Aintree Horse Racing Tips for Thursday

The latest horse racing betting tips for Thursday's card at Aintree Racecourse from Racing Post tipster Keith Melrose.

Aintree Day 1 Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

1.45 Aintree - Ginny's Destiny @ 4/1 
2.55 Aintree - Bravemansgame @ 10/1
4.40 Aintree - Black Gerry each-way @ 25/1

Close Brothers Manifesto Novices' Chase tip

Ginny's Destiny @ 4/1

Rematches from the Cheltenham Festival are always one of the main subplots at Aintree's Grand National meeting and that theme kicks off right away in the fixture-opening Manifesto Novices' Chase. The first and second from the Turners, Grey Dawning and GINNY'S DESTINY, face off once more with the Cheltenham winner unsurprisingly favourite.

The gap between them looks a little too big. Yes, you have to concede that Grey Dawning is the slightly superior horse on form shown, but that is no guarantee that he will always beat Ginny's Destiny, in fact the score between them is now one win each. 

When Ginny's Destiny won in December, it was on account of his superior jumping. At Aintree, even more so than Cheltenham, that will come to the fore once more. The fences on the Mildmay course at Aintree may well be tougher than the National course these days and the strapping Ginny's Destiny skips over his fences.

The last fence is very close to the winning post at Aintree. It was only in the closing stages that Grey Dawning took the measure of Ginny's Destiny at Cheltenham. If they approach the last here in a similar position, he would not be an effective 5/6 chance to get the better of the last jump and go on to win again. 

Aintree Bowl tip

Bravemansgame @ 10/1

The Bowl is a fascinating race which draws together many disparate strands. Gerri Colombe is representing the Gold Cup form, while Shishkin is fresh having missed Cheltenham through the unfortunate bug that went through his stable at the worst possible time.

Plenty of horses have failed to back up a big Gold Cup run at Aintree, while Nicky Henderson is yet to prove beyond all doubt that his yard is back in top order. The two horses take up nearly two-thirds of the book, so there is plenty of room to oppose them.

BRAVEMANSGAME looks the logical bet. He has not had a stellar season, but has still finished second in two Grade 1s including the King George. He ran fine in the Gold Cup, just failing for stamina, and Aintree is a much friendlier track in that regard.

Bravemansgame did not get the chance to run here last year, but like many King George horses he appeals as the right type to take to the course. If fitting cheekpieces brings him back to even his level on Boxing Day, he would be massively overpriced at overnight odds.

Red Rum Handicap Chase tip

Black Gerry (Each-Way) @ 25/1

The Red Rum features a lot of the principals from the Grand Annual, plus surprisingly few interesting sorts from other form lines.

For that reason it is easy to see why Unexpected Party, Path D'Oroux and Saint Roi are popular again. Preference at big odds, and with bet365 offering four places, is the Gary Moore-trained BLACK GERRY.

This horse is best in spring, on soft ground and when the emphasis is on stamina around two miles. Tick, tick, tick. He returned to form after an admittedly poor season to this point when second in a valuable race at Plumpton last time and he is still way below his last winning mark from last April. 

There is quite a bit to like about Black Gerry's chances and, while he might not have outstanding claims, he is much better than an outsider.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.