Aintree horses to watch that missed the Cheltenham Festival

For many, the Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of National Hunt racing but with 11 Grade 1s up for grabs, Aintree will have been high on the agenda for many that opted to swerve Prestbury Park.

Grey Dawning

A titanic battle with Royale Pagaille back in November meant that Grey Dawning emerged with a great deal of credit on his seasonal reappearance.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup was the plan at that stage in the season but a poor showing in the King George, where he failed to recover from an early mistake, seemed to influence a change in tactics.

Dan Skelton instead opted to send his charge up to Kelso for the bet365 Premier Chase. He pulled readily clear of Grand National hope Iroko, signalling a emphatic return to form.

Grey Dawning will now head to the Aintree Bowl on Thursday 3rd April in an attempt to land his second Grade 1.

Strong Leader

Aintree has proved a happy hunting ground for Strong Leader in the past and the Olly Murphy-trained eight-year-old boasts an impressive record of two wins from three starts at the track.

His 2024 Liverpool Hurdle win gave him the biggest success of his career so far and a repeat bid is the ultimate aim for his season.

“I’m really looking forward to running him and he’s just come into his coat and is looking well," said Murphy. "When he’s good, he’s good, but when he’s not, he’s not. If he turns up on his best day, then he will go there with a good each-way chance.”

Gidleigh Park

Issues have plagued Harry Fry's seven-year-old this season, but there is no denying that he is a horse of huge potential.

After pulling-up at Kempton with an irregular heartbeat, he roared back to form with an impressive four-length defeat of Caldwell Potter at Windsor.

With the latter going on to score at the Cheltenham Festival, the form could not be stacking up any better ahead of his intended trip to Aintree.

His race is currently undecided with Grade 1 options at both two-miles and two-and-a-half-miles a possibility.

Remember to set your marketing preferences on the bet365 website to continue receiving marketing from the bet365 team.

For all information on The Grand National such as guides, horses and odds, be sure to explore our dedicated Grand National betting odds hub.