Day One of the Aintree Grand National meeting and with the sun shining they are having to water the course – let’s all hope that works out well and the sting is taken out of the ground.
It’s never quite as easy as the betting may suggest at the end of a long hard season for some of the combatants, and then we face the tricky balancing act of value versus realistic chances which can work – or backfire spectacularly.
My first bet today will be an each way one on the Gordon Elliot trained Mange Tout in the opener, currently available at 6/1 so a place will give us a small profit – though I fancy her for the win.
A wide-margin winner at Compiegne in France for Mme Allaire, she moved on to race in Ireland, winning her first two races at Down Royal and Fairyhouse, before losing her unbeaten record at Leopardstown when third after pulling too hard on her first start after a couple of months off.
She missed Cheltenham which might prove a bonus, and if she settles better here (the big question), she could make the most of the 7lb she gets from all her rivals with the exception of fellow Irish raider and likely favourite Selma De Vary.
Daily Sport Recommended Bet 1/2pt Each Way Mange Tout 1.45pm Aintree 6/1 most bookmakers