Horse Racing Tips: Sam Turner's best bets for Irish Grand National day

Fairyhouse, 17.00 - Back Better Times Ahead e/w @ 16/117.00

Robert Tyner and Simon Torrens combined to capture an emotional Cork Grand National success with Sir Bob three seasons ago and they appear to have a live chance of lifting today's Irish Grand National with Better Times Ahead.

The nine-year-old has been a little tricky to train in his career, but the Kinsale-based handler looks to have enjoyed more of a clear run with the selection this term, sending him out to win at this venue twice last November over both hurdles on his seasonal reappearance and fences when he lifted a well-contest marathon chase under an inspired Mark Walsh.

An agonising defeat ensued in the Thyestes Chase when hampered by a loose horse late in the proceedings, but that effort represented a clear career best for Better Times Ahead who enjoyed an encouraging spin over hurdles last month in preparation for this assignment.

Three of the nine-year-old's four career wins have been recorded when he has been absent from the track from between 26 and 32 days so that last outing over hurdles should have put him spot on 29 days later, while his ability to handle big fields is another positive.

The record of Tyner's gelding over trips around three miles and beyond is also encouraging with his form figures reading 12264112 and a dosage index of 0.54 is in keeping with the last three winners whose figures read 0.43, 0.50 and 0.51 respectively.

All in all, he appears a very fair each-way bet with six places on offer from the Sportsbook.

Fairyhouse, 17.00 - Back Argento Boy e/w @ 12/113.00

With seven of the 30 entries at the time of writing, Willie Mullins is typically mob-handed as he looks to reprise recent victories for I Am Maximus and Burrows Saint in this illustrious contest.

The market and Paul Townend believe Kiss Will is the pick of the septet and a tidy recent spin in the novices' handicap chase at Cheltenham over an inadequate test should have set the six-year-old up ideally for a tilt at this race back over a marathon trip.

A dosage index of 1.0 gives hope that this trip is within his remit and, like seven of the last 11 winners, he has valuable course form on his cv.

Kiss Will is certainly a tough horse to dismiss given his attributes, but I wonder if Argento Boy may make his first start in handicaps a winning one under Sean O'Keefe.

A winner of his bumper at this venue two years ago, the grey son of Jukebox Jury appeared to find the ground on the quick side behind stablemate Kitzbuhel in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase when, after being kept wide for much of the contest, he faded from the home turn after trying to launch a challenge.

This slower surface should suit and a dosage index of 0.6 offers encouragement that an extreme test should see Argento Boy in a good light on his handicap bow.

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