Jango Baie, second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, tops the bill for a glittering start to the Grand National gathering at Aintree on Thursday.
Trained by Nicky Henderson, the seven-year-old is strongly fancied at odds-on in the Racing Welfare Bowl, featuring among four Grade 1 races that day.
The runner-up eyes its first Grade 1 at three miles, on the back of a near-miss in the December King George at Kempton and an eight-length defeat to Gaelic Warrior in March’s Cheltenham highlight.
Opposing Jango Baie are merely four foes, notably Spillane’s Tower – who sat out the Gold Cup – from trainer Jimmy Mangan in Ireland.
Willie Mullins has Impaire Et Passe engaged, the selection that flopped in the Ryanair Chase.
This season’s leader in Britain’s jumps trainers’ championship, Dan Skelton, offers Protektorat, with Pic D’Orhy, also aged eleven, participating too.
The placed pair behind the Champion Hurdle winner at Cheltenham renew rivalry in Thursday’s Aintree Hurdle. Brighterdaysahead was six lengths adrift of Lossiemouth but got the verdict over The New Lion for second.
Meeting for the second time over added half-mile ground, they join Golden Ace, 2024’s Champion Hurdle heroine, and El Fabiolo with four elite-level victories.
In the Manifesto Novices’ Chase, Lulamba tests 2m3f having folded as the supported runner in the Cheltenham Arkle.
Selma De Vary leads the market in the Grade 1 Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, intent on reversing her Triumph Hurdle running against Maestro Conti and Minella Study.
View the latest racing betting markets for the opening day’s feature at trusted racing odds providers.