next time out, with a lost shoe and a poor trip over from Ireland among the mitigating factors.

Baily Green had previously smashed Special Tiara over 2m2f here at Punchestown on heavy ground the pair would’ve both hated and the Morris horse was conceding 8lbs to his rival that day.

Among others with leading form claims, Arvika Ligeonniere is hard to trust after pulling up as if something was amiss at Cheltenham last time and the 2m4f Jewson Novices Chase winner Benefficient lacks real top class form at the basement trip. The latter’s sole grade 1 triumph at 2m came in a three runner affair made farcical by the former’s early tumble.

With many others in the field similarly lacking in top-level experience over the 2m Ryanair Novices trip it may pay to side with Baily Green, particularly if the ground improves.