Vina Ardanza
2.20 Aintree, Friday

1pt each-way at 18-1 with Sky Bet, 14-1 generally

I’m looking forward to the top-class action at Aintree this week and I think it’s worth playing in two of the Grade 1 novice hurdle markets before final fields are established.

Jonbon, who is favourite for the 2m½f Top Novices’ Hurdle (2.20 on Friday) and the 2m4f Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (2.25 on Saturday), won’t be running in both and my gut instinct is he will turn up in the latter. 

Nicky Henderson has a good chance of winning the Top Novices’ with County Hurdle second First Street anyway, and a step up in trip was mooted for Jonbon after he was put in his place by stablemate Constitution Hill in the Supreme. Aintree seems like the perfect place to try that.  

El Fabiolo will likely head the Top Novices’ market if Jonbon sidesteps the race, but I couldn’t entertain backing a novice in a Grade 1 with limited experience at such a short price. 

El Fabiolo has only run twice over hurdles (once since September 2020) and while he was an impressive winner on his first start for Willie Mullins in January, his form is on testing ground and he needs to step up. 

I prefer to keep fresher horses onside at this meeting and El Fabiolo ticks that box, but I’d rather side with the ground-versatile Vina Ardanza at 18-1 for Gordon Elliott.

Excluding Jonbon and non-runner Brazil, Vina Ardanza is the fourth highest-rated novice in the field despite only running twice over hurdles. 

First Street, Colonel Mustard and Suprise Package are rated higher, but are approaching the end of hard seasons and this five-year-old has the potential to be better than all of them. 

Vina Ardanza travelled stylishly well in a strong Naas Grade 3 after a 108-day break last time, but lost out by a head to the more battle-hardened Highland Charge, who was two years his senior.

Highland Charge was fighting fit and finished closer to Sir Gerhard a couple of starts earlier than any horse has over hurdles bar Three Stripe Life, so rates a good prospect in his own right. 

This is Vina Ardanza’s only upcoming entry and he looks a huge price with the likelihood of much more to come.

Elle Est Belle

2.25 Aintree, Saturday

1pt each-way at 12-1 with bet365 and Unibet, 10-1 generally

Elle Est Belle is also entered in the Top Novices’ but I’d be shocked if she didn’t run in the Mersey instead.

Dan Skelton had been keen to step her up in trip for some time and she duly delivered in the Sidney Banks on soft ground in February, reeling in an enterprisingly ridden front-runner to ultimately score much cosier than the neck winning margin suggested. 

She was carrying a penalty against the boys there and Skelton immediately pointed to this race as a suitable next target. 

Resisting the urge to go to the Cheltenham Festival can pay dividends and she can be backed at 12-1 each-way with a couple of firms for the Mersey. 

Jonbon is a worthy favourite but not an unbeatable one, while his stablemate Walking On Air is too short a price having only run once over hurdles. 

I’d be surprised if Elle Est Belle, who had the reopposing Three Stripe Life in behind when third in last season’s Champion Bumper, is bigger than 5-1 on the day.

Hitman
3.30 Aintree, Friday

1pt each-way at 10-1 generally

Away from the novice hurdles at Aintree, I fancy Hitman to hit the frame at double-figure odds in the Grade 1 Marsh Chase on Friday (3.30).

Last year’s impressive winner Fakir D’Oudairies rightly heads the betting, but I thought he made hard work of winning a soft Ascot Chase last time and in any case the race may have left a mark on deep ground. He has every chance but could be vulnerable. 

I advised backing Hitman non-runner no-bet for the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham last month but Paul Nicholls elected to dodge Allaho there and his patience can be rewarded.

Like Skelton with Elle Est Belle, I get the impression Nicholls has been eager to try Hitman over two and a half miles again, and his charge probably hasn’t been ridden correctly the last twice. He has been held up to show a turn of foot he doesn’t seem to have over two miles. 

Either way, it was a belting run for a five-year-old to finish second in the Tingle Creek in December and I can forgive his third to Funambule Sivola at Newbury in February as the yard was out of form. 

If merely replicating the Racing Post Rating of 165 he recorded at Sandown he has a big chance in this company, but I’m anticipating an even bigger figure at Aintree. The 10-1 each-way will do me.