Johnny Ward's Best Bets for Aintree

Davy Russell makes his return to race-riding at Aintree – is it meant to be?

With Jack Kennedy still sidelined, Russell finds himself back in combat taking on Constitution Hill aboard Zanahiyr, with Magic Dawn and Found A Fifty among his other rides.

oddschecker is very much the place to be over the next few days, especially in the big one: bookmakers fall over each other trying to attract custom for the race that remains more popular than any for the once-a-year punter.

Here are three over the three days at Aintree.

A Plus Tard (Alder Hey Aintree Bowl Chase)

Henry de Bromhead could be going to Aintree in better form: he has not trained a winner this month and his last dozen runners yielded four fallers. His British record this season (three from 38) is not impressive but he had a cracking Cheltenham all told and I would not read too much into it.

Arguably the big reason A Plus Tard was so well-backed for the Gold Cup – the gamble commenced the day before – was the stable form going into day four. Last year's Gold Cup winner was sent off 4/1 for a repeat so surely he deserves to be a shorter price here? The race was a non-event for him but de Bromhead said afterwards that the horse is back. 

This race does not have Galopin Des Champs. It does have Shishkin, but he's far from reliable and there is no guarantee that he will get this trip. He had a hard race at Cheltenham and was ultimately a bit disappointing.

There are no excuses for A Plus Tard. Likely Ahoy Senor will set the race up for a closer – hopefully this time he gets around, as he hampered Rachael Blackmore's mount badly last month. A Plus Tard looks like a 2/1 chance.

Found A Fifty (Poundland Top Novices' Hurdle)

Gordon Elliott's stable visit last week was illuminating. “I think I’ll run Found A Fifty in the two-mile Grade 1,” said Elliott.

“He’s in good form and hasn’t done an awful lot wrong. We think he’s a good horse and one we are really excited about going chasing with next year."

Found A Fifty, a rare runner by the sire Solskjaer (Danehill half-brother to Yeats), looks rather unheralded simply because he did not go to Cheltenham. People seem to forget he was favourite against Corbetts Cross at Naas when there was essentially nothing between them.

Prior to that, he was one of the most impressive winners of a maiden hurdle all season, beating all bar Parmenion by at least two dozen lengths. Parmenion won next time by 14 lengths. 

He is simply a serious horse and looks a massive each-way price here. The best of the Supreme runners set to run here - if he even does - is Inthepocket, and he looks relatively exposed.

Ain't That A Shame (Randox Grand National)

I may as well be honest: I've a terrible record in this race. I did back Hedgehunter to win the race – 12 months before he did just that. I do not recall backing him the year he won it!

Generally, I do not like backing Jeremy horses over extreme trips – so I've gotten the negatives out of the way for this Robcour-owned gelding. A great deal was made of the inexperience of the novice Noble Yeats 12 months ago. Here's something: Ain't That A Shame is actually lesser raced. 

The Emmet Mullins runner had appeared 11 times on the track (and once in a point) going into the extravaganza; Ain't That A Shame has only seen the track ten times (and once in a point). In some ways you might need an inexperienced horse nowadays – the rest tend to have handicapped themselves – and the de Bromhead runner's form stacks up really well. He battered Macs Charm at Gowran last time; that runner made his handicap debut Monday at Punchestown off 135 and he only won quite easily too.

At Leopardstown at Christmas, he was backed into favourite and arguably travelled best of all, finishing just behind Panda Boy, who ran a blinder in the Irish National, despite clearly not getting the trip.

He has the fortune of running off his Irish rating of 146. De Bromhead trained the winner of the race two years ago. I would not be surprised if stamina beat him but, at the prices, I'm content to chance it.