MAMBONUMBERFIVE
2.20 Thursday - Manifesto Novices' Chase
Mambonumberfive missed a crack at the Arkle due to an 11th hour bruised foot - but that could have been a blessing in disguise, as he is arriving here a fresh horse and stepping up to 2m4f for the first time which looks as though it will suit. He has winning form at Aintree, and based on his flop at Warwick in February, this much sounder surface should see him in better light. I am under no illusion that Lulamba is the 'best' horse in the race, but after a hard race at the Cheltenham Festival he might not be quite on song and if for any reason he fails to fire, Ben Pauling's charge could easily get involved at attractive odds.
FAVOUR AND FORTUNE
1.45 Friday - William Hill Handicap Hurdle
The Alan King team are in decent nick at the moment, and Favour And Fortune could easily get in the shake-up in this 2m4f handicap hurdle once again. He was third in this 12 months ago, and returns this time around off just 1lb higher. There was a lot to like about his belated comeback run at Kempton recently, where he travelled well for a long way before tiring late on. The 8-year-old arrived at the Sunbury venue on the back of a 323-day absence, so that run should see him strip a lot fitter ahead of this assignment and he eases 2lb on the back of that. Tom Bellamy's mount clearly enjoys Liverpool, as he chased home Jango Baie on his other start at the venue, and from an each-way perspective he looks to have very solid claims once again.
GIDLEIGH PARK
3.30 Friday - JCB Melling Chase
This race is a bit of a head-scratcher. I think you can pick holes in all of them, but I am going to give the nod to Gidleigh Park stepping back up in distance. He has some very good form at this intermediate trip, with figures reading 1122 - with one defeat being when chasing home Jango Baie at Ascot, and the other was when splitting Impaire Et Passe and Jango Baie again at this meeting last year. He isn't the most robust of individuals, but 2m4f on a flat track suits, and I can see him running a big race taking on horses who really had to go to the well at Cheltenham, and the 'fresh' angle can be a big tick in the box once again here.
IL EST FRANCAIS
4.05 Friday - Randox Topham Chase
There is a possibility that Il Est Francais has gone sour, but this is just the type of quirky test that could really suit this eccentric individual. On the face of it, he has a huge mountain to climb after failing to complete on his last two starts, and life won't be easy off an official of 160. However, if the recent wind-operation has had the desired effect and got him back on song, then he has the attributes to really serve it up to his rivals. At his best, he is a swashbuckling, electric jumper who attacks his fences, and this idiosyncratic exam could see him get plenty of his rivals in all sorts of bother. At the price I will be willing to give him a chance and you don't have to go back ages to find when he was in sparkling form – after all, it is only just over a year ago he led the King George field jumping the last, and if any of the old fire still burns in this 8-year-old then this intermediate trip on a flat track could see him get back in the groove.
LECKY WATSON
4.00 Saturday - Randox Grand National
I am looking for a bit of a boil-over in a sense, and I think the Willie Mullins trained Lecky Watson fits the bill. He hasn't had a great season, but the ground has been wrong for him all year - he thrives on spring ground, and lets not forget that this time last year he had just notched Grade 1 novice chase honours at the Cheltenham Festival by landing the Brown Advisory. He is a smart jumper when on song, and likes to be up with the pace, which is a trait I like in the Grand National. Clearly, he will need to reproduce the zest of last season, but he has been given a squeak by the handicapper and he looks a real each-way player.