With the jumps season in full swing, many have one eye on
the big festive prizes and the four glory days in March, especially with so
many realistic contenders out today – and more on them elsewhere – with a mind
to those bigger prizes, but one of the strongest National trials that will be
run all season takes place with a quite fantastic renewal of the Becher Chase
(2.05) at Aintree today over the National Course.
This is normally a race where a newcomer over the National
fences – like 5 of the last 10 winners – emerges to stamp national claims, or a
horse that has had previous experience of the birch puts it to good use – like
the other half of the last 10 winners including the last three. With the
amazing strength in depth that his stable can boast at the moment, Willie
Mullins has a contender that fits both profiles and either of On His Own and
Vesper Bell look well capable of giving him another big British prize here.
On His Own has been well fancied for each of the last two
Nationals but fallen both times, first time when cantering around Bechers and
secondly when outpaced and going backwards behind Auroras Encore in April. He
will need to do better than that second effort to win today and was well beaten
at Punchestown since – when returned very quickly after his flat Aintree – to
be in the shakeup today, but it’s been just 8 runs since he won the Thytestes
by 13 lengths and the fact that the Mullins yard had been preparing him for the
Hennessy until a late switch suggests that his comeback run has put him spot on
and this, off a mark of 144, looks a very realistic target and with a clear
round over a trip that should be his optimum he can go well today.
There are a number of interesting types here with age not a
barrier to success – as Hello Bud showed last year – and there’s a case to be
made for Swing Bill Planet of Sound, and Roberto Goldback all being very well
handicapped, but young stayer Vesper Bell, if there’s enough juice in the
ground for him following a big effort when touched off over 3m6f at the
Punchestown Festival last spring. Only
his third run over fences, he jumped and stayed like a pro before being caught
in the last stride and if finding today’s ground to his liking, could go very
well today and should be staying on when plenty have cried enough if finding
the ground juicy enough underfoot.
Across the Bay should be a player after his return over
hurdles at Wetherby and his Grand National effort suggested he’d be harder to
catch over this distance although the way he went out like a light didn’t
suggest he’d have been involved even over today’s distance.
If Walkon can stay then he could make 16/1 look big and Join
Together’s second to Hello Bud last year would give him a fine chance for all
that he’s shown nothing of the sort since and his limp effort in France makes
him extremely hard to recommend.
Half an hour later, The Giant Bolster (pictured) makes appeal to land a
rare victory in the Betfred Goals Galore Listed Chase (2.40). David
Bridgewater’s Chaser hasn’t won since January in 20012 but has raced almost
exclusively at the top table since and has the fairest chance of a win since
his emphatic Cheltenham success. Top rated on official figures, he gets 6lbs
from the exciting Katenko, second season chaser Unioniste, 10lbs from last
year’s winner Wayward Prince and Wishfull Thinking, with Our Mick, who hasn’t
completed in two runs since his Cheltenham Festival second, on level terms. He
can cost himself victory just as much as he can win, but at today’s weights
he’ll get few better chances.
Advice
1 pt each/way Vesper Bell, 2.05 Aintree (12/1 general)
1 pt each/way On His Own, 2.05 Aintree (11/1 general)
1 pt win The Giant Bolster, 2.40 Aintree (3/1 general)
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