Grade One Aintree Hurdle Guide 2022

A head second last time out to Botox Has, reads ok, though he really should have won that day.

It wasn't the best of rides from Aidan Coleman and Josh Moore was exceptional on Botox Has, so it looked like the ride won the day with the pair pulling 7l clear of the third.

Prior to that he'd won some decent races, and was an unlucky faller when holding every chance. He has some good form to his name and looks to be finally fulfilling his true promise.

Hard to confidently discount.

Epatante has the standout piece of form, splitting Honeysuckle, and Zanahiyr. She looked back to her best last time but ultimately short of one of the greatest mares we've ever seen in Honeysuckle, which is no disgrace.

Prior to that superb effort in the Champion Hurdle, she won the Christmas hurdle in sparkling fashion. If she gets this extra half a mile, she's the best form and should win, though the trip has to be a question mark.

She has been racing more proficiently of late, which will give her every chance.  

Glory And Fortune has done nothing but improve, placing in the G1 Christmas Hurdle and winning the Betfair Hurdle, he then finished a very respectable 5th in the Champion Hurdle.

He seems to keep on surprising and he's clearly still improving. Though he's yet to win at this level, it certainly wouldn't be a massive surprise if he ran another cracker.

Cracking third in the Champion Hurdle behind the two Champion Hurdle winning mares Honeysuckle and Epatante. Zanahiyr has done nothing but run his race every time he's stepped out onto the racecourse.

He's admirably consistent and he's still a spring chicken really, at 5 years of age.

He is clearly still improving, and in a year where horses often struggle to mix it in open company, (see Monmiral) he's been brilliant. He has a massive chance at a trip that should suit.

This trip (2m4f) looks to be his optimum after failing to convincingly stay last time out over a few yards short of 3m. His last win came at Kempton over 2m5f on soft ground in a G2 back in 2021.

He does have a patchy record, but with his optimum trip seemingly evident now, he could begin to have a big say in these types of races. Fascinating runner, though perhaps not up to this class.

7l behind Brewin'upastorm and Botox Has last time, when 4l clear in turn, of Monmiral, he would want to improve on that effort to have a chance of winning here.

Guard Your Dreams was a ready winner of the International Hurdle at Cheltenham, though the form of that race hasn't worked out at all well really. Needs to improve but still a young horse.

After a disappointing last couple of efforts, Monmiral is on something of a recovery mission here. A winner at this meeting last year, in the 4yo G1, he beat no other than Adagio, and comfortably at that.

He needs to get back to something like that effort to have any chance here, though it's interesting Harry Cobden choses him, over stable mate McFabulous.

Hard to be truly confident in, but he clearly has massive ability.