Aintree Friday Racing Tips: Mark Milligan targeting three in the handicaps

• Sonigino to go well for Nicholls

• Haut En Couleurs type to take to National fences

• Progressive Parramount worth siding with

There's a marked change of gear handicap-wise on the second day of the Grand National Festival as we have three competitive races to go at rather than the single one we had on the opening day.

First up is a fiendish 2m 4f handicap hurdle (14:20) that has attracted a closely-matched field of 22, though with six places to go at on the Sportsbook we're in a good position to try and land some each-way money at the very least.

Camprond heads the market at time of writing and the case for him is a relatively simple on as he ran a belter when narrowly beaten into third by Langer Dan in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham last time.

A repeat of that will obviously see him go close once again but no-one missed that performance and he's been well found in the market.

Instead, I'm going to side with one at a much bigger price who looks on the upgrade.

His long-term future probably lies over fences but Sonigino has made big strides over hurdles this season, winning three of his last four starts, with his only below-par effort coming when upped in class for the Greatwood at Cheltenham in November.

I'm prepared to give Paul Nicholls' charge a pass for that given how well he's shaped either side of that run and he was back to form when winning at Huntingdon last time. Still relatively low mileage, the 6-y-o gelding could well outrun his current odds of 16/1.

Mullins' classy chaser to go well in Topham

The professional jockeys get their first look at the National fences in the 2m 5f Topham at 16:05 and this is an ultra-competitive renewal that's attracted a fascinating field of 30 runners.

However, our task is made a little easier as we attempt to decipher the puzzle, with the Sportsbook once again offering us six places, a concession that would be folly to ignore.

Willie Mullins holds a strong hand, fielding four in the race, and preference is from the top weight Haut En Couleurs, who rarely steps out of Graded company and can make his mark trying a handicap for only the second time over fences.

That handicap debut came last time in the Magners Plate at Cheltenham where he ran a sound race to finish fifth behind Seddon, not beaten too far in the overall context of the race.

Granted, this will be a stiff-enough test trying to give weight away to everything, but Haut En Couleurs has long struck me as the type to take well to these fences and his class could see him hold a bit of an edge despite the top weight.

He also carries big weights well enough, as evidenced in that good run last time where he lugged 12 stone around a much stiffer track than the one he races over this time.

A sound jumper who often travels noticeably well, I'm expecting a big run as Paul Townend's mount tries the National fences for the first time.

Parramount the pick in trappy finale

The final race is a trappy 2m conditional/amateur jockeys handicap hurdle (17:15) and stakes are probably best kept on the low side, though I'll be having a small bet on Parramount, who has been most progressive of late.

Charlie Longsdon's gelding has won three of his last four starts and was value for extra on top of the bare winning margin when impressively coming clear in a lesser race than this at Fakenham last time.

He's been hiked up 10lb by the assessor for that clear-cut win but has a useful conditional taking off 7lb so a good bit of that rise is mitigated.

If he arrives in the same form as last time he'll be very hard to knock out of the frame and there is also the bonus of the Sportsbook paying five places here, which gives us a bit of a safety net from an each-way perspective.

There are plenty in the race that arrive in good form, however, so let's not go overboard, but I'm still expecting a big run from this one.