Aintree Day 3 Tips: West Balboa laid out for handicap hurdle

• A Grand National Selection

• Skelton mare to land big handicap hurdle

• Arry to shake 'em up in handicap chase

It might seem a little strange that, in a column looking at the big Aintree handicaps, I'm not going to go in depth on the biggest one of the lot, the Grand National.

The great race has been covered from all angles elsewhere on these pages, including in a column that I wrote last week looking at the Irish challenge, so there isn't really a need to add too much here.

I wrote in my piece that I thought the chances of Gaillard Du Mesnil were particularly good and I'm taking him to follow in the footsteps of last year's 7-y-o winner Noble Yeats, who was snapping a long losing run for that age group.

Willie Mullins' charge is a sound jumper who has stamina in abundance and looks the type to flourish over these fences at the first time of asking.

He also looks well weighted for one who has a touch of class and, provided he gets a clear round in and avoids any trouble in running, there'll be few finishing stronger than him over the last couple of fences.

Skelton mare looks trained for this

Dan Skelton is a superb target trainer and he looks to have laid out West Balboa specifically for the staying handicap hurdle at 14:25, where we have five places to go at on the Sportsbook.

This lightly-raced mare will be making just her fifth career start here and is clearly open to plenty more progression and the step up to an extended 3m could well show her in an even better light.

The 7-y-o only made an impressive winning debut at Warwick in November 2021, where she came home 17 lengths clear of Queens River in a novice contest, where her fluent jumping in particular caught the eye.

She was no match for Stage Star when second in the Grade 1 Challow next time but there was no disgrace in losing out to one as talented as that Paul Nicholls inmate.

We then didn't see West Balboa for the best part of a year but she returned in encouraging fashion with a runner-up finish Coquelicot in a mares' handicap hurdle in December, with that long layoff telling on her late on.

She landed the Lanzarote at Kempton on her most recent start, a remarkable race that was a true test of stamina with only four finishers, West Balboa rallying gamely to deny Red Risk by a short head in the shadows of the post.

The latent stamina she showed there will certainly stand her in good stead as she tackles the longest trip of her career, and the fact that she's been given a three-month break to get over those exertions is also likely to be a positive.

Remarkable Cheltenham winner the main threat

As you'd expect in a race such as this, there are plenty of potential dangers and Good Time Jonny may be the biggest of them all.

There were few more eye-catching winners than this one at the Cheltenham Festival as he produced an astonishing performance to win the Pertemps Final from a mark of 142.

Slowly away as the field made a standing start, Tony Martin's gelding still only had a couple behind him two out but the way he picked up from there as he weaved his way though the field was certainly a sight to behold.

Leading on the run-in, Good Time Jonny quickly put over 3 lengths between himself and the runner-up Salvador Ziggy in the manner of one who could well still be leniently handicapped off just a 5lb higher mark.

While his claims are clearly strong, I'm still siding with the much less exposed West Balboa to do the business.

Shakem Up'arry to go well at course that suits

The 3m 1f handicap chase that precede the National looks a trappy contest and I can't deny I was tempted to give Midnight River another go after he disappointed at Cheltenham last time.

However, he did check out tamely there and the first-time tongue tie is hardly a positive, for all that it could bring about an improved effort.

Instead, I'm going to side with Shakem Up'arry, who put up a good effort when third in the same race and could still be fairly treated off a mark just a pound higher.

Ben Pauling's 9-y-o was given a patient ride, travelling better than anything into the race and it could be that a ten-week gap from his previous start just took its toll on him late in the day.

He could well be sharper this time and his fluent jumping allied to a strong-travelling nature is well suited to a speed track such as Aintree (finished third in the Red Rum here last season).

It's going to be hard to knock him out of the frame, and with four places available on the Sportsbook, Shakem Uparry makes plenty of appeal.