With that said, I am with Shakem Up’Arry in this with the drying conditions in his favour. You will probably have noticed a bit of a theme with my selections today where I have gone for horses who prefer better ground so let’s hope I have got it right as my/our chances of being successful today depend on it! The Going remains the most unpredictable variable and has been so very changeable at Aintree this week riding Good on Tuesday when all the forecasts suggested Soft so hopefully something similar will happen today. Given normal luck in running today he shouldn’t be far away.ġ6.15pm Aintree – 3m1f(3m210y) (Mildmay) William Hill Handicap Chase (Registered As The Freebooter Handicap Chase) (Premier Handicap) (GBB) (Class 1) (5yo+) SHAKEM UP’ARRYĠ.5 PTS EACH WAY BET ADVISED AT 6/1 WITH THE FOLLOWING FIRMS PAYING 5 PLACES My pick though has to be Home By The Lee who is much improved this season and who I thought was unlucky not to win the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham last month where he finished a good staying on 3.75 lengths 5th considering he made a near race ending mistake at the sixth flight and had his ground taken from him just before the last flight. I am good friends with one of the owners so hope for him she runs a blinder. She could easily bounce back but the dilemma is whether to back her at 4/1 after such a poor performance last time. However, I know she has been going well at home and I think she has been crying out for this first-time step up to 3-miles. I was with Marie’s Rock at Cheltenham when she didn’t run her race at all with connections saying the slow pace of the race didn’t suit her.

It definitely isn’t a very tempting betting medium so the advice, if you have to have a bet, is to keep your stakes small.

Home By The Lee (7/2) & Marie’s Rock (4/1). With that said, the two I like most are at the head of the market. This is a highly competitive, wide open, 10-runner Grade 1 race where many have winning chances. He will be fully-fit on his fifth start since November and Richard Patrick is a very capable first-time booking.ģ.00pm Aintree – 2m4f Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) HERMES ALLENġ POINT WIN BET ADVISED AT THE 7/2 AVAILABLE WITH THE FOLLOWING FIRMS Moon Hunter is a former 3-mile point winner who I think has more to offer now stepping up in trip off his lenient looking mark of 129. It is officially Good to Soft, Soft in places as I write this at 8am but the forecast is for a dry/warm/sunny day at Aintree so it is possible the Going will be different by the time this race jumps off. Moon Hunter is 6 year old gelding who could easily come in to the reckoning now the track appears to be drying out. He may want easier underfoot conditions than he’ll get today but he has won on Good Going so I’m hoping it won’t inconvenience him too much. Up 7lb here but still on a low mark/weight he could have plenty more to offer. His trainer, Stuart Edmonds, admitted he had been running him at the “wrong trip all season” after he won by 8.5 lengths never coming off the bridle on Soft Going when stepped up to 3 miles at Uttoxeter for the first time 2 weeks ago. I think Mexico has to be backed in this running off 10st 10lb and a mark of just 129 as he is completely unexposed at staying trips.

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