Who To Follow On Day Two Of The Aintree Grand National Festival

Aintree 14:30

Fakir D'oudairies

J: Mark Walsh

T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien

N/A

Age: 8

Weight: 11-10

OR: 163

Days: 55

The feature race of the afternoon is the Grade One Marsh Chase over 2m4f and looking to land a hat-trick in the race is the Joseph O'Brien trained Fakir D'oudairies is the stand out selection.

Fakir D’oudairies has looked like a horse that is slightly on the decline but we think this event could be his big win of the season and after the break he has been given, missing The Cheltenham Festival will bring him back to somewhere near his best, in a race he has made his own over the last two years.

Second on seasonal return at Punchestown behind Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs in the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Chase, He then went to Thurles and landed the Grade Two Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase, getting slightly lucky when Haut En Couleurs fell at the last and he stayed on to take the race.

Sent to Ascot when last seen looking for back to back wins in the Grade One Ascot Chase he was beaten a long way out finishing a tame third behind Shishkin and Pic D’Orhy.

However, like previously mentioned the thing with this horse is that his whole season would have been moulded around this race, he has put up the best performances of his career when winning this race the last two years and with this years field lacking real depth we think he can bounce back to form to win this event.

The Aintree factor, the form he holds throughout his career and coming here having missed The Cheltenham Festival all give him some big positives seeking a hat-trick in this race.

Form: 15213View

Date	Course	Distance	Type	Weight	Position
18/02/23	ASC	21	GS	11-10	3
22/01/23	THU	20.5	Y	11-12	1
19/12/22	PUN	20	Sft	11-10	2
27/04/22	PUN	24	Gd/Y	11-10	5
08/04/22	AIN	20	GS	11-7	1

Leading British trainer Nicky Henderson does not have many runners on the second day of the Grand National meeting but it looks to be more quality over quantity with all of them having chances.

His first runner of the afternoon is No Ordinary Joe in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle with the second in the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham festival looking to go close again.

Henderson will be hoping Luccia can bounce back to form in the Grade One Top Novices' Hurdle, getting the allowance off the boys could be massive.

The Seven Barrows trainer runs one more in the Topham Handicap Chase with Fantastic Lady although a big price she is weighted to go well.

Henderson heads into the meeting sporting a strike rate of 18% for the last two weeks, managing to land four winners from his last 22 runners.

Experienced rider Davy Russell looks to be running at his final Aintree Grand National festival this year and on the Friday he will be hoping to go out with a bang.

In the opener he gets the leg back up on Gerri Colombe who was a very unlucky loser at the Cheltenham festival and in what looks a weaker race on his preferred soft ground he can go one better.

Russell then rides Found A Fifty in the second Grade One of the afternoon with this gelding being a talking horse this term and currently favourite for the Top Novices' Hurdle he has a big chance.

The riders final chance of the afternoon is the smart stayer Absolute Notions who skipped the Cheltenham festival in favour of this event.