Aintree Saturday

1.45 EFT Systems Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) 3m 149yds

This contest has a habit of going to horses unexposed at the trip, and Tea Clipper fits the bill nicely. Like previous winners Ubak, Tagliatelle and Battle Group, he comes here not from the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, but from the two-mile, five-furlong Coral Cup.

On that occasion, he ran well to finish third to Heaven Help Us and deserves extra credit as the winner was in a race of her own that day. He holds Janika and Burbank on that form, albeit narrowly, and he is capable of showing his very best form when the ground rides faster than good.

Stepping-up

Tea Clipper needs to show he stays, but a remarkable 12 of the last 16 winners of this contest were stepping up in trip as he is, and the booking of Rachael Blackmore is an excellent one.

Burbank is also of interest at bigger prices. He didn’t get the best start in the Coral Cup and ended up having to race very wide as a result, finishing tenth, but shaping better than that would imply. Three of his four wins on turf have come on good or good to soft ground, so conditions are fine, and he was fourth in the latest renewal of this contest, and has fallen back to that mark after being dropped 2lb for Cheltenham.

2.25 Betway Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 4f

The record of horses who swerved Cheltenham was very good on the opening day of this meeting, and while I feel that that angle often gets overplayed, there is clearly an argument for coming here fairly fresh, and with Ballyadam failing to convince with his finishing effort on more than one occasion this season, it is very hard not to side with My Drogo .

The Kennel Gate winner looked a smashing prospect at Ascot, and he improved again when landing a decent prize at Kelso last time, making it two Grade 2 wins on his CV. He’s yet to face sterner opposition, but looks a really good prospect, and he’s bred to be better still at 2½ miles. He’s also the only one of the principals who hasn’t shown his best form on soft or heavy ground, so conditions as they stand are very much in his favour.

3.00 Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 1m 7f 176yds

The only obvious intrigue surrounding the Maghull is whether Shishkin might go off shorter than Douvan did when the latter lagged up at 2/13 in 2016, and Nicky Henderson’s star will be a very similar price here. There is no logical reason to look to oppose him, and most punters will only be tempted by the forecast.

For me, Funambule Sivola is a much more obvious play for the runner-up spot than Gumball, but the latter has been put in as second favourite despite running badly in the Betfair Hurdle. If those prices stay as they are then there will be some value in using the Venetia Williams-trained Funambule Sivola for forecast purposes.

3.35 Ryanair Stayers’ Hurdle (Liverpool Hurdle) 3m 149yds

Paisley Park ought to be favourite for this, and Emma Lavelle admitted that he was lacking sharpness when a good third in the Stayers’ Hurdle last time.

He has always thrived on his racing, so is likely to be back to his very best after that gutsy effort, and while he takes a little time to hit top gear, he is by no means slow when he finds that gear.

Thyme Hill is respected, but he is the one who may now lack sharpness having had to miss Cheltenham with a setback, and I find it bizarre that the market makers have promoted him above Paisley Park simply for not running last month. That is definitely a negative for me, and I’d be surprised if he held favouritism.

Décor Irlandais certainly shouldn’t be favourite, or close to it, but I fancy that Noel Kelly’s former pointer is better than many appreciate, and he has shown his best form away from the mud, and his record over hurdles on yielding or quicker is an impressive 12411. You can ignore his latest effort in the Boyne Hurdle on heavy ground where he shaped well for a long way, and he was an impressive handicap winner at Killarney in August when conceding lumps of weight to the placed horses, and his usual 5lb claiming amateur is replaced by Jody McGarvey here. I’m sure he has more to offer, and I think he can amongst these at massive odds.

4.15 Betway Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 3m 210yds

While most previous winners of this had also run in the Cheltenham Festival, it’s notable that four of the last eight winners were also novices, and Snow Leopardess scores on both counts.

Some might be put off that her prep came over the 3¾m of the National Hunt Chase, but that race was nothing like the attritional test it can be, and she was actually beaten for a turn of foot at the end after a very sensible gallop.

She isn’t quick, but she is a sound jumper who stays and responds to pressure. I’d like to see her even more handy than she was at Cheltenham, and while she is suited by softer ground, that is more about stamina, and her first four wins all came on good ground.

Snow Leopardess is just 3lb higher than when making most in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby, where she was just touched off by Canelo, and her form this season stacks up much better than most in this field. She looks one of the better bets of the week.

Recommended

Tea Clipper 1.45 Aintree – 0.5pts e/w @ 15/2 (general – 5 places)

Burbank 1.45 Aintree – 0.5pts e/w @ 25/1 (SkyBet – 7 places)

My Drogo 2.25 Aintree – 1pt win @ 2/1 (general)

Décor Irlandais 3.35 Aintree – 1pt e/w @ 66/1 (Hills, Bet365, Paddy Power)

Snow Leopardess 4.15 Aintree – 2pts win @ 12/1 (Hills, 11/1 Bet365, BetVictor)