Max McNeill and his family, who own THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE, have been hoping for months that their horse would line up for next weekend’s Randox Grand National. However, they listened to the man who knows the horse best, 14-times champion trainer Paul Nicholls. He persuaded them that their nine-year-old gelding would be better suited to the challenges of the bet365 Gold Cup instead.
This advice led to Threeunderthrufive swerving Aintree and instead being on target for Sandown on 27 April where he will have a really good chance of landing the £95,000-plus first prize.
Threeunderthrufive ticks a lot of boxes for this race: he stays well, he jumps well, he goes on pretty much any ground and he goes well right-handed (we know this after he won so well at Ascot last time out). He’s also been lightly raced this season, having just three starts to date.
True, it’s hard to argue he is well-handicapped off a career high mark of 156 but he is still an attractive each way bet at 20-1. Threeunderthrufive is those odds with virtually all bookmakers but back him with Betfred offering five places rather than four.
It’s impossible to predict which horses he will line up against him at the end of the month because a lot of those declared for the race also have entries in the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr a week earlier. The prevailing ground at Sandown and Ayr will have a lot to do with which horse runs where but connections of Threeunderthrufive seem keen to stay south of the border for their horse’s next run.
As for the Scottish Grand National, I am going to tip a horse that I put up each way at the Cheltenham Festival and who finished second in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at odds of 28-1.
Time will probably tell that GIT MAKER had an impossible task last month in trying to defeat the well-handicapped ‘plot horse’ Inothewayurthinkin. Such was the ease of the winner’s victory that JP McManus’s six-year-old gelding could even become a Boodles Gold Cup contender at the Cheltenham Festival next season.
As for Git Maker, he finished 18 lengths clear of the third horse and has only been put up 1 lb in the ratings to a new mark of 133. The eight-year-old gelding would not want the ground to come up too fast on April 20 but, since it has barely stopped raining this year, that seems unlikely right now. Back him each way at 14-1 with Paddy Power or Betfair, with both bookies paying five places.
Finally, I am going to add a second horse to my ante-post portfolio for the Randox-sponsored Topham Handicap Chase a week today (12 April).
Stuart Edmunds is, like many trainers, a creature of habit and he loves to target this three-day Aintree meeting with his best horses. I can recall him having a double in under 24 hours with Rowland Ward and Hometown Boy in 2021.
Next Friday he will be hoping ARIZONA CARDINAL lands the £84,000-plus first prize for winning the Topham. The eight-year-old gelding has no experience over the National’s brush fences but he is in good form, coming into the race looking for a hat-trick of wins from as many starts.
Last time out at the end of February, Arizona Cardinal beat One True King by 14 lengths and that form looks solid because Nigel Twiston-Davies’ gelding has since gone on to win his next two starts, both at Ludlow. Back Arizona Cardinal each way at 16-1 for the Topham, again with either Paddy Power and Betfair both offering five places.
That’s it for now, with what remains of this weekend’s jumps’ cards lacking excitement as a betting proposition and my first bet on the new Flat season still a long way off.
The countdown has begun for next weekend’s Randox Grand National meeting. For the big race itself, I would prefer any ground conditions other than ‘heavy’ for all of my fancies but, at present, that’s anything but guaranteed.
Pending:
1 point each way Your Darling at 16-1 for the Topham Chase, 1/5th odds, 5 places.
1 point each way Arizona Cardinal at 16-1 for the Topham Chase, 1/5th odds, 5 places.
1 point each way Mahler Mission at 20-1 for the Randox Grand National, 1/5th odds, 5 places.
1 point each way Vanillier at 16-1 for the Randox Grand National, 1/5th odds, 5 places.
1 point each way Panda Boy at 40-1 for the Randox Grand National, 1/5th odds, 5 places.
1 point each way Desertmore House at 50-1 NRNB for the Randox Grand National, 1/5th odds, 5 places.
1 point each way Git Maker at 16-1 for the Scottish Grand National, 1/5th odds, 5 places.
1 point each way Threeunderthrufive at 20-1 for the bet365 Gold Cup, 1/5th odds, 5 places.
Settled bets last weekend:
1point each way Goshhowposh at 13/2 for the New Racing TV App Challenger Stayers Hurdle Series Final, 1/5th odds, 4 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1point each way Riders Onthe Storm at 5-1 for the Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Handicap Chase Finale, 1/5th odds, 3 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1 point each way Desertmore House at 12-1 for the Irish Grand National, ¼ odds, 4 places. Non Runner. – 2 points.
1 point each way Any Second Now at 20-1 for the Irish Grand National, ¼ odds, 4 places. 2nd. + 4 points.
2023-4 jump seasons to date: + 38.61 points.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
- My gambling record for the past eight years: I have made a profit in 14 of the past 16 seasons to recommended bets. To a 1 point level stake over this period, the overall profit of has been 475 points. All bets are either 1 point each way or 2 points win (a ‘point”‘is your chosen regular stake).
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