Timeform highlight their best bets for Thursday in the form of a ratings banker, big improver and a Flag of note.
The Ratings Banker
Jonbon – 14.20 Aintree
Nicky Henderson has won the Top Novices’ Hurdle five times before, each time with a horse who had run in the Supreme Novices’ at Cheltenham beforehand. Jonbon will therefore be bidding to follow in the footsteps of Darlan, My Tent Or Yours and Josses Hill by going one better at Aintree after finishing runner-up at Cheltenham. This is also a race that’s been good for Jonbon’s owner J. P. McManus, successful with Buveur d’Air (third in the Supreme) in addition to Darlan and My Tent Or Yours.
The highly-regarded Jonbon lost his unbeaten record in the Supreme but there was no disgrace whatsoever in finding his stablemate Constitution Hill much too good in the closing stages. He looked an exceptional novice at Cheltenham, and with nothing of Constitution Hill’s class or potential in this field, this should be a good opportunity for Jonbon to collect his own Grade 1 over hurdles before his attentions are turned to fences next season. A strong-travelling type and a nimble jumper, Jonbon should be well suited by this flat track and he can add to his previous graded successes at Ascot and Haydock.
The Big Improver
Bravemansgame – 14.55 Aintree
The Mildmay Novices’ Chase promises to be a mouth-watering clash between three of Britain’s best staying novices and a belated first meeting between L’Homme Presse and Bravemansgame who both come here unbeaten over fences. They were scheduled to meet in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham but heavy rain on the day of the race prompted Paul Nicholls to withdraw Bravemansgame. L’Homme Presse won well in the testing conditions and still has more to offer himself, but Aintree should be an ideal track for the front-running Bravemansgame to make his fluent jumping count.
Bravemansgame comes here fresh, having warmed up for his aborted Cheltenham mission by winning a novices’ handicap at Newbury in February from a BHA mark of 159. Prior to that, he’d proven too good for the re-opposing Ahoy Senor in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase. That rival isn’t out of this either as he’s another open to improvement, but his jumping needs brushing up, something which was evident again when he was runner-up to L’Homme Presse at Cheltenham. Ahoy Senor inflicted a shock defeat on Bravemansgame in the Sefton over hurdles on this card twelve months ago, but Bravemansgame is fancied to come through his stiffest test yet over fences with his unbeaten record as a chaser still intact.
The Timeform Flag
Langer Dan – 13.45 Aintree
Hot Trainer
Dan Skelton has been sending out plenty of winners since Cheltenham where Langer Dan was favourite to win the Martin Pipe only to get brought down at the second flight. Given a pipe-opener at Taunton beforehand, his whole season has been geared around the big spring festivals after coming good at this time of year last season. He won the Imperial Cup at Sandown in 2021 with plenty of hand and then ran a cracker on his first attempt at the Martin Pipe when bidding for the £50,000 bonus that comes with winning both races.
Well in under his penalty, Langer Dan ran up against an even better handicapped rival in Galopin des Champs who, of course, has since gone on to become a top-class prospect over fences. If the support for him at Cheltenham last month is anything to go by, Langer Dan is evidently reckoned to be in the same sort of form again this spring and he’s worth another chance to make up for his mishap last month and win another good handicap.
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