Gift lights up the start of Aintree

Iris’s Gift, the game winner of Cheltenham’s bonusprint.com Stayers’ Hurdle, is the star on show in the opening race of Aintree’s three-day Grand National meeting tomorrow.

The Jonjo O’Neill-trained grey, who defeated Baracouda by one and a half lengths at the Festival, faces seven rivals in the Martell Cognac Laurel Pub Company Liverpool Hurdle including stablemate Sh Boom, Stayers’ Hurdle third Crystal D’Amay and veteran Deano’s Beeno.