Grand National betting: 2026 Aintree Melling Chase contenders and tip

Ahead of the 2026 Grand National, Coral previews all of the races taking place at Aintree, continuing with the Melling Chase on Friday, April 10.

2026 Melling Chase contenders and tip

This could be one of the more exciting races over the three days of the Grand National Festival, with some top class horses and the return of Gidleigh Park, who has been on the sidelines since January. 

Henry De Bromhead’s hat-trick seeking Heart Wood won the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in great style, beating Jonbon by 10 lengths. He is a consistent type who can succeed here too, but it won’t be easy.

Grey Dawning wears first-time cheekpieces and was last seen finishing a creditable fourth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He has good course form and, if sharpened up by the headgear, looks a real danger for the Skeltons. 

Gidleigh Park, who ran well at this track last year in the Manifesto Chase, might need to sharpen back up having been off since January, but he is a serious player based on his best form. The trainers results this season are encouraging too, so he could make an impressive comeback.

Dan Skelton’s second string is L’Eau du Sud, who steps up to this trip for the first time. That could be beneficial factor for the eight-year-old, but it doesn’t appear that the stable expect him to win. 

Coral ambassador Joe Tizzard’s JPR One was well beaten at Cheltenham in the Ryanair but still a place would not be out of the question on the best of his ability. This will be a hard question to answer but he could outrun his odds. 

Coral’s big-race tip: Grey Dawning at 13/8

View the Grand National 2026 odds and specials.

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication.