Saturday is Grand National Day and ITV will be televising the big race from Aintree at 4pm. Also live will be four other races from Merseyside in the build up to the main event.
- 1:20 Aintree: William Hill Handicap Hurdle – Hold The Serve @ 6/1
- 1:55 Aintree: Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle – Montemares @ 7/1
- 2:30 Aintree: William Hill Handicap Chase – Konfusion @ 12/1
- 3:05 Aintree: Jet2 Liverpool Hurdle – Impose Toi @ 7/1
- 4:00 Aintree: Randox Grand National Handicap Chase – Final Orders @ 25/1
Aintree’s opening live race is the William Hill Handicap Hurdle which is headed in the betting by Dan Skelton’s Pertemps Hurdle Final winner Supremely West. That win has led to a nine pound rise in the ratings however so we are siding with the current second favourite, Hold The Serve, for Olly Murphy who has looked impressive since a return from wind surgery winning three from three.
The Turners Mersey Novices Hurdle is the first of three live Grade 1 races on Saturday. The first and second favourites are Bossman Jack for Dan Skelton and Ballyfad for Gordon Elliott who finished 6th and 10th respectively in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Last year’s winner, Honestly Policy, skipped the Festival and our pick goes to another horse who has done the same. Tom Lacey’s Montemares won Kelso’s Premier Novices’ Hurdle in some style back in February and could have the ability to win at the top level here.
Neil King’s Lookaway conquered all in a strong renewal of Kempton’s Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase in February but has top weight of 12st here so would require a monumental effort to win here. Backable at each way odds is Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith’s Konfusion who fell when prominent in the Ultima last month and can bounce back to get amongst the places here.
The BetMGM Cup winner in Jingko Blue and Stayers’ Hurdle winner Home By The Lee are both set to line up in the Liverpool Hurdle. It doesn’t always pay to side with Cheltenham winners at Aintree however so we are opting for Nicky Henderson’s Impose Toi who was pulled up in the Stayers’ Hurdle but won a handicap hurdle at Aintree over this same distance at the start of the season.
Willie Mullins looks set to have the favourite in the Grand National with 2024 winner I Am Maximus again teaming up with top stable jockey Paul Towend. Last year’s winner, Nick Rockett, was withdrawn from the race on Thursday with Patrick Mullins instead choosing Grangeclare West, who was third in 2025, as his ride.
Dan Skelton’s, Paddy Power Gold Cup and Coral Gold Cup winner Panic Attack has been backed into single figures this week. The ten-year-old will carry just 10st 5lbs on the day but we feel the odds are a bit short considering no mare has won the race since 1951.
On balance, the horse we like most is Gavin Cromwell’s Final Orders who will be well suited to the going and comes to Aintree after winning the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham, a route taken by the great Tiger Roll. We wouldn’t dissuade you from the second in that race either, Favori De Champadou, though Jack Kennedy switching to ride Gerri Colombe would be a slight concern.