Aintree 2014 - Aintree Hurdle

3.05 Aintree

Doom Bar Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1) (Class 1)  (4YO plus)

Winner £112,540

Advice: 1 pt Diakali w/o The New One (9/4 Ladbrokes)

Diakali: Classy juvenile last year when Grade 1 winner by wide margin at Auteil and then third in Hatton’s Grace to Champion Hurdle winner Jezki; Readied for Country Hurdle and ran huge race under top weight to be fourth there; Steps up from 2 miles there (has better form at this trip) and each/way hopes more than realistic.

Grandouet: High class hurdler who hasn’t made the grade as a novice chaser, poor jumping blighting his season including when only sixth in Arkle; More needed here today and didn’t appear to see out the trip when a rather limp sixth in this last year.

Grumeti: Winner of 4yo Grade 1 here in 2012 but injuries essentially curtailed last season for him; Never dangerous in the Champion and while he might like the extra trip at this course today, that and previous form makes it hard to see him playing a hand today.

Irish Saint: Now rated 151 with extremely strong handicap form from the last twice, stretching right out to make competitive hurdle at Ascot into a procession and then finishing close third as favourite in Betfair Hurdle; This trip probably what he needs around here and could continue improvement upped in trip but those performances come on deep ground; Much more needed.

Ptit Zig: Solid form over 2m3f in France so return to that trip for him today a big plus and form over 2m nothing to be sniffed at, never dangerous sixth in the Champion latest but respectable effort on surface a tad quick for him following solid runner up efforts the last twice

Rock On Ruby: Previous third in this; Second in last season’s Champion Hurdle but chasing (albeit with two novice wins) hasn’t worked out for him, blundering away chance in the Arkle after hideous early mistake; Best form over hurdles would make him a threat but thrashed by The New One earlier in the season (albeit not at his best) and not hard to think that one has improved since.

The New One: Very close second in this last year after romping home with Neptune and dismissed Rock On Ruby before that one went chasing; Impressive in International Hurdle and last flight mistake could have cost him Christmas Hurdle before misfortune when hampered early on in Champion cost him a proper winning chance although he made ground hand over fist to be third in top class renewal; Would be a shock if he wasn’t to make amends.

VERDICT: It’s impossible to determine if THE NEW ONE was robbed of a winning chance at Cheltenham but he ran a screamer nevertheless after being hampered and there seems to be nothing in this field to stop him from making amends this year. Rock and Ruby and Grandouet are coming here after poor Arkle efforts and need to prove they are the horses of old, and Ptit Zig and DIAKALI may be the biggest chances of an upset, with Willie Mullins’ charge taken to be the best of the rest.