Joe Tizzard has given Alexei the green light to step up in trip in a bid to open his Grade One account in next month’s William Hill Aintree Hurdle.
The progressive six-year-old will spearhead a strong team for the Grade One-winning trainer at the Randox Grand National Festival at the Merseyside venue.
It has so far been a season to savour for the Brocade Racing-owned Alexei, who has secured three wins from six starts including the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Grade Two BetMGM Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton.
And on the back of watching the son Tai Chi finish fourth in the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, Milborne Port handler Tizzard hopes he can better that effort in the £250,000 contest on April 9.
Tizzard said: “We are going to step Alexei up to two and a half miles in the Aintree Hurdle as he has come out of Cheltenham well. The other option was Punchestown, but we have decided on this race instead.
“He travels well and he won a maiden hurdle over two miles and three furlongs at Taunton on his first start for us.
“He galloped through the line in those handicaps so hopefully he should be fine over the trip on a flat track.
“I will probably leave him over hurdles next season and give him a prep run on the flat and have him right for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.”
Stablemate Kripticjim, who is also owned by Brocade, will bid for Grade One glory at the three-day meeting in the Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle on April 10.
Having secured Grade Two honours in the AIS Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in January the six-year-old followed that effort up when finishing a respectable sixth in the Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival.
Tizzard said: “We will stick at three miles and go for the Sefton with him. He finished sixth in the Albert Bartlett and ran a blinder. I was hoping he was going to nick a place, but I was really pleased with him. He travelled into the straight well, but he just got a bit tired.
“He got the three miles and I wasn’t disappointed with the decision I made to run there instead of the Turners and I was chuffed with his performance. He will be a lovely novice chaser next season."
And Tizzard is also leaning towards keeping stable stalwart JPR One at the top table for a tilt at the JCB Melling Chase on the same card following his fourth in the Ryanair Chase at the Festival.
He said: “He will be entered in the Red Rum and the Melling Chase, but with his mark I think it will be the Melling. He ran a blinder in the Ryanair. He travelled really good, and he got us excited, but he just didn’t come up the hill over that extended two and a half miles.
“It is slightly less around Aintree and that should help him. He is in really good nick."
Joining that pair on the second day of the meeting will be admirable veteran Eldorado Allen, who is being lined up for a spin over the Grand National fences in the Randox Topham Handicap Chase.
The trainer said: “Eldorado Allen will run in the Topham. He travelled well in the Grand National for a long way, but two miles and five furlongs is his trip and those fences just bring a bit extra out in him. He has dropped to a mark of one hundred and forty four so he deserves his chance in the Topham.”
And Tizzard plans to roll the dice in the Grade Two Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat on the opening day of the meeting with Fairy Park, who posted a promising second on her rules debut at Newbury last month.
He added: “She ran a great race at Newbury and I think she has sharpened up for it so I think she has got a chance of being in the frame. I think the race at Newbury is decent form. She travelled super, but she got tired in the last couple of furlongs. She hadn’t run for almost a year and I’m not hard on my bumper horses.
“I could go and win a little race with her, but I think she is good enough for this. She will be a top class novice hurdler next season."
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