Horse Racing Tips: Frank Hickey’s best Aintree bets on Saturday

PPTV's Frank Hickey's 5 fancies for the Grand National...

By / Horse Racing Tips / 1 year ago

Frank Hickey’s Aintree Betting Tips

13:45 – Marvel De Cerisy (without Jonbon)
14:25 – Mexico (each-way)
15:00 – Letsbeclearaboutit (each-way)
15:35 – Proschema (each-way)
16:15 – Beauport (each-way)
17:15 – Roi Mage, Velvet Elvis, Gaillard Du Mesnil, The Big Breakaway & Delta Work
18:20 – Go To War (each-way)

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

13:45 – Marvel De Cerisy (without Jonbon)

Jonbon will be tough to beat but he did have a hard enough race at Cheltenham and I’m going to have a small bet on MARVEL DE CERISY in the win and without Jonbon markets, mainly due to Henry De Bromhead’s fine record in the race. He has won this race three times in the last 10 years, including with unconsidered in the betting, 28/1 shot Special Tiara in 2013.

Marvel De Cerisy had strong form when winning his only point-to-point when beating the likes of A Different Kind, The Goffer and Sporting Mike and had some useful form in maiden hurdles before getting off the mark at the 5th attempt at Killarney last May.

He would have finished a relatively close 2nd to Impervious on his chase debut at Wexford and got off the mark next time at Punchestown, beating the likes of Gallyhill, Aarons Day, Ballykeel and Get My Drift. He was disappointing in a rated novice chase at Fairyhouse and was given a break before being very heavily punted in the Plate at the Cheltenham festival and not being disgraced in 9th.

There he was held up in a race where it paid to be up with the pace, so I think you can upgrade that performance. Notlongtillmay, Fusain and Calico all want to get on with things, so it should bring Marvel De Cerisy’s stamina into play and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one to lay down a challenge to Jonbon over the final two fences.

14:25 – Mexico (each-way)

Good Time Jonny only got 5lbs for his win in the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham festival despite being held up in a relatively slowly run race and winning in fine style. He will go close if in the same form again but I can’t leave MEXICO go unbacked here. He made his hurdles debut in October 2021, when not beaten far at all in a decent novice hurdle at Ascot.

He obviously had an issue, as we didn’t see him until almost exactly a year later when he ran at Aintree over two and a half miles in a maiden hurdle, where again he wasn’t beaten far when third, shaping like a step up in trip would suit. He then was a good second at Warwick, before getting off the mark at Southwell and found the two up to Grade 2 company too hot. He didn’t make much impression in the EBF Final at Sandown either but he looked a much better version of himself when stepping up to three miles at Uttoxeter, winning as he liked under a penalty.

His trainer Stuart Edmunds said after that he realised then that he had been running Mexico over the wrong trip. He has gone up to a mark of 129 but the yard won this race in 2021 with Hometown Boy, while Theclockisticking was 5th in 2019 and Now McGinty was 2nd in 2018, so it appears to be a race that Edmunds has been targeting in recent years. Mexico is still a double figure price and appeals as a decent each way bet now that he has found his best trip.

15:00 – Letsbeclearaboutit (each-way)

Hermes Allen clearly didn’t give his true running in the Ballymore and leads the British challenge here along with You Wear It Well and Springwell Bay. Both those are progressive but it is difficult to get away from the fact that the Irish had the first eight home in the Supreme, first four home in the Ballymore and while the British won the Albert Bartlett with Stay Away Fay, the next four home were all Irish.

For that reason I will focus on the Irish challengers. The one that appeals to me is LETSBECLEARABOUTIT who ran a mighty race in the Albert Bartlett where it appeared that he just didn’t quite stay the trip. He still was only beaten by five lengths in fourth that day but travelled so well that he hit 4.1 in the run despite his BSP of 20.23. A strongly run race over two and a half miles may well prove his optimum trip and there does look to be plenty of pace on here too. Hopefully he can travel with the same verve here and get a good tow to between the final two hurdles where you would then expect his stamina at this trip to kick in.

15:35 – Proschema (each-way)

The Stayers Hurdle threw up more questions than answers this year and as a result we have a very open market here with it 4/1 the field, despite only having ten runners. I think you can make a case for everything, aswell as being able to pick holes in everything but I think it may well be worth taking a chance on the rag of the field, PROSCHEMA.

