16.15 Aintree – Look no further than the David Pipe yard for winner
Published:Paul Nicholls will not be looking forward to the fifth race of Aintree’s Grand National meeting as the Champion Trainer is 0-18 over the last 13 years of this race.
The other bad news for Nicholls is that his two contenders in this race, Woolcombe Folly (7/1) and Tchico Polos (5/1) both carry over 11st 3lb and 10 of the last 11 winners carried no more that 11st 2lb.
Having ruled out the top two, we can also rule out Enlightenment (33/1) as 21 of the last 22 winners have been aged nine or younger and the Evan Williams-trained 11-year-old is the only runner over nine.
Chaninbar was the winner here last year but his form this season does nothing to suggest he is capable of repeating the win, and only Kathies Lad has won consecutive Red Rum Handicaps, back in 1985 and 1986.
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual – the final race of the Cheltenham Festival – is a great form guide for this race with six of the last 12 runners featuring in the final race of the Cheltenham showpiece, and winner Oiseau De Nuit has to be respected.
The Colin Tizzard-trained nine-year-old is 6/1 to win this race and having finished third in this race last year – last season’s renewal has featured two of the last four winners – Oiseau De Nuit has plenty of positives.
Leo’s Lucky Star (9/2 favourite) was third behind Oiseau De Nuit in the Grand Annual and it’s his David Pipe yard that is likely to provide us with the winner of this race.
But Leo’s Lucky Star will be outdone by stable mate Mamlook who comes into this race as a novice – novices have won six of the last nine runnings – and starts in the first five of the betting at 13/2 to win – 10 of the last 13 runners have come from the first five in the market.
A £20 stake on Mamlook winning the Red Rum Handicap Chase would return £150. New customers can sign up here to get £60 in free bets.
