Grand National Tips: Andy Holding's Aintree Each-Way Lucky 15

The opening race of the Aintree three-day festival looks competitive at first glance, but once you’ve worked out there’s likely to be only a handful of runners – probably less than eight – it’s one worth approaching a little more seriously from an ante-post stance.

One almost certain to run is ERNE RIVER and while he may not have the experience of life in the fast lane than some, he does have freshness on his side. Unlike quite a few of his main rivals who’ve endured hard races of late, Nick Kent’s gelding hasn’t run since dishing out a sound beating to some useful types in a decent contest at Wetherby last time out and it was from that point connections decided to wait especially for this race.

Although he’s yet to run at Graded level, his time figures suggest he hasn’t got too much to find with the likes of Pic D’Orhy and War Lord and at the current prices, he rates a fair each-way bet with bookmakers still offered three-place terms. 

As ever, the Aintree Hurdle offers up the time-honoured conundrum for punters of Champion Hurdle form versus solid Grade 2m4f form and of those confirmed in the latter category, BREWIN’ UPASTORM makes the most appeal.

Disappointing when well-fancied in this race last season, Olly Murphy’s gelding has since had wind surgery and that operation looks to have done the trick regarding his overall levels of performance and consistency. Other than a fall when looking a likely winner at Cheltenham, only a narrow defeat at the hands of Botox Has last time out has blotted his copybook and, being one of only two C&D winners in the line-up at the time of writing, he has plenty of positives to carry forward into his second tilt at this Grade 1.

Bumpers are incredibly difficult races for bookmakers to price up at the best of times, let alone days in advance of knowing who might or might not run, so by definition, there is some value to be gleaned if you are prepared to dip into the ante-post markets. 

The concluding mares’ bumper on day one looks like one such race and knowing how well Milton Harris has done in this category this season, it makes sense to look towards his pair, ROSY REDRUM and Mullenbeg. Due to take part in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival, the heavens opened on the day of the race for the former, thus scuppering her chances, and she was duly withdrawn on what would have been unsuitably heavy ground.

Earning a ticket to the Grade 1 courtesy of a fine win first time out at Wincanton, followed by an even better run in defeat in a hotter race against the boys at Newbury, the combination of her high cruising speed and stamina should see her easily good enough to hold her own back among her own sex. 

Unlike Hillcrest at Cheltenham, CRYSTAL GLORY has been given plenty of time to recover from his most recent exploits in the mud at Haydock and that policy looks like bearing fruit for Nicky Richards’ improving staying novice. 

A winner of his first two starts over hurdles, the son of Fame And Glory was then undone by the race panned out at Newcastle and even though that performance may have not impressed some, it didn’t put off connections from sending him to have a tilt at Grade 2 company a month later.

Kept away from the strong early gallop, it soon became apparent he was going to be the only one to offer any sort of resistance to Henry Daly’s powerful galloper and although he couldn’t quite manage to wear down his main market rival, he did post a smart speed figure in pulling well clear of the rest.

Although the winner completely bombed out at Cheltenham – which was a little predictable given the hard race he endured – both the third and fourth have boosted the form subsequently and at 20-1, the lightly-raced six-year-old, who looks a certain runner at this stage, has enough quality to easily outrun his ante-post quotes.