Steve Ryder's best bets for Sunday all come at the Aintree jumps meeting.
12:40 Aintree
Tip 1: 12:40 Aintree - Heather Honey - 1pt Win
The Joel Parkinson & Sue Smith trained HEATHER HONEY (best priced at 9/2) steps up in grade here but is unexposed over this 3 mile trip. The six-year-old mare is 0-7 in her career over distances shorter than 2m7f but is 3/3 over distances of 2m7f and further. She won at Newcastle and twice at Bangor off marks of 82, 90 and 96 before returning with a creditable third place finish on her reappearance at Southwell over 2m4½f when only beaten a length.
Heather Honey runs here off the same mark of 104 in this race but crucially now steps back up in trip to 3m½f for the first time. She steps up in grade to Class 3 company for the first time but she still gets the assistance of her regular rider Peter Kavanagh and she looks the one to beat.
14:55 Aintree
Tip 2: 14:55 Aintree - Master Chewy - 1pt Win
This will have no doubt been an early season target for many of these given that five of the seven are course winners and Hitman has twice finished runner-up in this contest. Although MASTER CHEWY (best priced at 9/2) has never won over this intermediate trip, he shaped in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival that it could suit on a less stamina testing track.
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Master Chewy won the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury in February in good style and he now returns to a track where his form figures are 122 having finished 2nd in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase last season. The Twiston-Davies stable had a slightly disappointing meeting at Cheltenham recently but have started the season in good form and he can get back to winning ways in this race back in a handicap.
15:30 Aintree
Tip 3: 15:30 Aintree - Serious Challenge - 1pt Win
Fergal O’Brien has won this race for the previous three seasons with Peking Rose, Crambo and Kamsinas and he looks to hold strong claims again this year with SERIOUS CHALLENGE (best priced at 5/2). The five-year-old won three maiden/novice hurdles earlier this year before finishing a good 4th in the Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at Sandown on the final day of last season.
The form of that race received a boost yesterday with Give It To Me Oj winning the Masterson Hurdle at Cheltenham and Serious Challenge should be suited by this step back in trip to 2m4f at this track.
