Taurus Bay 3/1 – Aintree 1.50
The rain is landing extremely hard in the northwest of England, and the ground is going to be testing if the meeting goes ahead. There are no concerns about the ground with Taurus Bay, and he was the best hurdler of this bunch, and I think he can make a winning transition to fences.
Prior to his underwhelming performance in the Group 1 at the Cheltenham Festival in March, he was progressing nicely. He won two in a row, including once at this venue over a furlong further, and then finished second in a Grade 2 by a short head. That is the best form in this race, and I think he has the tools to deal with fences.
He was a PTP winner on his only start between the flags, which is always a strong indicator of whether a horse will adapt to jumping a fence. Also, I think the stamina he has in reserve over this trip will be a big advantage. It's a flat track, but they can get racing a long way from home, and when you combine that with the testing ground, Taurus Bay's experience and stamina over further will be key.
Monbeg Genius 11/4 – Aintree 2.25
Veteran races will always have a soft spot in my heart, and if I see an opportunity to tip a horse in them, I will.
Carrying top weight of 12st makes it a tough ask for Monbeg Genius, but he's carrying that weight for a reason, and that's because he is the best horse in the race. He ran well on multiple occasions last year without getting his head in front.
The run at Cheltenham in March was a very good effort, and it shows that at the age of ten, he can mix it with the younger horses. He is a strong stayer and goes on this type of ground, and he is on his last winning handicap mark, and I think this is his easiest chance of getting back in the winner's enclosure for a long time.
Boombawn 3/1 – Aintree 3.00
The more I look at this race, the more I think it is set up for Boombawn to win.
He was fourth in this race last year when running off a 10lb higher mark, but was only four lengths behind the winner (Hitman). Since that run, he hasn't been consistent, but he did run well in another Grade 2 at Kempton when he finished just over two lengths behind Edwardstone.
This race must have been the plan for a very long time, and they've managed to get enough runs into him so that his handicap mark has plummeted. The Skelton yard are the best in the business outside of the Mullins yard for race targets, and we've seen that on many occasions.
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