Three miles, on a flat track and decent ground appear to be his optimum conditions and he gets those here. He isn’t the most consistent but it was only in October that he beat Thomas Derby, Threeunderthrufive, Sporting John and Oscar Elite senseless in the Grade 2 Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby. He was pulled up when a 5/2 shot for the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November and the run in the National Spirit Hurdle would have been no more than a prep run for the Spring festivals.

There should be plenty of pace on here with Flooring Porter and Dashel Drasher likely to kick on and that will really suit Proschema. It is also a positive that Proschema won on his only previous start at Aintree back in May 2021. He makes appeal in a race where there is plenty of uncertainty about most of the field.

16:15 –Beauport (each-way)

Plenty in here with stamina to prove and while Eldorado Allen would look to have a tough mark of 158 to defy, he may well be able to in this field. I very nearly sided with him but BEAUPORT gets one more chance after disappointing in the Kim Muir, where the jockey didn’t give it the best of rides, going wide most of the way, while also chasing too hot a pace.

That left him running on empty up the hill but he tanked to 3 out. That was off a mark of 143 and the handicapper has dropped him a pound to 142 and at last years festival at Aintree, he was fourth in the three mile handicap hurdle off a mark of 148. I have no doubt he is on a mark he can win from and hopefully he can be given a more efficient ride here.

17:15 – Grand National

A grade 2 & grade 3 winner in France, ROI MAGE was also good enough to finish 3rd in the 2019 edition of the Grade 1 Grand steeple chase de Paris. Though 11 years old, he has shown he retains plenty of ability when narrowly beaten by Longhouse Poet at Down Royal despite conceding 5lbs to him, yet he is a far bigger price than LP. He has stayed 3m6f on testing ground in France, so stamina shouldn’t beat him. He’s a big price for one who ticks plenty of boxes.

VELVET ELVIS was a fine winner of a good novice handicap at Navan last season off a mark of 133. That was his first start over three miles over fences and he ran a cracker for a six year old when sixth beaten by eight lengths in the Irish National on his next start off a 10lb higher mark. Things didn’t really go to plan on his first three starts this season but he did manage to win over just shy of three miles at Fairyhouse in February and ran a fine second in a Grade 2 over an inadequate two and a half miles at Navan on his last start.

He will be a stronger horse than last year when he wasn’t the strongest finisher in the Irish National and he carries a lovely weight of just 10st 6lbs, so I can see him outrunning his big price.

Third in last year’s Irish Grand National off a mark of 154, that run was preceded by a fine third in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham, which highlights the class GAILLARD DU MESNIL has. He was a Grade 1 winner at Leopardstown over Christmas and won the National Hunt chase at this year’s festival when it looked all about stamina. We all know what strength in depth Willie Mullins has, so it must be significant that Paul Townend chooses Gaillard Du Mesnil. Looks sure to run a big race.

THE BIG BREAKAWAY carries below 11stone which is a help and I would be willing to forgive the run in the Ultima off a three month break, with this the likely target since his fine second in the Welsh National. That followed a head second in top class Haydock handicap over just shy of three and a quarter miles and proved that he was coming back to the sort of form that made him an exciting novice hurdler and chaser. Stamina should be no issue and the first time blinkers might just help him here and he is a big price for one with plenty of ability.

A fine third last year off nearly top weight, DELTA WORK will actually carry only 11st 4lbs this time round but I do feel his whole season has been geared towards this race, as opposed to last year when it may have been more of a plan hatched half way through the season when he was struggling in Grade Ones. He was as good as ever when winning the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham and he looks sure to go well here again and looks solid for the places at least.

18:20 – Go To War (each-way)

I was impressed by the strong finishing performance produced by POUR LES FILLES at Leopardstown in December and hope he can progress from that to make a good impression here under Davy Russell. A point to point winner who stayed strongly in his only bumper to date, a strong gallop would really suit this son of Pour Moi.

Frank Hickey’s Aintree Betting Tips

13:45 – Marvel De Cerisy (without Jonbon)
14:25 – Mexico (each-way)
15:00 – Letsbeclearaboutit (each-way)
15:35 – Proschema (each-way)
16:15 – Beauport (each-way)
17:15 – Roi Mage, Velvet Elvis, Gaillard Du Mesnil, The Big Breakaway & Delta Work
18:20 – Go To War (each-way)

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change

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