16:55

Full Result (16:40) Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase (Grade 3)

1st 16 The Last Day 12/1
2nd 10 Dancing On My Own 25/1
3rd 13 Shakem Up'arry 15/2
4th 1 Sky Pirate 18/1
Non Runner 4 Global Citizen
17 ran
16:40

Just in... Sam Waley-Cohen to hang up his boots

Thanks to 'Broony' (Racing TV's Gordon Brown) who is sitting alongside, who has just passed on the whisper that Sam Waley-Cohen has said that he will be hanging up his boots after riding Noble Yeats in Saturday's Grand National.
'SW-C' has enjoyed several winners over the big fences but never in the biggest race of all. Could it be a fairytale end to his stellar amateur riding career...?

16:21

Gina there, done that!

Another female flies in first over the AIntree Grand National fences as Gina Andrews, who gave her mount Latenightpass a peach of a ride, holds off the sustained challenge of David Maxwell on Cat Tiger, who looked likely to nab them at the elbow.

It's the amateurs' Grand National and Gina couldn't hide her delight at getting her nose in front.

Foxhunters' Chase (16:05) Full Result

1st 14 Latenightpass 7/2
2nd 3 Cat Tiger 8/1
3rd 21 Porlock Bay 11/2
4th 25 Le Breuil 25/1
Non Runner: 18 Mighty Stowaway
23 ran

Early thoughts on the Red Rum

16:40 Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase (Grade 1)

Always one of the best two-mile handicap chases on the calendar along with the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival. Loads of chances here (they opened 13/2 the field this morning) and I'm going to put up two of the 17 runners.

I think King D'Argent has a big race in him. He's not yet won this season but what better time than the present?! He wasn't far behind Before Midnight (second favourite here) at Doncaster in January and may well have won back there last time if he hadn't made a bit of a hash of the last. He still looks capable from a mark of 139 and the ground should be fine for him.
I'd also like to add Gunsight Ridge to the our armoury in trying to work a profit. He's trained by the excellent Olly Murphy and ridden by Aidan Coleman. He runs off a worakable mark of 134 and has a nice racing weight (10st 7lb). I don't think we've seen the best of him yet and he'll get the strong pace he'll need here because we know he sees out 2m4f. He'll be doing his best work late and could run a very big race.

Epatante too good

I'd strongly argue that she'd have won whether or not Zanahiyr had stood up but either way, Epatante jumped all the obstacles and came home 14-lengths to the good there in what won't be seen at a vintage renweal of the Aintree Hurdle.
Lovely ride by Aidan Coleman, who crept into it, riding her to get the trip and never had to get into a battle because of her opponents' last fence demise.

Full Result (15:30) Aintree Hurdle

1st 7 Epatante 2/1
2nd 5 Monmiral 8/1
All 7 ran.
15:30

Off they go to post for the Aintree Hurdle

This race produced what Timeform still believe to be the greatest hurdle race ever run, the famous dead-heat between Night Nurse and Monksfield on 1977 Grand National day.
Of course, what Red Rum did in the very next race, kind of overshadowed that somewhat!
Joint favs here are Zanahiyr and Epatante. I'm sticking with the latter...
15:22

Going change

The going has now been officially changed to good to soft throughout the racecourse
15:19

Betway Bowl Chase (14:55) Full Result

1st 2 Clan Des Obeaux 13/2
2nd 3 Conflated 9/2
3rd Kemboy 5/1
All 9 ran.
15:15

Fergie beaming after Bowl

Just been in the media scrum with Sir Alex Ferguson, who of course co-owns Clan Des Obeaux. Bullish about Paul Nicholls' training performance to get him back here winning this race for a second time. "This is my life now, not football," he said. When asked if he can win it for a third time he responded: "I never won much three times in a row so it would be great if he could."
Sir Alex also thinks Protektorat is a better horse then he showed today and will go on to do great things. We shall see...
15:05

Clan Bowls 'em over

Well, there were some dodgy jumps there as the tap was turned on but Clan Des Obeaux, who bypassed Cheltenham again, proves up to the task of winning a second successive Betway Bowl. Idling on the run-in, he was al,ost caught by Conflated but always looked to be doing enough. Kemboy isn't as good as he was but still ran a good race in trying to make most.
My sporting pick, Nuts Well, had his stamina limitations exposed at the back of the last, having jumped it in fourth but finishing sixth. I suppose the real disappointment was Protektorat, who I thought had had a hard race at Cheltenham and maybe that was the case...
14:52

Aintree 14:55 Betway Bowl Chase (Grade 1)

