Indeevar Bleu simply was at the races, and the drift before the race made it feel a bit worse.
Sean Bowen was getting at him just after the race started, and the horse didn't jump any obstacle with fluency. It was a strange performance, but when a horse drifts in the market just before the off, it suggests something isn't quite right.
Gidleigh Park either runs big races or blows out. On this occasion, he didn't do much. He jumped well for the majority, but didn't manage to continue that and as the race progressed, his jumping got worse.
Grand National 2026 Betting Offers
Hold The Serve 11/2 (1pt) – Aintree 1.20
A previous winning selection of mine, Hold The Serve, gets another go, and I think this step up to 3m 1f could be the making of him.
I was keen on him last time out at Kempton when I believed the step up to 2m 5f was going to work wonders. He was off the bridle turning for home, but when he hit top gear, there was only ever one winner. It looks like he could be much better now, getting a true stamina test.
His handicap mark is up 7lbs from last time out, which is a fair assessment by the handicapper. Like always, he will have to improve to win this against the likes of Supremely West, who was a handicap blot in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham. Apart from a couple, including Hold The Serve's stablemate, Wade Out, it looked a fairly ordinary race. I thought Wade Out was interesting, but Sean Bowen is on Hold The Serve, so he must have a solid judgment on what has the better chance.
Bossman Jack 5/2 (2pt) – Aintree 1.55
Considering I thought Bossman Jack was going to win prior to his final obstacle disaster in the Turners at Cheltenham, I have to back him for this race.
The way the horses who front run or were positioned prominently at Cheltenham benefited. Bossman Jack was towards the rear and raced very wide, but came into the home straight like the best horse. He was in the middle of staying on strongly, but clattered the last and lost all momentum. It's hard to say whether he would have been good enough to win, but my gut instinct thought he would have got the win, despite having a lot against him.
I believe this is an easier race, so as long as he is fit and ready to rock and roll after a month off, he'll be tough to crack.
Lookaway 7/1 (0.5pt EW, 5pl) – Aintree 2.30
There are probably a couple of horses in this race who could be ahead of the handicapper by a fair margin, but there are risks attached to them. Mr Hope Street could easily be a handicap blot for a trainer who does it regularly, but on all known form, it's a risk, and the price attached to him doesn't make it worth it.
Lookaway is a horse who is improving run after run, and there is every possibility that he still has a bit left in him before the handicapper catches up. He is totally unexposed as a three miler, as he only started over this trip, coming last time out, where he stayed the distance nicely. That was a Grade 3 and a big pot, so there's plenty to like about the effort.
We've seen that course form is massive, and racing prominently is a huge factor. Both of which are what Lookaway has in his C.V. He was a Grade 2 bumper winner at this track a few seasons ago, and was a third-placed horse in a Grade 1 novice hurdle event. His form took a bit of a dive, but the last couple of months have seen him kick on. The yard fired in a Grade 1 winner yesterday for the same owner.
Jingko Blue 6/1 (1pt EW, 4pl) – Aintree 3.05
The way I read this race was that it's crying out for an unexposed, younger horse to step up and take it by the scruff of the neck. Jingko Blue was the one who stood out like a sore thumb.
Apart from the two mares, who shouldn't be good enough, we know a lot about these stayers. I think if this race were run in a simulator ten times, you'd get a different winner on at least five/six of those simulations. This division takes it in turns to win races like this, and it's probably down to which horse is best prepared on the day.
Jingko Blue was a useful novice hurdler a couple of seasons ago, but was lightly raced. He made a decent start over fences, but was then brought back to hurdles for a crack at the handicaps at Cheltenham. It turns out he was miles ahead of the handicapper in the BetMGM Cup, and now he goes for Grade 1 glory over three miles.
I think the trip is perfectly fine for him, and I think he can easily bridge the gap from graded handicaps to this Grade 1 race.
Final Orders 25/1 (0.5pt EW, 6pl) – Aintree 4.00 (Grand National)
I've waited till the morning to get an accurate representation of the ground. It turns out the Aintree social media team don't update their feed with the going like many other big festival venues. From what I can see, the ground is good to soft, good in places, with a few showers expected.
If the ground is accurate, I am happy to take my chance on Final Orders, who comes to this race with a good win over the X-Country fences at Cheltenham in March. The ground is the key to this horse, and if it goes slightly too soft for him, the game is over. Last time out he managed to win on good to soft, but the ground definitely looked quicker than that.
I had my fingers burnt by backing Stumptown for the National last year after he romped home at Cheltenham in the same race. I had him antepost from November, so it wasn't on the back of him winning at Cheltenham. This race is more about class than if you can jump the fences, but I like the angle from the X-Country, as that is such a niche race and shows that a horse can take to the fences of today. I think he will stay the trip, and considering he gets in off a low weight and the trainer and jockey had a winner over these fences yesterday, there's a lot to like.
GambleAware