Aintree Day 3 Betting Tips for Grand National Day on Saturday 15th April

Our Aintree Saturday tips covers all seven races on the card with the big race of the week being the 5.15pm Grand National, where 40 horses will go to post in the best horse race of the year.

We’ve got @Rideout_Racing to go through the card and his race by race preview includes win and each-way tips for every race on Saturday at Aintree. We get underway at 1.45pm and the racing runs all the way through to the last race of the Aintree meeting at 6.20pm.

Read our race by race preview below and get @Rideout_Racing’s tips for day 3.

 

Aintree Saturday Tips

1.45pm – Jonbon (4/11)

2.25pm – Gatsby Grey (20/1)

3.00pm – Springwell Bay (10/1)

3.35pm – Champ (8/1)

4.15pm – Coconut Splash (14/1)

5.15pm – Delta Work (9/1), Lifetime Ambition (33/1), Fury Road (50/1)

6.20pm – Blizzard Of Oz 6/1

 

1.45pm – Classy Jonbon can kick aside his rivals

Grand National day kicks off with the Grade 1 EFT Systems Maghull Novices’ Chase over two miles. Notlongtillmay is an interesting runner stepping back down to the minimum trip after a fine second in the Turners at Cheltenham. Stage Star, Appreciate It and James Du Berlais have all let the form down since and it’s likely Notlongtillmay benefitted from a good ride and a slowly run race.

Jonbon 4/11 is the class act in here and as his odds suggest, should take all the beating. His jumping wasn’t brilliant in the Arkle, but he still ran a big race behind the extremely talented El Fabiolo. He’s proven he can back up a big run at the Cheltenham, winning at this festival last year and the return to better ground should see his electric jumping return. Career form figures of 1111211112 highlight just how good he is, with the two defeats coming against the mighty Constitution Hill and El Fabiolo. Jonbon can add another 1 to his name here and land the odds

 

2.25pm – Irish raider can outrun his lofty odds in competitive handicap hurdle

The second race of the day is the Village Hotels Handicap Hurdle over an extended three miles. Cheltenham Festival form is right to the fore here with Pertemps winner Good Time Jonny heading the betting from a handful of reposing rivals. They finished in a heap in the Pertemps, but Good Time Jonny was certainly better that the winning margin suggests, and he could go again having gone up just the 5lbs.

In a race of this nature, I like to side with something at a double figure price and Gatsby Grey 20/1 caught my eye for his shrewd connections. Gatsby Grey finished last season with a four length second to Mighty Potter at the Punchestown Festival over the minimum trip. He stayed on strongly past Sir Gerhard that day and was unsurprisingly pitched into Grade 2 company for his return to action this season. He stopped quickly that day and was duly pulled up. He then caught my eye staying on late in the day over the intermediate trip at Punchestown in December before storming home again at Leopardstown, this time over 3 miles, at the Dublin Racing Festival. He made up plenty of ground that day and appeared to finish with plenty left in the tank. Dropped right back down in trip for his last start, I think connections had bigger spring targets in mind and I think the fact he travels over for this is clearly a sign of intent. His English mark is just 2lb higher than his Irish mark and trainer Oliver Mckiernan has his string in fantastic order, striking at 60% (3-5) in the last two weeks. He carries a nice racing weight and I am confident he’s better than his current mark.

 

3.00pm – The O’Neill’s can land Grade 1 glory with exciting youngster

Hermes Allen heads the betting for the Grade 1 Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle. I was keen to take him on at Cheltenham and I’ll do the same here. I believe he wants three miles and is vulnerable to a speedier type over this intermediate trip.

Mares Novice Hurdle winner You Wear It Well appears to be on a steep upward curve. She was behind Hermes Allen in the Challow, but I think she’s a better mare now and could be interesting in a match bet vs the favourite. Dark Raven shaped well in the Supreme and could improve for this step up in trip, whilst Irish Point comes into this having swerved Cheltenham but he did see Marine Nationale do wonders for his form.

Irish Point certainly interests me but I’m going to take a chance on Springwell Bay 10/1 for trainer Jonjo O’Neill. A highly talented bumper performer, Springwell Bay has been a slightly slow burner over hurdles, especially in the jumping department, but he does appear to be improving rapidly and his last two performances have been visually extremely impressive. Officially rated 140, he has a handful of pounds to find with his market rivals but he’s unexposed and certainly appears to have bundles of class. A few of these have been on the go all winter, running in a couple of hard races. Springwell Bay has been kept to calmer waters and has subsequently cantered to success the last twice and could have more up his sleeve than a few of his rivals.

 

3.35pm – Take a chance on Champ in tricky looking Liverpool Hurdle

Marie’s Rock heads the betting for the Grade 1 JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle, where she will step up to three miles for the first time. She’s an enthusiastic type and travels strongly in her contests. Despite shaping as though she may want three miles, I’m not entirely convinced she will see out the trip travelling as exuberantly as she does.

