Rest of today´s racing

Obviously the Grand National will grab all today´s headlines, but the rest of the Aintree card is also very strong. The opening Grade Two novice hurdle should lie between the two Cheltenham flops Dodging Bullets (Paul Nicholls/ Ruby Walsh) and Utopie des Bordes (Nicky Henderson/ Barry Geraghty). The Grade One novice chase at 15.15 CET depends on whether the smart and versatile Overturn (Donald McCain/ Jason Maguire) can come back to form; if not Bally Green (Mouse Morris/ David Casey), who finished well in front f him at Cheltenham, should win. The Grade One Liverpool Hurdle over 3 miles at 15.50 is almost a rerun of the World Hurdle at Cheltenham, won by Solwhit (Charlie Byrnes/ Paul Carberry) from Celestial Halo (Nicholls/ Walsh) and Smad Place (Alan King/ Wayne Hutchinson); we feel that the winner got the run of the race then and would not be surprised to see the placed horses reverse the form today.

The handicaps are as always very difficult with large fields. Our 3 against the field in the 3 mile+ handicap chase at 16.25 are Battle Group (Kevin Bishop/ Daryl Jacob), who won over hurdles here on Thursday and was runner-up in this race last year, and the progressive Opening Batsman (Harry Fry/ Noel Fehily) and Cantlow (Paul Webber/ Tony McCoy) and in the handicap hurdle for conditionals and amateurs at 18.10 the two German-breds Local Hero (Steve Gollings/ Henry Brooke) and Prince of Fire (Charlie Swan/ Alan Berry) and the lightly-weighted 4yo Cockney Sparrow (John Quinn/ Dean Pratt).

The jumps traces at the other tracks are clearly not so high class, but there is an interesting Grade Two Chase at Navan at 17.35, in which we expect Rathlin (Mouse Morris/ Davy Russell) to get the better of Call the Police (Willie and Danny Mullins).

On the flat there is a listed race for 3yo´s on the Lingfield polytrack at 16.00. Van Der Neer (Richard Hannon/ Richard Hughes) is clearly the one to beat here; he was runner-up in the Racing Post Trophy and is well fancied for the 2,000 Guineas. An each-way alternative is the filly Massarah (Clive Brittain/ Ryan Moore); Brittsin has his string in good form and also has a chance at 15.25 with Quixote (Kieren Fallon).