Aintree Day 1 Tips for Thursday: NAP, Next Best and 3 best bets at Aintree

The first day of Aintree is packed with quality and it does not take long for the big betting heats to arrive on Thursday’s card. With competitive fields and plenty of Cheltenham form to weigh up, horseracing.net expert @RoadCheltenham has shared his three best bets for Day 1, including his NAP and Next Best. His full selections and reasoning are below.

EACH-WAY

1:45 Aintree - Anniversary 4YO Hurdle

This race is hotter than first expected but I still think Fred Winter runner up WINSTON JUNIOR can go close as he steps up to Grade 1 company for the first time. He won with any amount in hand at Ascot in January before running a huge race at Cheltenham, despite giving plenty of ground to the prominent Sararoga throughout.

Horses struggled to come from off the pace all week at the Festival so you can definitely mark his run up. He's by Churchill and out of a Iffraaj mare so there is bags of speed in his pedigree and a sharp track like Aintree should suit him, providing Cheltenham hasn't left its mark.

NEXT BEST

2:20pm Aintree - Manifesto Novices' Chase

KOKTAIL DIVIN was in the process of running a big race in the Brown Advisory but failed to see out the trip and the drop back to 2m4f will suit him just as much as stepping up will suit market rival Lulamba.

Henry de Bromhead's form can tail off after Cheltenham but Slade Steel won a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse on Monday while Killaney King was a good second in a 17-runner handicap hurdle on the same card. If he brings his A-game, he will be bang there. He has a bit to find on official ratings but the conditions of this race should suit much better than at Cheltenham.

NAP (BEST BET)

3:30om Aintree - Foxhunters

This has been the plan for UNEXPECTED PARTY all year and winners of Haydock's Walrus Open Hunters Chase often go well around Aintree - the course configurations are similar enough. The Grand National fences are an unknown but he should be fine. Heidi Palin has a great rapport with the horse and she has a 29% strike rate over fences this season, steering him to victory the last twice.

He is a classy individual, with a Grand Annual success and a Listed win on his CV, and he ticks plenty of boxes for a race like this. Dan Skelton knows how to train one for a target and this is his Gold Cup.