John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Friday.
Three points of interest
British duo can see off Irish raid in Mildmay
The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham won by the supposed outsider of Willie Mullins’ four runners, Lecky Watson, was notable for the entire seven-runner field being trained in Ireland, with Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead supplying the other three between them. There’s a strong Irish presence in the equivalent race at Aintree, the Mildmay Novices’ Chase (13:45), where they make up half the field of eight, but they won’t have things all their own way this time in a race won last year by subsequent Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin.
Mullins has two this time, including Dancing City who won the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at this meeting last year but was tailed off in the Brown Advisory. But it’s Elliott who supplies the leading Irish hope with Stellar Story. He was a rallying second behind Lecky Watson at Cheltenham and it’s a case of the stronger the pace the better for him.
However, the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings are headed by Handstands for Ben Pauling. A faller on his chasing debut, he has since run up a hat-trick in graded contests with his latest success coming in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown where he made all the running and gamely held off the challenge of future Arkle winner Jango Baie by a short head. Handstands’ other win at Sandown this season in the Esher Novices’ Chase was over three miles so the return to a longer trip here is also in his favour.
Caldwell Potter impressed with his jumping when making all for a smart performance in the novices’ handicap chase at Cheltenham and will be a big threat if getting into the same rhythm again here.
Jonbon can become latest dual Melling winner
There are some famous names among the six horses to have won back-to-back renewals of the Melling Chase (15:30), including Viking Flagship and Moscow Flyer, while the latest dual winner was Fakir d’Oudairies in 2021 and 2022.
Last year’s winner Jonbon could well be adding his name to the list, and if so he would make it a record five wins in the race for Nicky Henderson following Remittance Man, Finian’s Rainbow and Sprinter Sacre.
Henderson’s three earlier Melling winners were all following up their victories in the Queen Mother Champion Chase but a rare jumping lapse at Cheltenham prevents Jonbon from being in a position to complete the same double. A standing start for the Champion Chase probably didn’t do Jonbon any favours, but it was bad mistake at the ninth which really did for his chances. Even then, though, he still managed to take a remote second to Marine Nationale late in the day, thereby maintaining his tremendous record of never finishing worse than second.
Jonbon isn’t the only top-class chaser in the four-runner field but old rival El Fabiolo is more prone to jumping errors. He too blundered away his chances when hot favourite for last season’s Champion Chase, and while he’s among only a handful of horses to have beaten Jonbon (in the 2023 Arkle), Jonbon avenged that defeat in the Celebration Chase at Sandown last year and El Fabiolo’s shock defeat at Navan last time raises further questions.
Protektorat was third in this twelve months ago and looks set for minor honours again.
‘Double green’ with two good chances in Topham
There looks to be more chance of Irish success in the Topham Handicap Chase (16:05) over the National fences where the visitors make up nearly half the field of thirty. Five of them are trained by Mullins, successful in two of the last five runnings with Cadmium and Livelovelaugh, and two of his carry the ‘double green’ colours of El Fabiolo’s owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
Their retained rider J. J. Slevin partners last year’s runner-up James du Berlais. He’s on a long losing run since making a successful chasing debut but ran very well from a pound lower mark twelve months ago when ridden by Paul Townend.
Jumping well in the main, James du Berlais quickened clear approaching The Elbow only to be collared close home by Arizona Cardinal. A repeat of that effort would see him go close again, though his tendency to travel better than he finishes was in evidence again at Leopardstown last time.
It looks significant that Townend has opted for the owners’ other runner Blue Lord, a former Grade 1 winner with plenty of high-class efforts in graded company to his name in the past and who makes a belated handicap debut at the age of ten. A BHA mark of 152 is a potentially handy one, though, and he ran much his best race of the season last time when third behind Pic d’Ory in the Ascot Chase. He can get the better of his stablemate in what could well be an Irish clean sweep.
Gordon Elliott’s The Goffer failed to stay in last year’s Grand National but has tumbled in the weights and heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings as a result, while Henry de Bromhead’s Amirite is another who needs considering.
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