Melling Chase Tips 2026: Fresh Gidleigh Can Upset Heart Wood

The feature race on Friday at Aintree's Grand National Festival is the Melling Chase, over two miles and nearly four furlongs. Often the Ryanair winner from Cheltenham that same year comes here to attempt the famous double, and Heart Wood fills that spot this season. Despite his obvious claims, Billy Grimshaw is taking him on and has an 8/1 play against him that could spring a surprise.

First things first, Heart Wood put in a monstrous performance at Cheltenham and if it was confirmed he'd run here in the same form, I'd shorten this preview by about 400 words and just tell you to pile in. He finished second to Fact To File in 2025 but in 2026 nothing could live with him in the Thursday feature at Prestbury Park, with his jumping his main asset but the way he travelled through the race a joy to behold. There was never a moment's worry for connections or his backers, but a performance as excellent as that may have come at a bit of a cost.

We as horse racing fanatics must when placing our wagers take every case on its own merits but there is a prevailing wisdom that plenty of Cheltenham winners do not back up at Aintree. I am not sure this always pans out, however I am reticent to steam into horses who clearly had Cheltenham as the season long plan when they head north to Aintree the month after. Henry De Bromhead has made no secret that since March 2025 Heart Wood's season was all about the Ryanair and going one place better, so the fact he has completed his mission makes me wonder if this could be a bit of an afterthought.

The same worry nags at me about second favourite Grey Dawning, who ran a stormer for fourth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup - a race Dan Skelton has also admitted was his be-all end-all - and is arguably better suited to this sort of distance. He has first time cheekpieces in this race but he had a tough race at Cheltenham and I think this could be another Aintree Festival where he does not quite put in the same level of showing as he did earlier in the spring. Back in his novice chase campaign he won the final Turners but could not back up here at Aintree and although he is now older and wiser, that Gold Cup last month was his toughest test and he may still be feeling it on Friday in here. He is a pass at around 2/1 as well.

I am also against L'Eau Du Sud, a horse I think is just a bit overrated but is certainly a two miler and won't appreciate this step up, but of the rest of the runners given the prices I could not put you off whichever you choose to back. Saint Segal has it all to do but he is 66/1 and there are others in here with blowout potential so he could sneak into the frame given he basically had no race in the Champion Chase last time out, blundering badly at the first and soon being pulled up.

Solness has been well backed as I pen this piece and although he is known as a Leopardstown specialist, Aintree could suit him more than Cheltenham has in the past when he's crossed the water. Despite his buzzy nature, I also don't think a step up in trip on a flat track like this will do him any harm and if he gets into a rhythm off the front end, this is a proper Grade 1 animal for Joseph O'Brien. He has been slashed from 20/1 down to 10/1 since Thursday morning though and so I somewhat feel I've missed the boat, but if he drifts to near 16s I may have a saver on him. JPR One has it all to do on the bare form of the Ryanair loss to Heart Wood but he was there swinging and jumping brilliantly for a long way. Aintree is a less stiff test and this race is over shorter, so again I wouldn't rule him out hitting the frame.

The horse I am once again rowing in with, however, is GIDLEIGH PARK for Harry Fry. I was keen on him for the Clarence House when he was last seen and I knew my fate very early that day, with his jumping being akin to how I'd expect a grand piano to attempt to conquer a fence. That run needs a line putting through it, but if you do this is still a high class and lightly raced chaser. Fry wouldn't be sending him here if he wasn't at 100% as he has been a fragile horse all his life and on paper two mile three around Aintree should be absolutely ideal for this front runner. I am hoping Solness gives him a lovely toe into the race and he can use his freshness to see off the potentially tired Cheltenham backer uppers.