Racecards
14:00 Aintree
John Smith's Mildmay Novices' Chase (grade 2) (Class 1)
- 8 Runners
- Distance: 3m 1f
- Going: Good (National Course; Good to Soft, Good in places, Mildmay; Good)
- Surface: Turf
- £80,000 added
- Form 1-12111
- Age 7
- Weight 11-7
- Official Rating 155
- Trainer J & A O'Neill
- Jockey A P McCoy
in touch, blundered 7th, went 2nd at 15th, ridden approaching 3 out, weakened approaching last
- Form 211156
- Age 9
- Weight 11-7
- Official Rating 143
- Trainer C L Tizzard
- Jockey J Tizzard
chased leaders, went 2nd 12th, weakened 2 out
- Form 310-111
- Age 7
- Weight 11-5
- Official Rating 139
- Trainer J Howard Johnson
- Jockey D F O'Regan
held up, pushed along after 4th, weakened approaching 3 out, hit 2 out, unseated last, remounted
- Form 212137
- Age 5
- Weight 11-3
- Official Rating 148
- Trainer P F Nicholls
- Jockey Ruby Walsh
held up, hit 14th, pushed along 4 out, headway from 3 out, led last, driven out
- Form 130-122
- Age 8
- Weight 11-3
- Official Rating 147
- Trainer C Llewellyn
- Jockey Timmy Murphy
chased leader, hit 4th, hit 14th, ridden and lost place next, weakening when hit 2 out
- Form 770/11P
- Age 9
- Weight 11-3
- Official Rating 142
- Trainer H Morrison
- Jockey R Thornton
in touch, blundered 11th, ridden approaching 3 out, weakened approaching next
- Form 221433
- Age 7
- Weight 11-0
- Official Rating 144
- Trainer N A Twiston-Davies
- Jockey P J Brennan
led, hit 9th, headed last, one pace
Monzon (FR)
25- Form 455636
- Age 8
- Weight 11-0
- Official Rating 95
in rear, hit 5th, not fluent 8th, weakened approaching 13th
In depth
Verdict
Albertas Run can follow up his SunAlliance success with victory here. Roll Along and Battlecry, second and third at Cheltenham, should go well again with Starzaan and Big Bucks best of the rest. Joe Lively has gone off the boil, Cedrus Libani has shown useful form at two miles but has plenty to find on the book as well as having his stamina (should stay) to prove, Starzaan should be better suited to this track but has too much to prove in our book. Battlecry may be hard to catch from the front but he's twice come up short against the selection which leaves Big Buck's and Roll Along. Big Buck's looks to have been crying out for this trip and ran well enough in one of the handicaps at the Festival but he may prefer a more galloping track and his jumping hasn't always impressed. Roll Along stayed on from a mile back at Cheltenham and is a progressive horse; he will need to be ridden closer to the pace and has always had plenty of time between his races in the past so this quick return is a question mark. The selection has looked very good on his last three starts and appears to be getting better and better. He didn't have too hard a time of things at Cheltenham and has run well here in the past. We confidently expect Albertas Run to come out on top again.
Formwatch
Albertas Run (IRE) 4-1fav (11-4) Held up towards rear, headway 13th, slightly outpaced after 4 out, headway going well 2 out, led before last, idled flat, ridden out, won at Cheltenham 3m nov chs Grd 1 (1) gs in Mar beating Roll Along (11-4) by 4 1/2l, 11 ran.
Joe Lively (IRE) 7-1 (11-4) Led, hit and headed 10th, ridden 14th, soon behind, 6th of 11, 31l behind Albertas Run (11-4) at Cheltenham 3m nov chs Grd 1 (1) gs in Mar.
Cedrus Libani (IRE) 4-11fav (11-10) Chased leaders, headway approaching 3rd, led and hit 3 out, hit last, driven out, won at Catterick 2m nov chs (3) gd in Dec beating Sunday City (11-6) by 3 1/2l, 7 ran.
Big Buck's (FR) 16-1 (11-3) Towards rear, hampered 8th, blundered 10th, ridden and headway 4 out, one pace approaching last, 7th of 20, 6l behind Finger Onthe Pulse (10-12) at Cheltenham 2m 4f nov hcp chs (1) gs in Mar.
Roll Along (IRE) 20-1 (11-4) Held up, mistake 12th, hit 3 out, headway approaching last, stayed on towards finish, never nearer, 2nd of 11, 4 1/2l behind Albertas Run (11-4) at Cheltenham 3m nov chs Grd 1 (1) gs in Mar.
Starzaan (IRE) 10-1 (11-4) Mid-division, in touch, blundered badly 15th, beaten when hit 3 out, tailed off when pulled up at the last in race won by Albertas Run (11-4) at Cheltenham 3m nov chs Grd 1 (1) gs in Mar, 11 ran.
Battlecry 25-1 (11-4) Chased leader to 4th, remained prominent, led after 4 out, hit 3 out, headed before last, weakened flat, 3rd of 11, 8l behind Albertas Run (11-4) at Cheltenham 3m nov chs Grd 1 (1) gs in Mar.
Monzon (FR) 7-1 (11-3) Led until 6th, soon ridden, one pace from 2 out, 6th of 11, 17l behind Jigsaw Dancer (11-7) at Taunton 2m 1f nov hcp hdl 0-100 (4) hvy in Mar.