Free horse racing selections for Friday April 5 including Aintree Grand National Festival
Lostintranslation will be suited by the step up to three miles at Aintree, according to Nick Grant - he has a tip for every race at every meeting.
NAP: Lisnagar Oscar (4.40 Aintree)
Next Best: Lostintranslation (2.50 Aintree)
Lostintranslation seems sure to be suited by the step up to three miles in the Betway Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree.
Colin Tizzard's likeable seven-year-old was just on the wrong end of the result in a thrilling finish to the JLT Novices' Chase at Cheltenham last month.
That was the culmination of a trilogy that Philip Hobbs' Defi Du Seuil just edged two-one after an earlier clash at Cheltenham and in the Scilly Isles at Sandown.
On the last two occasions, Lostintranslation appeared to do very little wrong but could just not handle the superior speed of Defi Du Seuil - so stepping up to three miles on Friday seems the logical step.
You would have been hard pushed to have found a horse, particularly a novice, who jumped better all Festival than Lostintranslation did - and if he gets into a similar rhythm again he will be hard to peg back.
Topofthegame, the RSA winner, might not quite be as suited to this test as he was Cheltenham - but the selection proved, when pushing Black Op close at this meeting last year, he is just as effective on flat tracks.
The JLT Chase, better known as the Melling, can go to Waiting Patiently for the north.
Ruth Jefferson has been left frustrated more than most by the dry winter, because her stable star must get his toe in.
With that in mind, the rain on Monday and Tuesday was very much needed, and he arrives as something of a forgotten horse.
Brought down early by Bristol De Mai in the King George on his seasonal reappearance, Waiting Patiently then was no match for Cyrname at Ascot - but on that day it is hard to think of a horse in training who would have been.
Given it was basically his first run of the season and he still finished in front of Fox Norton, Politologue and Aso, he surely has strong claims with conditions in his favour and freshness on his side.
Dan Skelton's Sofia's Rock could be a bit of an outlier in the Betway Top Novices' Hurdle.
The last two winners of this race have both been at double-figure prices, and this one comes in under the radar.
Smart on the Flat for Mark Johnston, he is two from three over timber at a lowly level. His jumping looked slick last time at Ludlow, and if he gets loose on the front end he might take some catching.
If there can be such a thing as a good thing in a handicap, Paul Nicholls' Brio Conti might be it in the Merseyrail Handicap Hurdle.
Fourth in the Coral Cup, he must have touched a short price in-running after tanking to the front two out.
It was not a big surprise he failed to last up the hill, but this track will be more to his liking.
Activial ran right up to his mark behind Beware The Bear at Cheltenham and looks a safe conveyance in the Randox Health Topham Chase over the National fences.
The extended three miles just caught him out. But this two-mile-five looks his optimum, and he has a touch of class.
Lisnagar Oscar was ultimately a bit disappointing in the Albert Bartlett for Rebecca Curtis.
He is now in the Doom Bar Sefton Novices' Hurdle, and the flatter track and better ground can help him return to winning ways after he looked a top-class recruit on his previous run at Haydock.
McFabulous might be the one for Paul Nicholls in the Weatherbys Racing Bank Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.
Sporting Life selections:
AINTREE: 1.45 Brio Conti, 2.20 Sofia's Rock, 2.50 LOSTINTRANSLATION (NAP), 3.25 Waiting Patiently, 4.05 Activial, 4.40 Lisnagar Oscar, 5.15 McFabulous.
DUNDALK: 5.40 Moments Linger, 6.10 Black Label, 6.40 Golden Poet, 7.10 St Brelades Bay, 7.40 Blastofmagic, 8.15 Kafu, 8.45 Crossingoz.
LEICESTER: 2.00 Danny Ocean, 2.30 Mr Buttons, 3.05 Themaxwecan, 3.40 Showroom, 4.15 Astrospeed, 4.50 Stealth Fighter, 5.25 Noble Prospector, 5.55 Sir Roderic.
SEDGEFIELD: 2.10 Millie The Minx, 2.40 Inessa, 3.15 Two Hoots, 3.50 Dead Right, 4.25 Chasma, 5.00 Shaiyzar, 5.35 Witness.
WEXFORD: 3.35 Denham Hana, 4.10 Defy De Mee, 4.45 Popong, 5.20 Ask Nile, 5.50 Scotch Quay, 6.20 High School Days, 6.50 Ellie Mac, 7.20 Miss Cognac.
WOLVERHAMPTON: 5.30 Skyva, 6.00 Dangerous Ends, 6.30 Isango, 7.00 Fox Casper, 7.30 Birch Grove, 8.00 Roma Bangkok.
DOUBLE: Lisnagar Oscar and Lostintranslation.
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