We have plenty to look forward to at Aintree on day two
April 3
We have five runners at Aintree on Friday, but three of them come in the same race, the William Hill Handicap Hurdle.
Owner-amateur rider David Maxwell obviously takes the mount on Off The Jury, and stable jockey Tom Cannon has opted for Favour And Fortune over Helnwein. However, cases can be made for each of the trio, despite the fact that they are all amongst the outsiders.
Alan said:”I am looking forward to seeing Favour And Fortune step up to two and a half miles as there is a lot of stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree.
“He could not live with the fast pace set by Wilful in the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso last time, plus the fact that he got murdered going to the third last.
“I am sure that he is a lot better than he showed that day. as we saw when he won last season’s Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr, and he is a horse that I have always liked a lot.”
Alan has also been a big fan of Helnwein for a long time, and, like Noel Fehily and his syndicate, he has been both frustrated and disappointed at how the gelding has failed to fire since switching to chasing this season.
Having looked so good when winning the novice hurdle championship final at Sandown last April, Helnwein was expected to improve again when going over fences.
He made a satisfactory start when runner-up first time out at Warwick, and, while we can put a line through his next run at Windsor as they went no pace and he found the track too sharp, he then again ran below expectations when odds-on favourite back at Sandown.
Alan felt the soft ground didn’t help him on the Esher slopes but also decided to have his wind tinkered with, but, though he ran slightly better at Kelso on his last run, he knew we were still not seeing the real Helnwein, so we are trying something different in switching him back to hurdles as it is just not happening for him.
We should not rule out Off The Jury either. Alan added:”The big field should not worry him as he was only just touched off in the EBF Final at Sandown a month ago, and, though he is now 5lb higher, he deserves to take his chance.”
The farcical starts at last month’s Cheltenham Festival are best forgotten, but our own Grandeur D’Ame was one of the principal sufferers in the Ultima on the opening day, and Alan is hoping for better when he tries the big National fences for the first time in the prestigious Topham Trophy.
He said:”Grandeur D’Ame’s race was over before it began at Cheltenham because it was a standing start and he got left when the tapes went up. He had previously finished second in a £100,000 race over the same course on Trials day, when he jumped and travelled so well.
“He is now only 2lb higher, so, while you can never tell whether a horse is going to take to these fences, he has always been such a super jumper that it is worth trying.”
Our other runner at Aintree on day two is Blues Singer, who takes on some of the best novices around in the Grade 1 two mile hurdle. Alan added:”He made an encouraging start over hurdles when finishing fourth in the Dovecote at Kempton, where the red hood appeared to help him relax more. This should be another good learning opportunity for him, and we did not want to sacrifice his novice status by running him in a small race as we are looking forward to next season with him.”
