BETWAY BOWL CHASE BITE SET TO MAKE MARK
MIGHT BITE has a giltedged opportunity to gain compensation for his Cheltenham Gold Cup defeat.
This time last year, the Nicky Henderson (right) nine-year-old came to Aintree with the reputation of a wayward genius, having done his level best to throw away victory in the RSA Insurance Chase at Cheltenham 23 days earlier.
But Nico De Boinville’s mount showed green shoots of maturity in beating stablemate Whisper – his nose victim at the Festival – by two lengths in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
And the son of Scorpion has continued in more levelheaded vein this season, warming up for the King George at Kempton with an eight-length return-to-action supremacy at Sandown in November.
Sent off the 6-4 market leader on Boxing Day, Might Bite delivered with a one-length margin over Double Shuffle, with Tea For Two third and Bristol De Mai back in sixth, before facing his sternest test – over an extended three
THERE are so many myths surrounding the Grand National meeting — one of the main ones being you must avoid backing horses coming to Aintree on the back of a run at Cheltenham.
What rubbish.
The overwhelming trend is for the winners of today’s races to have previously appeared at the Festival last time out.
That gives us a decent lead into the Betway Red Rum Handicap Chase (4.40) — for which the other notable stats to find our likely hero are:
■ Aged nine or younger.
■ Carrying 11st 1lb or less. With this two-miler being run over the Mildmay Course you know the action will be fast and frantic, so it’s important not to get behind as prominent racers fare best on both chase courses.
Following our check through the trends we are left with five horses. and a quarter miles on rain-softened terrain – in the Gold Cup.
Might Bite still had a grip of his bridle when taking aim at the frontrunning Native River at the penultimate of the 22 fences, but was unable to match his rival’s staying power as the pair climbed to the finishing post.
But the four-and-a-halflength margin between the pair – Definitly Red came home sixth, one place ahead of Tea For Two – represents rough justice for Might Bite, who should profit from coming back to three miles here.
Tea For Two, who beat Cue Card in this race 12 months ago, is a strong candidate for the podium, while Bristol De Mai, who has had breathing surgery since a tame third in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January, is a danger to all on his form from the first half of the winter.
could get stuck at the back as he lacks early pace.
is at his best on faster ground, while it will be no surprise to see the same being said after the race about
has hit the wall after travelling well in both his runs this season.
is the value in the race at 20-1 (2pts win generally) having been outclassed in the Arkle.
He has form on tight tracks and can be excused his previous moderate effort on the grounds of it being around the galloping Ascot track.
We must have an interest in the Foxhunters’ Chase (4.05) as it’s one of only five races run over the big fences during the season and massive fun to follow.
Official ratings cut down the number of potential winners in this, which leads us to
He ran well at Cheltenham and is worth 2pts win at a general 4-1.