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Value Bet tips: Friday April 4
1pt e.w. Serious Operator in 2.20 Aintree at 33/1 (Paddy Power 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt e.w. Marble Sands in 4.05 Aintree at 18/1 (William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt e.w. Moon Chime in 5.15 Aintree at 14/1 (bet365, William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
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Big Marble run on the cards
It’s hard to imagine Friday’s Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices’ Chase producing the next Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and a Grand National favourite, as it did last year when Inothewayutthinkin beat Iroko, but connections of Handstands still have every right to dream of even bigger days ahead.
He’s unbeaten over fences since falling on debut in this code in November and battled hard to beat the subsequent Arkle winner Jango Baie at Sandown last time. Ben Pauling’s horse looks a fair bet to me around the 2/1 mark but others appeal at bigger prices elsewhere on the card so I’ll stick to the Value Bet MO and move along.
It could be a good day for Pauling who runs classy mare Diva Luna against Supreme third Romeo Coolio in the Trustatrader Top Novices’ Hurdle, while the resurgent Bad looks to keep his winning run in the blinkers going when lining up for the Randox Supporting Prostate Cancer UK Topham Handicap Chase.
However, I’m not certain Bad’s jumping will stand up to this sort of test, even considering the state of the National fences these days, and would rather back another grey in the shape of MARBLE SANDS.
Sixth in Apple Away’s Sefton for Fergal O’Brien here a couple of years ago, he moved to his current yard for the start of last season and won a couple of times in his novice chase campaign, while he added to his tally earlier this term by landing the Listed Colin Parker Memorial at Carlisle.
Having warmed up for that early-season target with a spin on the all-weather at Southwell, it’s eyecatching to see he comes here on a similar path after another Flat run in Nottinghamshire when second behind Hot Fuss, who went on to be fourth in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham last month.
Marble Sands, third to Frero Banbou in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle and runner-up to Springwell Bay at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, evidently remains in good heart and it looks like he’ll have his ideal conditions on Friday.
He’s a decent jumper who can occasionally adjust to the left, which shouldn’t be an issue around here, and given his overall progression and solid level of consistency this time around, he remains on what looks a workable mark (143), just 2lb higher than when last successful in a handicap chase.
Kielan Woods is back on board for the first time since the Carlisle triumph and you can’t help but be encouraged by the fine run of form being enjoyed by training team David Killahena and Graeme McPherson, who have had three winners from three runners in the past fortnight.
Hopefully it’ll be a memorable afternoon for Killahena and McPherson as MOON CHIME holds decent claims in the Hallgarten And Novum Wines Handicap Hurdle which closes the day-two card.
He’s been slapped with an 11lb rise for last month’s victory at Stratford but he did absolutely bolt up under Woods that day, and I’d argue the revised rating of 127 is well and truly deserved.
Moon Chime has looked potentially quite good from day one (another who started his career at O’Brien’s) but the recent breathing operation looks to have unlocked a considerable amount of improvement and the flat, left-handed track at Aintree could be ideal considering he’s looked so effective at Stratford, where he also won a bumper early on last season.
Drying ground is absolutely fine for the selection, while Tommie O’Brien looks an interesting booking too as while he’s never ridden at this course before, he’s not exactly short on experience and is a perfect one from one for the stable (Martalite at Exeter just before Christmas).
McPherson mentioned this race as the likely next objective after the win last time and I’d have this progressive, strong-travelling seven-year-old right near the head of the market.
Canny Operator targeting Aintree again?
Earlier on, SERIOUS OPERATOR also looks worth an each-way interest in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle.
His trainer Lucinda Russell has pulled off one or two surprises at this meeting over the years and Serious Operator hasn’t actually been seen in public since his mid-pack finish in this same event last April.
He's obviously had an issue or two to keep him off the track so long, but Russell has probably been working back from a comeback at this fixture for a while and I like the horse’s record when fresh. Granted, he’s never overcome a layoff quite as long as this but his form figures when resuming after 60-plus days away (including a point-to-point) read: 11117.
That leads me to believe he’s possibly not the hardest horse to get fit at home and I reckon he deserves another chance off this sort of mark (just 1lb lower than last year) having come into the meeting with a progressive profile 12 months ago.
He goes on any ground but looks to prefer conditions on the better side which is favourable and he could just be another from the stable who comes alive in the spring, having previously won valuable handicap hurdles at Ayr and Kelso in the months of March and April.
No bet in strong-looking Sefton
Russell clearly loves the Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and Jupiter Des Mottes is at least seriously unexposed but I don’t see how he reverses form with Crest Of Fortune from Ayr last month.
The winner was impressive that day and I wouldn’t be reading too much into his BHA mark (125) as that looks artificially low based on the fact Jupiter Des Mottes had previously beaten Lawrenny, who is now on 125 after winning a Hexham handicap.
I could see Anthony Honeyball’s horse outrunning his odds if happy enough back on decent ground but a tongue-tie replacing the blinkers worn the last twice is a touch off-putting and it does look a competitive race with Gordon Elliott’s pair, Jacob’s Ladder and Familiar Dreams, and the Nicky Henderson-trained Califet En Vol, rated 148, 147 and 145 respectively with Timeform.
They also have the ‘p’ attached to their marks, signifying further improvement to come, so I’m just not all that keen to take them on with one of the outsiders.
Published at 1600 BST on 03/04/25
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