Grand National tips: Antepost preview & recommended bets for Aintree on April 15 2023
Our flagship racing tipster is already thinking ahead to Aintree and he has a couple of 33/1 shots to consider for the 2023 Randox Grand National.
Antepost Value Bet tips: Aintree 2023
1pt win Gericault Roque in Randox Grand National at 33/1 (General)
1pt win Gaillard Du Mesnil in Randox Grand National at 33/1 (General)
Those who stick rigidly to the historical trends have been left licking their wounds in recent years when it comes to the Grand National, and the truth is that the modern-day, Randox-backed contest is a very different beast to what it once was.
Given the nature of the fences in their current guise, the race can occasionally resemble something closer to a two and a quarter-mile handicap hurdle for the entirety of the second circuit, with much of the spruce placed on top of the fences pre-race now strewn across the ground, and the slightly smaller, neat-jumping horses have consequently been rewarded ahead of the more old-fashioned, dour stayers.
Younger, progressive types have been dominating the finish too, with Noble Yeats the first seven-year-old winner since World War II, while in 2016 Rule The World managed to break his maiden as a chaser in the world’s most famous jumps race – he was only the third to do so in history and the first since 1884.
This year there is a chance GERICAULT ROQUE could borrow a leaf out of each of those past heroes’ books as he will still only be seven come the spring, and he has somehow yet to taste success over the larger obstacles having won twice from four outings over hurdles two campaigns ago.
Last season – his novice year as a chaser – was hugely promising and just about every time he turned up he ran his race, ending with very frustrating yet admirable form figures of 32222, including a fine second to Corach Rambler in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
His big early target this winter was clearly the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury and, following a low-key prep run over hurdles at Aintree to blow away the cobwebs, he duly put in another career best to finish third behind Le Milos and stablemate Remastered despite the ground once again coming up relatively quick for that meeting in Berkshire.
Reversing Cheltenham form with fourth home Corach Rambler that day, it looked another important step in his chasing education and smacked of a horse with another chunk of improvement still in the locker given slightly softer conditions and a proper test of stamina.
It was also quite encouraging to hear trainer David Pipe say he would now be keeping Gericault Roque on the back-burner during the Christmas period, at a time when options are plentiful both in Britain and Ireland, and perhaps a return to Warwick for the Classic Chase – in which he was second as a relatively inexperienced horse last January – or the Grand National Trial at Haydock, might be suitable targets.
Waiting for Haydock may be unwise given he’s probably going to need to go up a few more pounds from his current 139 to make the cut for the big one at Aintree, but we can safely leave that up to the man (and the team) who so expertly masterminded Comply Or Die’s win under a low weight back in 2008.
This young and upwardly-mobile horse has that fine blend of speed and stamina required for the present-day National and it’s not hard to see his current price looking very generous come April 15 if all goes to plan.
GAILLARD DU MESNIL - another second-season novice who has yet to win a chase of any description - is the other horse I want a piece of nice and early as his year looks to be gearing up nicely towards a crack at the National Hunt Chase over three and three-quarter miles at Cheltenham in the spring.
Already rated 156 and effectively assured a run if desired, his overall form is on another level to that of Gericault Roque as he was mixing with the likes of Capodanno, Bob Olinger, Galopin Des Champs and L’Homme Presse (in the Brown Advisory) before he was third in the Irish National at Fairyhouse.
He’ll be campaigned a little lighter this time around by the looks of things and I wouldn’t be surprised if he found Leopardstown at Christmas too much of a speed test, even though he’ll appreciate a step back up in distance if lining up there on December 29.
He may take in the Dublin Racing Festival too but Patrick Mullins seems adamant he’ll be the one he’s putting his leg across ahead of the big amateur event at Cheltenham, and if he goes two places better than last March then he’s going to look well-in for Aintree.
The fact he’s already run in a National shows connections are keen to consider him for such races, which isn’t always the case, and he’s another soon-to-be seven-year-old with bucket-loads of quality and potential. We'll need some luck for him to remain in the 150s ratings-wise, but at 33/1 it's a risk worth taking at this point.
Published at 1300 on 22/12/22
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