Donn McClean: Aintree Festival Day 1 Banker, Next Best And Each-Way Bets
Racing TV pundit Donn McClean is at the heart of the action at Aintree, and he has three selections for the first day of the Grand National meeting.
Donn has picked out a banker, a next best and one each-way tip from Thursday's races.
Check out his selections below, and the best odds available on betting sites.
Donn McClean's Aintree Tips: Day 1 (Thursday)
Banker: 13:45 Aintree - Selma De Vary
This is a cracking contest to kick off the Aintree Grand National meeting, with the second, third, fourth, eighth and 10th from the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham all set to renew rivalry.
There wasn’t much between second and third, Maestro Conti and Minella Study in the Triumph Hurdle, and there may not be much between them again here.
However, there are reasons for believing that the fourth horse, Selma De Vary, can get the better of the two of them on this occasion.
Willie Mullins’ filly was keen through the early stages of the Triumph Hurdle, and she was squeezed out of it a bit on the stands rail on the run to the final flight.
That was only her second run for Mullins, having run really well on her Irish debut to finish second behind her stable companion Narciso Has in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle.
She was keen through the early part of that race, too, and the vibe both before and after the race was that she would come on appreciably for the run.
She did really well to finish second in the circumstances, ahead of Mange Tout and North Shore, and should learn to settle better as she gains experience.
Should be better suited to Aintree's flat circuit than she was to Cheltenham’s undulations, and could go well.
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Next Best: 14:20 Aintree - Koktail Divin
You can understand why Lulamba has been put in as favourite for the Manifesto Chase, but he is odds-on, and Koktail Divin probably shouldn't be as far behind him in the market with betting apps as he is.
Henry de Bromhead’s horse does have 12lb to find on Lulamba according to official ratings, but there is a chance that Koktail’s Divin’s rating of 150 under-rates his ability.
Out-stayed by Grand National aspirant Oscars Brother in the Florida Pearl Chase over three miles on soft to heavy ground at Punchestown in November, he was seen to much better effect when he dropped down to two miles and five and a half furlongs, and won his beginners’ chase at Leopardstown at Christmas.
He beat Kiss Will into second place that day, and while that one is obviously a staying chaser, he was running a big race in the Irish Grand National when he came down at the third last fence.
Koktail Divin ran well for a long way in the Brown Advisory Chase at Cheltenham last time.
He travelled best of all down the hill, and shaped as if he was going to be a big player in the race, but his stamina probably ebbed in the closing stages of the race, and he faded to finish sixth.
He should be happier back over the intermediate trip on Thursday.
He is a strong traveller who jumps really well, has pace, and likes to race prominently, all of which are assets to take to Aintree. He should love the ground too.
Best Each-Way: 16:05 Aintree - El Fabiolo
There may not be much between the Champion Hurdle second and third, Brighterdaysahead and The New Lion, again in the Aintree Hurdle, and they should both be suited by stepping up in trip to two and a half miles.
However, the market has them well clear of their rivals, and it may be that El Fabiolo’s chance has been underrated.
Mullins’ horse is a top-class performer. A triple Grade 1 winner as a novice chaser, he lost his way over fences, falling in three of his four chases last season, but he has proved this season that he retains lots of ability over hurdles.
He was impressive in winning at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve on his seasonal return, and after disappointing in the Irish Champion Hurdle, he was impressive again in winning at Leopardstown last time.
He skipped Cheltenham this year, so he goes to Aintree as a relatively fresh horse, and he proved that he could operate at Aintree when he ran Jonbon to a neck in the Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle on his only run there to date over hurdles, and that was after he had made a significant mistake at the final flight.
El Fabiolo is nine now, but he has raced just seven times over hurdles; he is lightly raced for his age, and could get closer to the top two than the market suggests.
