Aintree selections Friday 4th April
Friday looks a fiendishly tricky card at Aintree as despite the drying ground the fields are extremely competitive and of top quality. I am going to look at the three handicaps on the afternoon and throw a few darts at value odds.
Aintree 2.20: Be Aware & Wade Out
Any number can be given a chance here, but I have narrowed this down to two.
WADE OUT is the first choice, thrown into handicap company for the first time. He started his campaign in smooth style on decent autumn ground with a win over the useful We’re Red and Blue at Uttoxeter, followed by a narrow defeat to the useful Celtic Dino (more of him later) at Ascot.
Another smooth win in a small field followed at Lingfield, encouraging connections to step him up into Grade 2 company at Cheltenham. He was very disappointing, but perhaps the soft ground and the undulations did not see him in a true light. He bounced back with a facile win in a small race at Wetherby recently, which proved his stamina for 2m4f and suggested he does enjoy a flatter track better. An opening mark of 128 looks reasonable and the drying ground will definitely be in his favour.
BE AWARE is a horse I have been following all season and he nearly gained a big win in the Greatwood at Cheltenham on fast ground in the autumn when defeated only by Burdett Road. Another placed effort followed in a big Ascot handicap where the 2m trip looked a little on the sharp side.
It made sense for him to take on the Coral Cup over 2m5f at the Cheltenham Festival and he looked set to go close when cruising into contention two out. His finishing effort was a little disappointing as he faded into eighth, but I think this flatter track, coupled with the drying ground will ensure his stamina does not run out. A strong traveller, this sort of contest should always suit him ideally.
Aintree 4.05: James du Berlais, Fantastic Lady & Lisnamult Lad
Despite the changing nature of the fences, course form still counts for plenty around the National course and horses who have finished second in the past two renewals are fancied here.
JAMES DU BERLAIS is generally a brilliant jumper who gets into a great rhythm in these big handicaps. That was certainly the case on his first visit to Aintree last season when leading over the last, only to be worn down by Arizona Cardinal late on. He is only1lb higher today and actually has a lower weight due to the classier nature of the field.
He has had a quiet campaign so far, presumably with the spring Festivals in mind, but showed up well enough in a decent race at Leopardstown last month to suggest he was coming to hand. Whilst he will remain vulnerable to a stronger finishing rival, it would be surprising if he was not right there travelling well over the last and has drifted to a tempting each-way price.
FANTASTIC LADY chased home Bill Baxter in 2023 and was a respectable sixth on unfavourably soft ground last season. She then produced a career best to win a Grade 2 on the final day of the season at Sandown, making us of her favoured good going.
Admittedly this season has been an underwhelming one so far and she was pulled up at the Cheltenham Festival, though that track was never likely to suit. Back at a venue where she has done so well, she has dropped to a competitive mark, 2lbs lower than last year and on her preferred going. James Bowen has a decent record around this track and he can outrun her odds.
An interesting newcomer to the track is LISNAMULT LAD, an all the way winner of a novice handicap at Cheltenham in the autumn on similar ground to today – ground her really needs to give of his best.
He made all the running in the Troytown at Navan until an uncharacteristic mistake took him out of the race six out. You can ignore his run at Cheltenham in the New Year as the ground was totally against him, but he ran well enough at the Dublin Racing Festival over an inadequate trip last time and has been kept fresh for this. I can see him bouncing out prominently and providing he takes to the fences well, he could take some pegging back on his favoured going.
Aintree 5.15: Celtic Dino & Afadil
This is a race that often throws up a surprise, but if there is a class horse in the race a grade above these it is CELTIC DINO.
He has a nice low weight given the original presence of stablemate Lump Sum (now withdrawn) but was always the intended mount of stable jockey Dylan Johnston. He loves good ground and took advantage of the prevailing autumn ground to win at Wincanton and Ascot (where he saw off Wade Out). Soft ground would not have helped him here in a Grade 1 at Christmas, but he was still a respectable fourth.
He was perhaps a little disappointing when only third at Kempton last time, but perhaps he was not fully tuned up that day and target trainer Sam Thomas should have him spot on for this with the drying ground a big plus.
AFADIL is a little unreliable, but he loves a sharp track and decent ground and was beaten by an agonisingly narrow margin in this last season. He seems to thrive at this time of year and is back in prime form on recent evidence.
He narrowly failed to back up his 2024 win in the Scottish County Hurdle at Musselburgh and then turned in a fine effort when third in the Imperial Cup last time, a track that might have been stiffer than ideal and on ground softer than his optimum. Freddie Gingell gets on well with this horse and he has no weight to carry here.
Recommended bets:
1pt each-way – Be Aware – 2.20 Aintree – 8/1 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt each-way – Wade Out – 2.20 Aintree – 15/2 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt each-way – James du Berlais – 4.05 Aintree – 12/1 Ladbrokes (1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt each-way – Lisnamult Lad – 4.05 Aintree – 22/1 general (Skybet 1/5 odds 1st 7)
0.5pts each-way – Fantastic Lady – 4.05 Aintree – 33/1 Ladbrokes (1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt each-way -Afadil – 5.15 Aintree – 5/1 general (most bookies 1/5 odds 1st 5)
1pt win – Celtic Dino – 5.15 Aintree – 100/30 general
