Cheltenham Festival Losers That Can Make Amends At Aintree

With the 2024 Cheltenham Festival over, attention now turns to Aintree’s Grand National meeting, which begins on Thursday, April 3.

There was drama abound at Cheltenham this year, with fancied horses falling, surprise winners and emotional scenes in the winner's enclosure.

For those victorious, the celebrations continue, but several horses, trainers and jockeys will be hoping for redemption at Aintree.

Here, we outline four horses looking for a quick turnaround in fortunes and the prices being offered by betting sites.

Thursday, 15:30 Aintree Hurdle

Constitution Hill

The Cheltenham Champion Hurdle was arguably the most dramatic race at the festival, with Constitution Hill's fall one of the most shocking moments.

Sent off the 1/2 favourite with betting apps as he attempted to regain his title, Nicky Henderson's star travelled strongly but came down four out, drawing gasps from those in attendance at Prestbury Park.

Coming into the race, he had been unbeaten in 10 races, and his connections will hope he can bounce back to winning ways at Aintree.

He is set to line up in the Aintree Hurdle, a race he won in a canter in 2023.

That race is run over half a mile further, a trip that holds no fears for the brilliant eight-year-old.

Henderson and jockey Nico de Boinville will have him well-schooled, and unless more drama unfolds, he should be able to make amends for his Cheltenham disappointment. 

Friday, 15:30 Melling Chase

Jonbon

Continuing Henderson's forgettable week at Cheltenham, Jonbon was another odds-on favourite with horse racing betting sites that failed to fire.

There was a lot of talk about his lack of a festival win in the lead-up to the Champion Chase, and he remains without a victory after a horrendous jumping mistake.

A standing start had not helped as de Boinville and Jonbon were playing catch up from the off.

However, a mistake halfway through the race ended his chances, and he did well to stay on his feet.

He had little chance of catching his rivals from there, but he went down fighting and stayed on impressively to finish second, although he was 18 lengths behind the winner, Marine Nationale.

The Melling Chase will give him a chance to quickly redeem himself at Aintree, a race that he triumphed in last season.

Saturday, 16:00 Grand National

Vanillier

Vanillier cannot take the blame for his Cheltenham disappointment in the Cross Country Chase.

Gavin Cromwell's grey lost all chance of winning what has become a good pointer for Grand National success when jockey Sean Flanagan nearly took the wrong course.

As a result, he went from first to last and was never going to catch his rivals, including eventual winner and stablemate Stumptown.

Vanillier will have many supporters at Aintree after finishing a close second in 2023 and 14th last year.

He is a good each-way option for this year's race, and it will be interesting to see if Flanagan will be onboard as he seeks redemption of his own.