Aintree Grand National Festival Tips: ITV Horse Racing Tips for Thursday April 11

• The Value Bet is designed to generate long-term profit by searching for overpriced horses in the feature weekend races and at the big Festivals in the UK and Ireland.
• Value Bet tips are now available to qualified, logged-in readers through Sporting Life Plus, before the full column appears on the main Sporting Life website and App one hour later.
• Following all Matt’s selections to recommended odds/stakes since taking over the column in June 2020 would have produced over 180pts in profit.

Value Bet tips: Thursday April 11

1pt win Langer Dan in 3.30 Aintree at 9/1 (General)

1pt win Gaboriot in 4.05 Aintree at 11/1 (General)

1pt e.w. Black Gerry in 4.40 Aintree at 25/1 (BetVictor, Coral, Ladbrokes 1/5 1,2,3,4)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Nothing desperate about Dan

After a torrid time of things at Cheltenham, all eyes are on the Nicky Henderson-trained horses who missed last month’s Festival as Aintree’s big meeting gets under way and, with no runner in the opening Manifesto Novices’ Chase, it’s a pretty punchy opening gambit for the Seven Barrows yard as budding star Sir Gino returns to action.

Withdrawn from the Triumph Hurdle the morning before the race despite having seemingly been in “great shape” according to Henderson, he’s odds-on for the six-runner Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle and few could argue with his price based on the stunning impression he made when scooting home at Cheltenham on Trials Day in January.

Triumph runner-up Kargese and the well-touted Kalif Du Berlais should at least keep him honest and they look the main dangers, though Intellotto remains something of a sleeper for Joseph O’Brien. He's well proven in heavy ground and would probably be my selection to finish second, but I don't feel compelled to strike a bet.

Victory for Sir Gino may pave the way for a flood of support for last year’s winner Shishkin in the William Hill Bowl Chase, though the Gordon Elliott-trained Gerri Colombe now looks the horse to beat here if able to repeat his Gold Cup effort behind Galopin Des Champs.

He’s another favourite I’m not desperate to take on but the same can’t be said of (owner-mate) Bob Olinger in the William Hill Aintree Hurdle. He’s a talented so-and-so, no question, but surely not one to be backing at skinny odds after two months off, while the other market leader Impaire Et Passe is hardly a bombproof alternative in my view.

Champion Hurdle third Luccia is unproven over the trip so - rightly or wrongly - I’m going to weigh in with Coral Cup winner LANGER DAN, who skipped this fixture last year but won the valuable day-two handicap over course and distance in 2022, less than a month on from being brought down on his second stab at the Martin Pipe.

There’s no getting away from the fact he took advantage of some sloppy handicapping to win the Coral Cup again back at Cheltenham last time, but he did so with a real air of authority and there’s no way he’ll look out of place in this weak-ish Grade 1 if arriving in the same mood.

His revised BHA mark of 151 still officially leaves Langer Dan around 10lb shy of the Irish aces in this, but I don’t think even trainer Dan Skelton knows how good this horse is in reality, and he’s won twice on heavy ground, according to Timeform, so I’m willing to chance him at what appear to be generous odds.

Gift of the Gab?

Training duo Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero know what’s required to prepare a horse to win over the Grand National fences, having saddled Gesskille to victory in the Grand Sefton earlier this season, and I’m backing them to do it again with GABORIOT in the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase.

He’s got a fair bit to find with the likes of Its On The Line and Annamix but the eight-year-old chestnut is massively on the up having won three of his four starts in the current campaign.

That sequence was nearly a perfect four as he was only beaten half a length when staying on strongly for third at Ludlow in December, before resuming winning ways on soft ground at Catterick early last month.

He beat the formerly classy Windsor Avenue (rated 151 at his peak) by an eased-down six lengths that day, with tons in hand at the line, and it should tee him up nicely for this event, where the testing ground is really going to play to his strengths.

Gerry and the pacemakers

I’d have been relatively sweet on Gaboriot’s half-brother and stable companion Homme Public in the Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase 35 minutes later, had the going been a little more spring-like, but instead I’d rather have an each-way bet on BLACK GERRY.

This is something of an all-or-nothing character but he’s won five of his 15 chase starts so far and has slipped to a competitive mark again, having effectively won off 5lb higher when defying a penalty to complete a quickfire double in Plumpton’s Sussex Champion Chase 12 months ago.

It was the very same race in which he showed clear signs of a resurgence back at Plumpton just 10 days ago, finishing second to the prominently-ridden Scarface on ground plenty quick enough.

Black Gerry much prefers to come off a fast pace, with rivals coming back to him late on, and it’s not hard to envisage that sort of scenario playing out on Thursday as there's plenty of pace in the race on paper.

His proven stamina for a little bit further will certainly be an asset, while he’s another with winning form on heavy so looks a touch over-priced at 25s.

Published at 1600 BST on 10/04/24

More Grand National tips and features

• Grand National Preview Podcast
• Horse-by-horse guide
• Statistical analysis and trends
• What the pedigrees say
• Graham Cunningham: Mission possible
• 'Jumpability' ratings and insight
• Key numbers behind the National
• Simon Holt on the remarkable Kitty's Light
• Record of Gold Cup horses
• Heavy ground Grand Nationals
• National runners who love soft ground
• Grand National Quiz
• Andrew Asquith's Weekend View
• WATCH: Grand National thoughts

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.