Nico de Boinville: “He put the race to bed in emphatic fashion once I asked him”

2.20pm Aintree

Pentland Hills

Luckily, I was pretty positive on his chances in this column before the Triumph Hurdle, as he did the business in style there. Mind you, it nearly went very, very wrong when he over-jumped at the first but thankfully I managed to stay on.

I wasn’t confident of winning going into the race by any means, as he had only won his sole start at Plumpton, but I was very impressed with him there. He just felt like a proper horse and gave me some feel for a debutant. I know the shine was taken off the Triumph by what happened to the favourite Sir Erec, but Pentland Hills travelled like an old hand that day and put the race to bed in emphatic fashion once I asked him on the run-in.

I appreciate Band Of Outlaws was also very impressive in winning the Boodles and the handicapper only has us 4lb his superior, but the fact of the matter is that my boy is a Grade 1 winner and his main market rival won a handicap off 139, though I really do fully respect and fear him as a danger.

But this is no two-horse race – Supreme fourth Fakir D’oudairies could be as big a threat as his stablemate Band Of Outlaws – and you never know how horses will react next-time-out after the heat of battle at Cheltenham, though he has been fine at home since.

3.25pm Aintree

Verdana Blue

She hasn’t been lucky with the weather and the ground at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, but we let her take her chance this season and she just failed to fire as we know she can. So the rain that Aintree got on Monday night was again unwelcome, and the forecast for Thursday doesn’t look beneficial either.

But we know what a good mare she is if the ground isn’t too bad, as she has shown time and again, and most recently when inching out Buveur D’Air in the Christmas Hurdle. She switches off so well in her races that I think the 2m4f trip should be fine for her, and she certainly looked as though stepping back up in distance – she saw it out well enough as a youngster, albeit in much lesser company – could well suit when staying on strongly, after being hampered on the final turn, when fourth in the Greatwood Hurdle.

This track promises to suit, too. I just hope further rain stays away, as she appears in great form at home and would have very solid each-way claims on decent ground.

4.40pm Aintree

Whatswrongwithyou

I thought he had a tougher task in the Grand Annual than the betting would have had you believe, as a 10lb rise for his win in a three-runner race at Fontwell was always going to make life tough. So, ignoring his price, I thought he ran okay in seventh there. The handicapper certainly hasn’t been overly-generous in dropping us 1lb for that run, but I think this track will suit him better and a bit more rain will probably aid his chances, too. I think he will run well.