Aintree and Limerick Sunday Racing Tips – DS
Aintree and Limerick Sunday Tips
It was one of those days on Saturday. The ground at Cheltenham wasn’t soft at all and Lord Accord, my original pick, pissed in. To make things worse, Max Vega also won, a horse we have backed many times before. To be fair, Promoter, Dancing Magic and Silver Sheen all ran well enough, just not well enough to place. We try again today, Dave Stevos’ Aintree and Limerick Sunday selections are below.
1.30 Aintree – Jewson Conditionals’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)
Not as much rain fell as was forecast overnight at Aintree. The ground will be good to soft, mostly, and the day kicks off with this tricky looking handicap hurdle. The one I am going to take a chance on for small stakes at big odds is Kaizer. Trained by the shrewd Ewan Whillans, this horse will appreciate the good to soft ground. He stays this trip and he is only 3lbs higher than when winning a decent pot at Kelso in the Spring.
The 7yo has never raced at Aintree before but he has plenty of form at Kelso, another left handed, flat track. Ewan Whillans has yet to have a winner at Aintree but his two previous runners finished 4th. He took over the license from his Dad Alistair in September of 2021 and he had 4 winners and 14 top 4s from 51 runners on Merseyside. Theo Gillard is arguably one of the best jockeys in this race so, at odds of 28/1, Kaizer is the e/w selection.
Aintree and Limerick Sunday Tips: Kaizer e/w @ 28/1 (4 Places)
2.05 Aintree – Vieux Lion Rouge Veterans’ Chase (Class 2)
James Nash is always a man to be feared with his Aintree raiders. He runs Forza Milan here, a sprightly 10yo, and Gavin Brouder takes off 5lbs. We backed this horse this time last year when he came 4th at Cheltenham (25f gd). He has failed to fire on his two most recent starts and he now returns from a 112 day absence and takes on some fellow veterans.
This son of Milan has gone well fresh in the past. He has run well at Aintree before, finishing 2nd in a handicap hurdle here back in 2017. The UK handicapper has put him in at 134 here, probably unfair on what he has done recently, but at least with his pilot’s claim he is effectively off 129. That’s 10lbs lower then he was for Cheltenham last season and effectively just 1lb higher than when 4th in the Porterstown Chase at Fairyhouse in 2020. If he can reproduce his Cheltenham run from last year, Forza Milan could sneak a place here at odds of 18/1.
Aintree and Limerick Sunday Tips: Forza Milan e/w @ 18/1
2.25 Limerick – Novice Hurdle (Listed)
Just the six runners and not a race that makes any appeal from a punting perspective. No bet.
Aintree and Limerick Sunday Tips: No Bet
2.40 Aintree – Old Roan Handicap Chase (Grade 2)
Hitman is a horse I expect big things from this year. We backed him a couple of times last season and he finished 2nd on both occasions. We were on when he ran a huge race in the Tingle Creek where he chased home Greaneteen. Then, we backed him again in the G1 Melling Chase at the Grand National meeting when he ran a massive race behind Fakir D’oudairies. This horse is still only a 6yo and if he is fully fit today, he will take a fair bit of beating. Especially if the wind op has made a difference.
At last year’s Grand National meeting we also backed Millers Bank. He hosed up in the Manifesto by 10L and he likes it at Aintree. He gets a very handy 6lbs from Hitman this afternoon and he has to rate as a big danger if fit and well. Do Your Job is another very promising sort. He landed an Ayr G2 on his last outing in April, his second win on the bounce. Luca Morgan takes off a handy 3lbs and he is another that cannot be discounted.
Bigger Odds
At bigger odds, maybe Captain Tom Cat can run well. Dr Newland’s son of Dylan Thomas won nicely at Wincanton last season in a G2 Novice before falling when in the process of running well at Cheltenham over 16f. That was the last we saw of him until three weeks ago when he ran a lovely race over timber. Hopefully that will prove to be a nice confidence booster ahead of his return to the larger obstacles.
He is 2lbs lower than he was for his last start in a handicap chase when he finished a very respectable 5th in the Summer Plate at Uttoxeter. Back in the Spring of 2021 he won over this C&D after a very similar prep run over hurdles and he has a race fitness edge over all of his rivals. At odds of 12/1, Captain Tom Cat is the each way selection.
Aintree and Limerick Sunday Tips: Captain Tom Cat e/w @ 12/1
3.00 Limerick – Cailin Alainn Mares’ Hurdle (Listed)
Another race I’m happy to swerve with just seven runners. No Bet.
Aintree and Limerick Sunday Tips: No bet
3.15 Aintree – Jewson Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
Off a nice low weight maybe The Navigator can outrun his odds here. Trained by Dianne Sayer, this horse has been in good form recently. On his last start at this sort of trip he scored at Kelso, winning by 2L off 116. He had a spin on the flat two weeks later and then three weeks ago he ran another very respectable race back at Kelso when beat 5L off today’s mark of 120.
That race was over 16f and he should be well suited by the step back up to 20f today. The decent ground is in his favour and he remains unexposed at this sort of distance. That win at Kelso over 21f was the first time he raced beyond 17f over hurdles so there could still be more to come from the 7yo son of Mastercraftsman at this trip. Danny McMenamin is 4/9 aboard The Navigator, hopefully he can steer him into the money today at odds of 28/1.
Aintree and Limerick Sunday Tips: The Navigator e/w @ 25/1 (4 places) NB
3.35 Limerick – Munster National Chase (Grade A)
Last, but not least, we have the Munster National at Limerick. It’s soft, yielding to soft in places right now but there could be showers before this race. Velvet Elvis and Max Flamingo both ran respectably in the Irish National but on this ground, I’d prefer the chances of Tom Gibney’s charge. He is short enough now though at 11/2 and instead, I’ll take a chance on last year’s runner up, A Wave Of The Sea.
He was in off 139 that day and he was only 2L behind the winner Ontheropes. He prepared for the race with a solid run in the Kerry National and connections have plotted a similar course this time around. Simon Torrens, who rode that day, is in the plate again and while he is 10lbs higher this year, this 6yo could still have more improvement to come.
Joseph’s horses are in good form and this is a race JP McManus targets. Surely this race has been the plan for this horse since his fine run in it in 2021.Torrens has finished 2nd in the Munster National on JP’s horses the last two years, hopefully he can go one better this time. At odds of 16/1, A Wave Of The Sea is the e/w selection.