This year’s Stayers Hurdle form is well represented here and Sire Du Berlais will look to prove Cheltenham was no fluke and defend his Aintree crown. Flooring Porter ensured they went hard in the Stayers, and I think a few of these may have emptied their tanks at Prestbury Park. Home By The Lee had to work extremely hard to get back up with the pace after a shuddering mistake on the first circuit, whilst Flooring Porter was relentless from the front. Sire Du Berlais is as tough as they come and is proven backing up big efforts but now 11 years old, I’m keen to take him on. Dashel Drasher ran a stormer but again had a very hard race and comes into this after a busy season.

Champ 8/1 has been deliberately put away for this and has exceptional form figures when fresh. His record returning off the back of a 70-day break or more reads 211211211 and subsequently purposely not been seen for 110 days since disappointing at Kempton. He may not be quite the force of old, but he showed plenty when narrowly defeating Paisley Park in the Long Distance Hurdle and this has been his season long target. In a race where his rivals may be feeling the effects of Cheltenham, Champ should be primed for this, and he looks a nice each way bet at around the 8/1 mark.

 

4.15pm – Coconut can make a splash in competitive handicap chase

Next on the card we have a devilishly tricky handicap chase over 3 miles and 1 furlong. Midnight River heads the current betting but he disappointed me at Cheltenham, and I’ll take him on with Coconut Splash 14/1 for trainer Evan Williams. It is safe to say Coconut Splash doesn’t get his head in front as often as he should. This is highlighted by his form figures of 3223323PU2 since his last win in January 2020. He has some smart pieces of form to his name and I am hoping the key to his success going forward could be the trip. He tackled three miles for the first time last time out and ran with credit behind the well-regarded City Chief. Officially rated 131, he has a four length third to the now 147 rated Into Overdrive (giving him a pound) to his name this season and I think he dangerously unexposed at staying trips. In a race where very few of these come into this in fine form, I believe Coconut Splash could be the one on a dangerous mark, should this trip unlock further improvement.

 

5.15pm – Three to go to war with in the big one

My main fancy for the 175th Randox Grand National is Delta Work 9/1 for trainer Gordon Elliott. Third in the race last year, he travelled well for a long way before getting tired late on. He carried 11 stone 9 that day and crucially has a huge pull at the weights with the two horses that beat him. Delta work has a massive 20lb pull on Noble Yeats and a sizeable 9lb pull on Any Second Now. We know he handles the National fences and he comes here in excellent form having outstayed Galvin in the cross county at Cheltenham. The rain seems to have come at the right time for him and I would be hopeful of a very big run

My second selection for the race is Lifetime Ambition 33/1 for Harrington and Sean O’Keefe. Officially rated 158, he’s high enough in the weights for what he has achieved but I was extremely taken by the way he took to the National fences in the Grand Sefton back in November. That was his first start of the season, and he looked the winner for a long way before getting tired close home. Were connections looking to give him a sighter at the National fences with this in mind? His prominent style of racing should suit, and his jumping will be a major asset when it comes to holding an early position. If I have one concern, it is his stamina. He has a consistent record at three miles but has been outstayed on a couple of occasions. Trainer Jessie Harrington doesn’t have the same concerns, so I am happy to take her word for it and have this brilliant jumper in my National team.

Fury Road 50/1 is my final selection for one of the biggest betting races of the year. He’s long shaped to me as though a real test of stamina would suit, and it looked that way again in the Ryanair when he plugged on late in the day up the Cheltenham hill. Looking back to his novice hurdle days, he was third in a very strong Albert Bartlett and despite not excelling at 3 miles over fences he has been very consistent. Arguably his best performance over fences came at the course last year when he chased home Ahoy Senor who clearly excels at the track. He looked a potential National type that day and Jonjo O’Neill junior is an eye-catching jockey booking. He’s a very talented horse and this National test could be exactly what he wants.

 

6.20pm – Keep it simple and back Mullins in the Bumper

The Aintree Grand National meeting concludes with the Grade 2 Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race. Willie Mullins is the man to follow in Bumpers and I’ll be doing just that with Blizzard Of Oz 6/1. Extremely well-regarded by connections, Blizzard Of Oz slightly disappointed on his first two starts this season, twice finishing behind stablemate Captain Cody. Jodie Townend keeps the ride and Captain Cody franked the form by running a stormer in the Champion Bumper, finishing a six length sixth. He lines up again here, but Patrick has kept faith in Blizzard Of Oz who visually seemed to put it all together last time out, cantering to success from Any Road who interestingly finished just behind him earlier in the season. Blizzard Of Oz has clearly progressed plenty since then and having appeared in bumpers last season, he’ll have been kept to this division for a reason. Fingers crossed he can land this valuable contest and give us a winner in the lucky last.

 

Free Bets for Grand National Day

Some bookies will remove their free bet offers altogether ahead of the Grand National or offer a much less lucrative offer, so the recommendation from us would be to claim any of these offers ASAP before they are taken down.

As the Grand National free bets change, they will update on the list below automatically.

 

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Get a free bet to spend on the Grand National.

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