Horse Racing Tips: Monty's can become Henry's latest Aintree Star

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The Grand National, April 11th, Aintree, 16:00 - Back Monty's Star @ 20/121.00

Iroko has been a long-term ante-post fancy for this year's National and there is a school of thought that believes he remains very favourably treated off just a 5lb higher mark than when a creditable fourth in last year's renewal.

Quicker ground than ideal was offered as an excuse for the seven-length reverse by Nick Rockett 12 months ago and that may well have been a factor, but it was arguably a combination of conditions and a lack of experience that contributed to the defeat.

Wind surgery and a couple of sighters this season in small field conditions races, one of which saw the eight-year-old finish in front at Ascot before Christmas, have seen the son of Cokoriko primed to deliver another huge performance for connections who had made no secret of the fact this event is his sole aim this season.

I couldn't put any backer off including Iroko in their National portfolio, but at 6/17.00 he isn't for me at this stage and, at three times the price, Monty's Star makes more appeal.

It has already been five years since trainer Henry De Bromhead landed a 1-2 with Minella Times and Balko Des Flos and there have been other notable performances from the likes of Minella Indo and Senior Chief since.

The Co Waterford handler has five entries this year with two Monty's Star and the likeable Gorgeous Tom the most likely to make the final field of 34.

The latter has been saved for this event since finishing a noteworthy fourth in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury where a standing start compromised his chance before he produced one of the best finishing speed percentages of the race to take fourth from a poor position.

Kept fresh since that outing, De Bromhead has clearly been desperate to preserve the eight-year-old's mark and my only slight reservation about his chance is a higher than ideal dosage index (a metric used for calculating stamina - the lower the better for staying events), while his jumping isn't always as fleet-footed as you would like.

However, as we all know, the National isn't the jumping test that it once was which should help and, at prices in excess of 40/1, I can certainly see some of the attraction in the Champs Elysees gelding.  

With those concerns about the eight-year-old's stamina a little disconcerting, Monty's Star earns the number one vote, albeit the layers aren't given a huge amount away by pricing him at 20/121.00.

That is understandable to an extent given the selection was fourth in last year's Gold Cup and has been hiding in plain sight during this campaign.

Well beaten himself when weak in the market in the Coral Gold Cup. Monty's Star left that dull performance behind with a near career best effort in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Although beaten 26 lengths on his most recent start in the rearranged Irish Gold Cup, my colleague Andrew Bate, responsible for calculating the National Hunt speed figures which I utilise, rated that race as one of the fastest chases run either side of the Irish Sea in recent memory.

While the Gold Cup may be beyond De Bromhead's son of Walk In The Park, a tilt at the National is clearly a very viable option and a glance back through his form stamps him as one of the classiest horses in the field.

The selection's RaceIQ jump index has ranked him among the first two of the majority of the 11 races he has tackled and a dosage index of 0.50 ranks very favourably with the recent winners detailed below.

De Bromhead has expressed disappointment that his gelding's mark is 2lb higher for this race than it is currently and I guess that might alter running plans if connections take umbridge at handicapper Martin Greenwood's assessment.

However, with so many variables in play, arguing over such a small discrepancy seems pointless and I would be surprised if Monty's Star doesn't face the starter with a leading chance given an incident free preparation.

Dosage index of recent winners

2025 Nick Rockett             0.71

2024 I Am Maximus          0.51

2023 Corach Rambler       0.60

2022 Noble Yeats               1.0

2021 Minella Times            0.33

2019 Tiger Roll                    0.58

2018 Tiger Roll                    0.58

2017 One For Arthur          0.63

2016 Rule The World          0.60   

Monty's Star                       0.50

Sedgefield, 14:33 - Back Spike Jones @ 9/25.50

After contesting some pretty warm staying handicaps this season, Spike Jones should enjoy the less rarified atmosphere of this Class 4 affair to gain some reward for a series of creditable performances.

The son of Walk In The Park even found three miles on deep Sandown ground an insufficient test last time when chasing home Henri The Second in a well-contested heat so this marathon trip should be ideal, especially as he now drops in class.

Dropped 3lb by the assessor for that highly respectable display in a Class 1 affair, Sam Drinkwater's nine-year-old stuck to his task manfully in attritional conditions to split Hartington and Sole Solution, just a fortnight after running a fine race behind the likes of Go To War and subsequent Rendlesham winner Lud'or at Windsor.

The lightly-raced Dwight K Schrute and recent course and distance scorer Ballin Bay will ensure this race is a little more competitive than the numbers suggest, but Spike Jones must surely be tough to beat at this level.

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