Aintree Tips: Four to follow at the Grand National Festival

Aintree Betting Tips

• Meetingofthewaters – Aintree Grand National – 8/1 with BetGoodwin
• Nurburgring – Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle - 10/1 with Bet365
• Shantreusse – Topham Handicap Chase – 25/1 with Unibet
• Densworth – Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle – 12/1 with Bet365

The 2024 Cheltenham Festival has come and gone and the Aintree Grand National odds now have our full attention. 

The seemingly perpetually falling rain means the ground is now extremely soft, but we are still due a superb few days of racing.

Aintree Tips: Four To Follow

Meetingofthewaters – Aintree Grand National (Saturday, 4pm)

On Saturday at 4pm we have one of the biggest horse racing events in the world – the Aintree Grand National – which is a race that truly extends into the general public’s imagination every year.

All of this year’s participants have a chance, as they always do in the Grand National, and the likes of I Am Maximus, Vanillier and Mr Incredible will all be popular with punters, as of course will last year’s winner Corach Rambler who is now 11/2 across the board, though Bzeebet still have him at 12/1. 

If he turns up on song, he is a very strong favourite and should be respected, but I have a nagging doubt that his excellent third in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham has left a mark on him. 

If I am correct, it is an extremely open affair, and I like the chances of Meetingofthewaters. He was brilliant at Christmas when effortlessly taking the ultra-competitive Paddy Power Chase and won that day at Leopardstown in the shape of a horse who was far better than a mere handicapper. 

He was unlucky when unshipping his jockey at the Dublin Racing Festival and thereafter he ran a perfect preparation race when third in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival.

Meetingofthewaters should handle the test an Aintree Grand National will throw at him, he looks like he still has plenty of room to manoeuvre off his current mark of 147, and 8/1 on horse racing betting sites looks a really good price.

Tip 1: Meetingofthewaters – Aintree Grand National – 8/1 with BetGoodwin

Nurburgring – Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle (2.20 Aintree, Thursday)

This is a cracking race, with Sir Gino sure to go off a very short price.

My issue with this horse is that we still have no real grasp as to how fit the team are down at Seven Barrows and the form of his victory last time wasn’t exactly franked at the Cheltenham Festival. We just have no idea the validity of his form and his wellbeing. You must take him on in my opinion.

The likes of Kargese, Kalif Du Berlais and Inthelotto will have their supporters, but I feel Nurburgring is overpriced at 10/1 on betting sites currently.

His form ties in very well with the best horses in this division over the season and he can be marked up massively on finishing fourth in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham last time. It seemed a poorly judged ride and when he was starting to get going, the protagonists on the day had already flown. He simply could not land a blow.

Nurburgring has a big chance and can easily get involved at very reasonable odds of 10/1 on racing betting apps. 

Tip 2: Nurburgring – Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle - 10/1 with bet365

Shantreusse – Topham Handicap Chase (4.05 Aintree, Friday)

One of the best races of the meeting, the Topham Handicap Chase is a frenetic handicap over two miles and five furlongs over the Grand National fences and never fails to entertain. Shantreusse looks a very big price at 25/1 on gambling sites this year.

As with the Grand National, there are a plethora of horses with chances, but Shantreusse fits the bill to run a big race each-way at the very least. He jumps excellently and that will help him massively and last time he showed a lot more than he had previously when simply bumping into a very well handicapped horse.

He will love the ground, jumps for fun and could cause a mini shock here.

Tip 3: Shantreuse – Topham Handicap Chase – 25/1 with Unibet

Densworth – Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle (5.15 Aintree, Friday)

This is a typically open Aintree Festival handicap, but Densworth won in the shape of a very talented horse last time and looks well capable of handling a 10-pound rise.

A horse always highly regarded by connections, he stepped up beyond anything he had previously shown on his reappearance at Doncaster where he was superb, hammering a field on heavy ground by 16 lengths, winning with his head firmly in his chest. 

He did get a rise of 10 pounds, but looked like a horse who will end up on a higher mark than 130 and the talented Beau Morgan will claim three pounds which will help matters.

Ben Pauling is enjoying a terrific season, and this could be further enhanced by Densworth who is in to 12/1 from 20/1 on betting apps. 

Tip 4: Densworth – Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle – 12/1 with bet365