Grand National Festival Timeform ratings reaction, including Corach Rambler

Corach Rambler looks ready for Graded races

Timeform’s race report described the result of Saturday’s Grand National as “quite possibly the strongest-looking National form ever”.

A big statement perhaps, but the placed horses certainly provide plenty of substance to the form, with a pair of Grade One winners, Vanillier (remains on 153+) and Gaillard du Mesnil (remains on 157), finishing second and third, respectively, ahead of the defending champion Noble Yeats (remains on 169), who typically stayed on strongly from rear to match his fourth-place finish in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Corach Rambler (157p from 155p), on the other hand, is yet to run in a Grade One and has been campaigned almost exclusively in handicaps since making the switch to chasing, but that will surely change next season following another authoritative performance on Merseyside which suggests he too is well capable of making an impact at a higher level.

Lining up from the same mark as when winning the Ultima Handicap Chase at last month's Cheltenham Festival for the second year in a row, Corach Rambler was so well handicapped that he barely needed to improve to gain his biggest success yet on Saturday, but once again there was plenty to like about the way he completed the task, the race already in safe keeping after a trouble-free run when his trademark idleness set in late on.

The official winning margin was just two and a quarter lengths, but he was value for at least a couple of extra lengths and it's rare for a horse to land two of the most competitive handicap chases run all season without either effort seeming to get to the bottom of him.

Corach Rambler certainly gives the impression that he has a bigger effort in the locker when the situation demands it and his capabilities will be better tested next season if making the transition from handicaps to open Graded company. The Gold Cup is a far-from-fanciful main target and ante-post quotes of 33/1 could well underestimate him, albeit he clearly has plenty to find to get to the level of Galopin des Champs (181), Bravemansgame (174) and co.

Veteran Sire du Berlais steps up again

Plenty of stars were on show in the Grade One races run at the meeting, though some of the headline acts didn't need to improve on their previous form to add further success to their already decorated CVs, headed by Aintree Hurdle winner Constitution Hill (remains on 177p), Aintree Bowl winner Shishkin (176 from 178) and Marsh Chase winner Pic d'Orhy (remains on 163).

Shishkin's performance was at least noteworthy in that he proved his stamina upped markedly in trip, rallying strongly from two out to win by a length and a half from Ahoy Senor (171x from 166x). This success rather maps Shishkin's course for the rest of his career, with the King George and the Gold Cup the set agenda for next season, his form more than good enough to make him a major contender in both.

As for Constitution Hill, he was never in any danger of forfeiting his unbeaten record over hurdles upped in trip, making every yard of the running to win unchallenged by three lengths. A similarly dominant winner of the Champion Hurdle on his previous start, he was one of only three Cheltenham Festival winners to follow up at this meeting, along with Corach Rambler and Sire du Berlais (163 from 159).

Whereas Constitution Hill and Corach Rambler would have been on most people's radars heading into the spring, it's fair to say that Sire du Berlais has been a total revelation, somehow proving better than ever at the age of 11 with wins in the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham and now the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree (for the second year in a row).

Victory again looked unlikely for a long way on Saturday – he hit a high of 200 in-running on the Betfair Exchange having traded at 240 at Cheltenham – but at the line he was well on top in beating Marie's Rock (155 from 151) by three and a quarter lengths, proving well served by the strong emphasis on stamina in a well-run race.

In pure form terms, this was as good a performance as Sire du Berlais has ever produced in a long career, yet another fine advert for the skills of his trainer Gordon Elliott, especially as his temperament has sometimes come under suspicion.

Exciting novices for Elliott and Robcour

Elliott had a few runners disappoint in the Grade One events at Aintree and his six runners in the Grand National all failed to complete, but it was a positive week on the whole with three wins at the top level.

Sire du Berlais surely can't have many more years left in him in Grade One company given his advanced age, but Elliott should enjoy plenty more big days in the future with Gerri Colombe (162p from 158p), who atoned for his Cheltenham Festival defeat with an impressive success in Friday's Mildmay Novices' Chase, leading on the bridle two out and gradually drawing clear from there to win by seven and a half lengths with plenty in hand.

Beaten just once in nine starts under Rules, Gerri Colombe is open to further progress as a chaser and it's not hard to envisage him developing into another legitimate Gold Cup contender next season.

Gerri Colombe is ranked third among Timeform's highest-rated novice chasers this season, behind Sporting Life Arkle winner El Fabiolo (175p) and the runner-up from that race, Jonbon (remains on 167), who didn't need to improve on his Cheltenham form to see off three inferior rivals in Saturday's Maghull Novices' Chase. Banbridge (158 from 155) was a non-runner in that contest having already won the Manifesto Novices' Chase 48 hours earlier, rewarding the decision of his connections to miss Cheltenham with an improved display to gain a first top-level success.

As for the Grade One novice hurdles at Aintree, Elliott was once again on target with a horse in the Robcour silks when Irish Point (150 from 148) won Saturday's Mersey Novices' Hurdle under Davy Russell, who was enjoying his final winner before heading into retirement. Irish Point made his rider's life easy, in truth, ultimately winning by three and a half lengths having cruised into contention, and this level of performance sees him sit just outside the top five among Timeform's highest-rated novice hurdlers this season.

Inthepocket (remains on 150) ran to a similar level in winning Friday's Top Novices' Hurdle, though the form is probably nothing better than he showed when finishing fourth (beaten six lengths) behind Marine Nationale in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. Incidentally, this was the second notable boost to the Supreme form on Friday's card after Fennor Cross (138 from 129), well held in eleventh at the Festival, won the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle.

Also on Friday, the Sefton Novices' Hurdle went the way of the mare Apple Away (137 from 129), who looks to have stamina as her long suit on this showing, with staying hurdles – particularly those against her own sex – the obvious route for her next season.

Home team holds the aces in Graded bumpers

Willie Mullins saddled two runners in Thursday’s Grade Two mares’ bumper, while Elliott and Henry de Bromhead both had one apiece, but for once it was one of the home team who got the better of the argument as Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos (114 from 106) found more improvement to maintain her unbeaten record under Rules, quickening clear late on to win by nine lengths.

With a Timeform rating of 114, Dysart Enos is not only the best mare we've seen in bumpers so far this season, ahead of Mullins' own Fun Fun Fun (111), but also the best winner of this race since 2016. She has plenty about her physically and should make a useful novice hurdler next season, like the 2022 winner Ashroe Diamond, last seen winning a Grade One against her own sex at Fairyhouse.

Mullins also saddled a couple of runners in the Grade Two bumper on Saturday, though it was hardly the first team from Closutton who turned out, instead relying on the sixth from the Champion Bumper (where Mullins saddled seven of the first ten home) and one who had skipped Cheltenham altogether.

The second horse in question, Blizzard of Oz (112 from 105), looked the likeliest winner when produced to lead over a furlong out, but he couldn't resist the late thrust of Nicky Richards' Florida Dreams (114 from 100), who took the step up in grade in his stride to make it two from two after three months off.

Florida Dreams was a length and a half clear at the line and arguably deserved extra credit having met a bit of trouble in the straight, while the way he shaped here suggests he could be a staying type in novice hurdles next season.

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