/ Timeform / 07 April 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Can Denman stamp his authority on this field after his heroic performance in the Gold Cup last time?
"Denman is a clear choice on form and, whilst there are concerns that this will come too soon after a hard race at Cheltenham, he won't have to be at his best to land the spoils."
The Aintree Grand National meeting begins on Thursday with some mouth-watering racing in prospect, notably Denman's attempt at following up his second place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup when taking on five rivals in the Bowl.
Deep Purple is a front runner who ran well when third, conceding 10lb to Nacarat, in his bid to win the Charlie Hall Chase in October for a second time. However, he has been below his best since, as he was at this meeting last year.
Denman boosted his excellent Cheltenham record when second in the Gold Cup for a third time last month. He endured a hard race there but won't have to be at his best to beat this field.
Follow The Plan was back to his best when a surprise winner of the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles in January, and was running well when falling at the lasrt last in a Leopardstown handicap last time. That said, he has much more on his plate at this level.
Nacarat was in receipt of 10 lb when beating Deep Purple on his return and has held his form since, making the frame in both the King George and Racing Post Chase (tongue tied) at Kempton. He doesn't always see his races out but this will be his second race since having a breathing operation.
Punchestowns is a top-class hurdler who made a good start over fences last season. However, he has not gone on as expected since, and looked flattered to win at Kempton last time when the clear leader weakened dramatically.
Carole's Legacy is tremendously tough and reliable, and kept up her record of nearly always finishing in the first 2 when runner-up to Bensalem at Cheltenham. She has fewer doubts over her than some, and can't rule out despite a rise in class.
Timeform 1-2-3:
1. Denman
2. Carole's Legacy
3. Nacarat
Timeform's View: Denman is a clear choice on form and, whilst there are concerns that this will come too soon after a hard race at Cheltenham, he won't have to be at his best to land the spoils. If he hasn't recovered sufficiently it would be no surprise to see Carole's Legacy come out on top.
Get the Timeform Jury's selections for all Aintree races shown on the BBC this week with Timeform TV Focus. Click HERE to find out more about this successful tipping service.
There are some smart sorts on show in this mile-and-three-quarter listed event......
Timeform take you through this field of hardened handicappers......
We're at Windsor's first meeting of the season for today's Race of the Day......
No comments:
Post a Comment