Min ready to contest a hot race at Aintree
LAST year’s one-two Politologue and Min could do battle once more in the JLT Chase at Aintree on Friday.
The Paul Nicholls-trained Politologue got the better of Willie Mullins’ Min by a neck in last year’s renewal of the twoand-a-half-mile Grade One, which is better know as the Melling, and a rematch could be on the cards after both horses featured among 16 entries.
Nicholls has also entered Cyrname, who earned a lofty rating of 178 after his 17-length romp in February’s Ascot Chase. However, the Ditcheat handler is likely to wait for the Celebration Chase at Sandown – setting up a potentially mouthwatering clash with Nicky Henderson’s Altior on the final day of the season.
After deciding against sending Altior to Merseyside, Henderson’s potential runners are Top Notch and Janika – with the latter still in the Topham Chase on the same afternoon.
Pat Fahy’s Castlegrace Paddy, Noel Meade’s Road To Respect and Jessica Harrington’s Woodland Opera are the other Irish entries.
Warren Greatrex’s brilliant mare La Bague Au Roi and Topofthegame, winner of the RSA Chase for the Nicholls team stand out among 13 entries for the Betway Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
Band Of Outlaws could bid to follow up his success in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham. Joseph O’Brien’s four-year-old is one of 18 entries for the Betway Top Novices’ Hurdle along with stablemate Fakir D’Oudairies, who was fourth in the Supreme.
Henderson has suffered a blow as exciting young prospect We Have A Dream sustained a fatal injury following a workout at Seven Barrows yesterday.
The five-year-old, owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Suede, held an entry in the Betway Aintree Hurdle on Thursday.
He won two Grade One hurdles as a juvenile last season and was runner-up to Ch’tibello in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham on his final start.
Henderson posted on Twitter: ‘Absolutely devastated to report that We Have A Dream suffered a fatal injury this morning and broke his leg after working this morning.
‘We are all completely gutted as he was the most likeable person and it’s hard to have favourites but if we did, he would be top of the list.’