A top class field has assembled for a race that can often feel like it's 'after the Lord Mayor's' show. Protektorat won very well here in the Many Clouds Chase earlier in the season. He has plenty going for him and is the pick of the British-trained runners on Gold Cup form, when he finished third to A Plus Tard. I'd not put anyone off who fancies him but he'll be skinny enough price-wise for a horse who had a hard enough race in the Gold Cup.
There are reasons why you can take on most of these, if you're looking to do that and it's not a race I'd be going big on. Kemboy won this two years ago and Clan Des Obeaux last year, so there are plenty of pointers within. However, I'm going to go against the grain and take a pot shot at a price (he's 33s this morning) with Nuts Well to come home in the first three.
His trainer doesn't waste her ammo on social runners, so he's here to do his best. And it turns out his best was good enough to see him finish second in the Marsh Chase (you'll probably know it as the Melling Chase) last year, behind Fakir D'Oudairies. It won't take many of the leading lights in the betting to misfire to bring him right into this. In fact, he only has 2lb to find with Protektorat on official ratings, so he's already in that echelon. I think he is overpriced and worth an each-way play, over a trip at which he is totally unexposed.
14:36

Jewson Anniverary 4-y-o Hurdle (14:20) Full Result

1st DH 5 Knight Salute 14/1
1st DH 7 Pied Piper 10/11 fav
3rd 1 Brazil 5/2
All 9 ran.
14:32
There we have it... a dead heat between Knight Salute and Pied Piper! And now a Stewards Enquiry involving the front two... More to follow.
14:26
What a race... just... what a race!
Beautifully set up with a strong pace by Inca Prince, who was swallowed up by the field before the last and then what a wonderful finish to a Grade 1 race. Dead heat?! It's got to be close to being that between Knight Salute... relentless in his pursuit in the closing stages and Pied Piper, who looked to have won his race. We await the judge's call...
14:15

14:20 Anniversary 4-Y-0 Hurdle (Grade 1)

This is a cracking contest and looks open on paper. However, what we do know is that Pied Piper is a very good horse. His Cheltenham win in January stood out; he ran a great race to be third to Vauban (whom he'd already beaten) in the Triumph Hurdle last month, when he finished clear of the remainder. Provided that hasn't taken the edge off him, he is very much to one to beat here.
14:04

Manifesto Novices' Chase (13:45) Full result

1st 3 Millers Bank 7/1
2nd 6 War Lord 9/2
Non Runner: 2 Jacamar
6 ran.

Millers Bank and Kielan Woods after winning the Manisfesto Novices' Chase at Aintree 2022

13:58
Well what a great start to the meeting!
Millers Bank comes from off the pace under a stealthy Kielan Woods ride to nab the front runners and win going away! A Grade 1 for Alex Hales and Kielan Woods is a very refreshing change to kick off Aintree.
And talking of refreshing, that wind is fierce outside. The forecasters claimed it would have died off by the time racing started. Wrong again!
12:36

Aintree 13:45 Manifesto Novices' Chase (Grade 1)

Erne River and Gin On Lime are both interesting contenders who are respected, but Pic D'Orhy has two Grade 2 wins to his name and, while he has suffered a jumping hiccough or two, he looks the one to beat granted a clear round. He has conditions to suit and bypassed Cheltenham to be kept fresh for this. He is the pick on the form figures.
12:34
Already closing in the first race. It's very windy out there. Pleased to say that the sun is now shining and the rains have abated. It was pretty grim at 9am. Planet Sport are so tight that I was only able to afford a room with single glazing and so it was rattling against my window most of the night. Ho hum... next year, eh boys?
So let's have a look at the opener...

12:21

Hello! Welcome from Aintree... it's taken a while to get to this point (the writing bit, that is) but I've been here since the crack of dawn and had some interesting chats.

It was great to do a bit with Bob Champion, winner of that fairytale Grand National, earlier in the day. What a top bloke and what fantastic memories.

I was lucky enough to win a competition to go see the premiere of the film 'Champions' in the spring of 1984, which was the story of Bob's battle with cancer and Aldaniti's battle with leg trouble, to overcome all the odds and win the emotional 1981 renewal from 54-year-old John Thorne on Spartan Missile.

That was a great night out that I had in London, met the 'Queen Mum' at the premier at the Odeon, Leicester Square, as well as John Hurt (who played Bob), Alison Steadman, Jan Francis, Edward Woodward, etc. Great memories. I even remember meeting Charlie Nicholas, who was playing for Arsenal at the time. His first words as he walked into the hotel foyer? "Can you tell me where the bar is please?" True story.