Aintree Grand National Festival preview and tips: Friday key questions answered

Would you be for or against Jonbon in the Melling Chase?

Tony McFadden: Strongly in the Jonbon camp as I think he's essentially a cut above these rivals and should have no problem coping with the step up in trip. He was beaten at a very short price in the rearranged Clarence House Chase when last seen in January but it's easy enough to forgive that defeat given the severity of the mistake he made at the fourth-last fence. That was a rare defeat for Jonbon who had won 12 of his previous 14 starts under Rules, with the defeats coming against Constitution Hill and El Fabiolo. He'll be tough to beat if reproducing the sort of form he showed when slamming Edwardstone on his return in the Shloer Chase.

Ian Ogg: Wednesday and Thursday will tell us more with regard to the form of his stable and the health of the horses. Assuming they appear to be over their ailments then I would be happy to side with Jonbon. He's a smart two miler who shouldn't have any problems seeing out this longer trip and I'd very much hope that he'd have the class to see off some decent rivals who, perhaps, don't quite have the same pretensions of hitting the same heights.

David Ord: At least we'll have a better steer by then over Team Henderson with Shishkin and Sir Gino among those slated in to run on Thursday. Jonbon promises to stay two-and-a-half miles - and his handler feels he might even improve for it. If he's on-song clearly he's a player but it's a theme of Aintree this year that there's depth in here - plenty of it too.

We might get Ryanair Chase one-two Protektorat and Eldorado Allen, there's Pic D'Orhy who won it last year and has been kept fresh for Liverpool and Easy Game, a prolific winner in calmer waters for Willie Mullins but...well he's trained by Willie Mullins. This is a big test for Jonbon. At his best he'll pass it.

Can Chianti Classico make an impact in Grade One company in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase?

Tony McFadden: He has an excellent strike rate and won the Ultima in the style of one who will prove better than a handicapper. However, he's potentially going to be up against an even more impressive Cheltenham Festival handicap winner in Inothewayurthinkin, not to mention proven graded performers like Corbetts Cross and Grey Dawning. Grey Dawning also holds an entry in the Manifesto Novices' Chase the previous day and looks the one to beat in whichever engagement he takes up following his authoritative success in the Turners at the Cheltenham Festival.

Ian Ogg: This double has been done before, of course, and Kim Bailey's Espoir De Romay (although he missed Cheltenham) was running a big race until falling in 2021. I'm not convinced that Chianti Classico is another Holywell though. Of course it depends on who turns up but if a handful of the big names are declared then I'm not convinced he'll cut the mustard as this could turn out to be a red-hot affair. Connections may also be minded to protect his handicap mark with a tilt at Newbury's big autumn handicap already mentioned as a suitable medium-term target and a big run here would likely rule that race out given his current mark of 154.

David Ord: You can certainly make a case for him on ratings but we're not quite sure how this is going to stack up with Corbetts Cross, Grey Dawning and Ginny's Destiny all holding alternative entries. The one I'm very interested in is another handicap winner on his latest start, Heart Wood. He was a revelation at the Dublin Racing Festival as he surged a widening 14 lengths clear of his rivals. He had petrol left in the tank that day - the step up to three miles is a positive. He could take a bit of stopping.

The Slade Steel v Mystical Power rematch is on in the Top Novices’ Hurdle – how do you see it going?

Tony McFadden: Mystical Power looked set to land the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle when he was delivered to lead at the final flight - he touched a low of 1.06 in running - but Slade Steel, who had won over two and a half miles earlier in the season, proved stronger up the hill and prevailed by a length and a half. It may also have been significant that Slade Steel was more battle-hardened as he had dig deep to win a very strong renewal of the Navan Novice Hurdle and had chased home Ballyburn at the Dublin Racing Festival. With the benefit of the Supreme experience to call on, and at a track that will place less emphasis on stamina, I would expect Mystical Power to reverse the form. It's by no means a two-horse race, with others from the Supreme plus the principals from the Mares' Novice also holding claims, but Mystical Power would be top of my shortlist.

Ian Ogg: Slade Steel obviously isn't short of speed but the feeling is that the testing ground at Cheltenham very much played to his strengths and I'd be hopeful that Mystical Power could reverse the form on this easier track with, hopefully, slightly better ground to play on. Mystical Power settled better in the Supreme than at other times but still looks to be learning his game; hopefully that experience will help him take another step forwards and he did jump to the front at Cheltenham only to be outstayed up the hill. There's every reason to think that this course will suit him better at this stage of his development but if the market sees it that way too then he may not be a bet.

David Ord: This is a fascinating race. I think it's clear Mystical Power has one run to beat Slade Steel and needs playing late. Aintree might play to his strengths a little more although it's unlikely to be what we used to call spring ground which would likely be in his favour too. Caldwell Potter is an interesting runner obviously but I don't think things fell Firefox's way at all in the Sky Bet Supreme and he emerged with plenty of credit in third. He could very well get much closer to the two principals this time.

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Anything else on your Friday radar?

Tony McFadden: The latest edition of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle looks like a really strong piece of form and I think the winner, Better Days Ahead, will go on to prove a better horse than the first two home in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, Stellar Story and The Jukebox Man. Better Days Ahead proved really strong in the finish in the Martin Pipe to get the better of three other unexposed and well-backed Irish novices, and the way he stormed home suggests that he will benefit from stepping back up in trip to three miles. He could have more to offer as a staying hurdler.

Ian Ogg: Encanto Bruno was an ante-post bet for the Martin Pipe so has to be on my radar in the two and a half mile handicap hurdle, the second race on the card. I was relieved he wasn't declared at Cheltenham with the ground going against him so that's something to bear in mind as he obviously doesn't want it to be too testing. Disappointing the last twice on soft and heavy - albeit in the Royal Bond and a competitive 2m handicap - he does have something to prove but former trainer John McConnell held Encanto Bruno in high regard and he went some way to backing up that opinion on the track, including when winning at Cheltenham for current handler Gavin Cromwell. I don't think he's been missed by the handicapper by any means but he is open to improvement granted his preferred conditions and his early promise remains fresh in the mind.

David Ord: Life In The Park was right back to his best when fourth behind Shakem Up'arry in the Plate at Cheltenham and the Randox Supports Race Against Dementia Topham might just suit him down to the ground. He's five pounds better off for a near three lengths beating from his Prestbury Park conqueror but the nature of this race will draw his stamina out more. Henry De Bromhead can clearly ready a horse for the big Aintree fences and the ground is going to be in his favour too. He's around 16/1 and I think he'll go well.

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