Horses That Skipped Cheltenham To Keep Onside At Aintree

The Aintree Festival comes unusually quickly in the aftermath of the Cheltenham Festival this season, and as such the well trodden path of backing those who skipped Cheltenham for Liverpool glory could be more popular than ever in 2025.

Of the 21 winners in 2024, 13 skipped Cheltenham to head to this meeting and that number may well be higher in 2025, so Billy Grimshaw has provided five horses that skipped Prestbury Park, for differing reasons, and profiled them in relation to their Aintree chances...

1. Handstands - Ben Pauling

Last seen defeating eventual Arkle winner Jango Baie at Sandown in a real battle, HANDSTANDS was tipped by many to play super sub in the Brown Advisory once his stablemate The Jukebox Man was ruled out for the season. Ben Pauling, however, stood firm in keeping his best fit novice chaser for Aintree instead and he could well be rewarded this week as his horse looks to have an excellent chance in the Mildmay which kicks off Ladies' Day, Friday.

A fantastic jumper and clearly packed with courage given the way he saw off Jango Baie last time out over what will surely in the fullness of time be that horse's favoured trip, he will be primed and fresher than the rivals who took in Cheltenham. His trainer confirmed this was always the plan, saying: "We missed Cheltenham on purpose so he would be a fresh horse for Aintree and I’d expect him to run well. On his home form to be as good as ever."

2. Live Conti - Dan Skelton

A horse recruited to these shores from Noel George in France, with some very smart form at Auteuil on his resume, LIVE CONTI has only been sighted once on these shores and we learned very little as the 1/9 favourite bolted home in a weak Wetherby race. Nevertheless, there are plenty who were set to be supporting him for the Anniversary 4YO Hurdle at Aintree against Triumph Hurdle second and evens antepost favourite Lulamba here given he is the fresh horse coming into the Festival. His chances have increased with the three horses ahead of him antepost in the market all not being declared!

Bet365 were caught out somewhat in relation to this horse's price when opening their antepost odds, as all the 16/1 was snaffled in a matter of minutes by punters shrewder than this humble scribe and now he is vying for favouritism with a plethora of other juveniles that were not sent to Cheltenham and some who went and disappointed. The race has cut up drastically and he looks the chief beneficiary.

3. Grey Dawning - Dan Skelton

The 2024 Brown Advisory winner who somewhat flopped when attempting to follow up at Aintree as a novice will have no excuses in 2025 as his title chasing trainer declined the allure of the Prestbury Park showpiece in the hope of having his star in the finest fettle possible for his trip to Merseyside. Set to go off favourite in the Aintree Bowl, the bold front running GREY DAWNING is sure to have plenty of casual supporters due to his striking grey colouring, but he will also have a lot of form students on side given his class.

It looks like a shrewd bit of placing from Skelton as he hunts his first ever trainers' title, as although Grey Dawning did not perform here last year on his run style Aintree looks almost the perfect track for this front runner to really stretch a field. In behind him will be another very interesting runner who skipped Cheltenham in Spillanes Tower, who was unlucky in defeat at Leopardstown in the John Durkan earlier this season before flopping in the King George. It'd be no surprise to see these two long with maybe Stage Star (who also skipped Cheltenham) fighting out the finish with the horses who are attempting to back up from Cheltenham toiling behind them, although Ahoy Senor cannot be ruled out as he saves his best for this track and has run well here off the back of a Gold Cup fall - the same fate that befell him in 2025 - before when second to Shishkin in 2023. He filled the same position last year behind Gerri Colombe.

4. Tripoli Flyer - Fergal O'Brien

This may be a slight diversion from the norm as TRIPOLI FLYER was targeted at Cheltenham, unlike the rest of the contenders on this list, however the fact he was missing yet takes his chance up on Merseyside makes him a qualifier. Fergal O'Brien is yet to taste Cheltenham Festival glory so this lad - probably one of his better chances of the week - picking up a last minute minor knock will have been a blow but it could yet work out to be a blessing in disguise. 

Many are already touting the Supreme 1-2 as stars of the future so the fact neither Kopek Des Bordes or William Munny are entered for Aintree means Tripoli Flyer has a much more manageable task on his hands than he would've done back in March in the Top Noivces' Hurdle. He has won on similar tracks to Aintree, particularly Kempton last time out and while Romeo Coolio was third at Cheltenham, it'll have been a tough race for the favourite and with Tripoli Flyer coming in a fresh horse he could take advantage.

5. El Fabiolo - Willie Mullins

A horse who has been on a rapid fall from grace since the 2024 Cheltenham Festival when stuffed as odds-on Champion Chase favourite, EL FABIOLO looks set to take on old rival Jonbon once more at the 2025 Aintree Festival in the Melling Chase. Both horses announced themselves as future stars back in 2022 at this meeting, with a pulsating battle in the Top Novices' Hurdle, ending with Jonbon the victor on the results page but El Fabiolo perhaps the moral victor to many given he came here so inexperienced and pushed the more high profile Henderson horse all the way. Their SPs that day were EVS and 4/1 and it wouldn't be a great surprise were they to once again be their SPs here three years later.

Their careers have intertwined plenty since, with Jonbon the consistent but not elite prize money muncher and El Fabiolo once brilliant, then inconsistent and now looking a shadow of his best self. The record stands Jonbon 2-1 El Fabiolo, but with El Fabiolo being beaten in his last three outings when odds-on each time, while Jonbon has racked up a stunning amount of wins in Grade Ones while always managing to find a way to lose at Cheltenham, it looks more likely to go 3-1 than 2-2 right now.

Nevertheless, Jonbon did have a hard race at Cheltenham when never looking comfortable, making plenty of mistakes and in the end still rallying for second behind runaway winner Marine Nationale. If that has taken its toll on Nicky Henderson's charge, El Fabiolo on a going day will be the one to take advantage. At their best the consensus is El Fabiolo is the better horse, however we haven't seen that peak for a very long time. Maybe skipping Cheltenham can be what he needs to tie up this rivalry.