The Cheltenham Festival is done and dusted for another year but that doesn’t mean the top quality National Hunt action stops. Aintree’s Grand National Festival takes place next month and there’s plenty to look forward to. We’ve picked out three horses that were absent at Cheltenham last week that could be worth backing at Aintree. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
This horse made the headlines when fetching a record price at the sales earlier this year. He has joined the Paul Nicholls yard for a substantial sum of €740,000 and expectations will certainly be high. Connections rightfully swerved Cheltenham in order to give him time to acclimatise to his new surroundings and he really could be anything. Paul Nicholls’ new gelding won a Grade 1 at Leopardstown over Christmas for previous connections and there should be plenty more to come.
Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle
Nicky Henderson’s juvenile was the long term favourite for Cheltenham’s Triumph Hurdle but he was withdrawn due to the yard’s form. One would imagine the team will be back on track by the time Aintree rolls around and this horse would have to be at the top of the list for the juvenile race. No one was a match for him when bolting up last time out and he should prove hard to beat if turning up in top form.
Another from the Nicky Henderson yard, he appeared to have every chance when unseating his rider at the final fence in the King George when last seen. It’s hard to say if he possesses loads of stamina or is just very one-paced but he won this race last year and has every chance once again. This quirky customer isn’t the easiest horse to get right but he’s very talented on his day.
If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.