Aintree Melling Chase Betting Tips

Architect Tips

A really quality field for the Grade 1 Marsh Chase and while Fakir D’Oudairies rightly heads the market, he’s not exactly clear of these on ratings and I am keen to take him on with two participants. Firstly, SCEAU ROYAL (best price 14-1) who has been targeted at this race and has the class to win this if he stays. I know he is entering unknown territory over this trip but the ten-year-old arrives here on the back of an excellent second to Funambule Sivola in Game Spirit Chase at Newbury in February, where he did all of his best work at the end of the race. Alan King took the risk and skipped the Champion Chase with him in favour of this event, which is interesting given how unlucky he was in that event last year in which he looked to be coming with a good-looking challenge only to be badly hampered up the inside rail and eventually finishing a creditable fifth. Daryl Jacob has undeniably got a good cracking with him and with this flat track and drying conditions sure to see him to best effect, he’s taken to potentially bag a second Grade 1 event in his career. 

CAPTAIN GUINNESS (best price 12-1) is another that has yet to be tested over this sort of trip but he’s been kept fresh for this by connections and should be suited to the flat track. He ran a decent race to finish third in last year’s Arkle but I don’t think he was at his best that day and I’m convinced the track isn’t to his liking. Most of his form has been on softish or worse ground but the only time he encountered better ground was when a good third in the Tingle Creek, where he was taken out of his comfort zone from an early stage but stuck to the task nicely in the latter stages. He was impressive when quickening up in good style to win a Grade 3 event last time and while this race will probably require a new personal best, I feel as though he’s worth backing in the hope he can find that bit more improvement and run a big race with three places on offer. 

Steve Ryder

FAKIR D'OUDAIRIES (best priced at 5-4) bids to join Viking Flagship, Direct Route, Native Upmanship, Moscow Flyer and Voy Por Ustedes in winning this race two years in a row and I feel he has a fantastic chance of doing so. The Joseph O’Brien trained seven-year-old comes here a fresh horse having skipped the Cheltenham Festival and has very little question marks attached. He won the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase by 15 lengths on his reappearance before finishing behind Allaho in both the John Durkan Chase and the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles.

Fakir D’Oudairies won the Grade 1 Ascot Chase last time despite it not being his best jumping performance and I expect him to prove hard to beat back in this race.