Buveur D’Air set to prove he’s a Top novice at Aintree

Vautour is the star attraction on day two of Aintree’s Grand National meeting and, understandably, his odds for the JLT Melling Chase are prohibitive.

Fri, 08 Apr, 2016 - 01:00

Tommy Lyons

Quotes of 2-7 and shorter are available about the seven-year-old who ran out a very easy winner of the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

A rating of 176 puts him head and shoulders above the opposition, but only a watching brief can be advised at the price. Given how testing conditions were at the track yesterday, Al Ferof may be the one best equipped to follow him home.

The nap goes to Buveur D’Air, in the Top Novices’ Hurdle. Nicky Henderson’s five-year-old ran a superb race to finish third behind stable companion Altior in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, given he wasn’t best positioned throughout and would have found the going too quick.

Testing conditions suit the exciting prospect and he can prove too smart for Mares’ Novice Hurdle winner Limini, who will likely go off favourite. The latter is taking a considerable step up but we’ve long since learned not to underestimate a Willie Mullins runner, regardless of the task at hand.

Un Temps Pour Tout was an impressive winner of the Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and can follow up in the Grade One Mildmay Novices’ Chase. The David Pipe-trained seven-year-old was a very smart staying hurdler, most at home in testing conditions, and thus the return to the top grade on today’s ground should prompt the little bit of improvement required.

TODAY’S TIPS

AINTREE

1:40 Virgilo

2:15 Buveur D’Air (nap)

2:50 Un Temps Pour Tout (nb)

3:25 Vautour

4:05 Village Vic

4:40 Gangster

5:15 Bacardys