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Key events
Greg Wood
1.55pm MERSEY NOVICE HURDLE preview
The performance of Kaka’s Cousin in the preceding handicap will be an interesting pointer to the chance of Olly Murphy’s Scorpio Rising, who won the Sandown handicap in which Kaka’s Cousin finished fourth. The six-year-old was steered around the festival and has more than earned this tilt at a Grade One by stringing together four straight wins in progressively stronger company this season. Gordon Elliott is going for a five-timer in this race with Ballyfad but he did not cut much ice in the equivalent race at Cheltenham, where Dan Skelton’s Bossman Jack, who is vying for favouritism with Ballyfad, looked unlucky not to finish closer when four lengths behind the winner in sixth.
SELECTION: SCORPIO RISING
1.20pm HANDICAP HURDLE preview
A big field for this handicap hurdle for stayers but the market is dominated by a trio of lightly-raced novices in Kaka’s Cousin, Hold The Serve and Fortune Timmy. All three have plenty of scope to progress beyond their current handicap marks so it is probably a question of which one will find the most improvement, and Hold The Serve, with just four races in the book, could be the one, as he has run out a comfortable winner of his last three starts. Kaka’s Cousin, meanwhile, was better than the bare result when fourth in a highly competitive handicap at Sandown last time, while Fortune Timmy is a handicap debutant after finishing in midfield in the Grade one Turners Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham last month.
SELECTION: HOLD THE SERVE
Greg Wood
Greg Wood
Going to start running through our race previews now …
12.45pm MAGHULL NOVICE CHASE preview
An early start for the action at Aintree with a Grade One novice chase that got rather lost last year, when it was off at 5.00 race, an hour after the National. The three principals in the betting were all steered around Cheltenham last month and so arrive here fresh, and the standout is Willie Mullins’s Salvator Mundi, thanks to his winning form in the Grade One novice over this trip at this meeting 12 months ago. His main market rival is Gordon Elliott’s mare Kala Conti, second in the Grade One Scilly Isles Novice Chase at Sandown in February, while Mighty Bandit is stepping up from handicap company after reeling off three straight wins.
SELECTION: SALVATOR MUNDI
There is also one change of jockey from those printed in your morning papers. Kielan Woods has not recovered from his fall earlier in the week and that means he will miss the ride on Marble Sands in the Grand National, and will be replaced by Tom Bellamy.
We have a new National favourite and it’s the mare Panic Attack. No mare has won the National since Nickel’s Coin in 1951, when only three finished! Panic Attack is a slick jumper of a fence and has been in terrific form this season. Here’s the early betting for the market leaders:
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Panic Attack – 7/1
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Jagwar – 8/1
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I Am Maximus – 9/1
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Grangeclare West 9/1
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Johnnywho – 11/1
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Montys Star – 12/1
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Oscars Brother – 14/1
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Iroko – 16/1
Aintree non-runners
These won’t be turning up in theire respective races so cross them off your lists. Nick Rocket, last year’s winner of the Grand National, has the sniffles!
1.55pm Turners Mersey Novice Hurdle
3 Came From Nowhere (Unsuitable Going)
2.30pm William Hill Handicap Chase
4 Imperial Saint (got into the Grand National as a reserve)
5 Amirite (got into the Randox Grand National as a reserve)
8 Myretown (Vet’s Certificate, abscess)
14 Stolen Silver (Bruised foot))
3.05pm JET2 Liverpool Hurdle
2 Happy Jacky (Transport issues)
4.00pm Grand National Handicap Chase
2 Nick Rockett (Coughing)
7 Spillane’s Tower (Horse not qualified)
35 Pied Piper (Lame)
Good morning. There was rain around this morning at Aintree when the BBC Breakfast weatherman was giving his forecast but it’s cleared up and the ground still has some juice in it. They always water the track well with safety in mind.
Grand National Course: Good to Soft
Mildmay Course (Chase & Hurdle): Good to Soft, Good in places
Aintree tell us “there was 2mm of rain overnight. The showers should clear by mid-morning for a partly sunny day but here is the slight chance of a further shower mid-afternoon.”
Preamble
Greg Wood
Welcome to Aintree on Grand National morning, where a sellout crowd is gathering to witness one of the most historic and compelling spectacles in sport as 34 runners and riders line up for the big race at 4pm BST.
An early smattering of rain is clearing away, there’s a brighter forecast for later in the afternoon, and the betting market for the National is already heating up with an early gamble on Jagwar, one of just three seven-year-olds in the field. Panic Attack, the only mare in the field, is popular too, even though the last female (horse) to win was way back in 1951, and has just taken over at the top of the market at 8-1, while Jagwar is top-priced at 17-2 and yesterday’s favourite, I Am Maximus, has drifted out to 9-1 in a place.
Other names that leap out of the list for a variety of reasons are Oscars Brother, from the two-horse yard of Connor King in Ireland; Haiti Couleurs, bidding to be a first Welsh-trained winner since 1905, who is ridden by Sean Bowen and trained by his former babysitter, Rebecca Curtis; and Mr Vango, trained by Sara Bradstock, whose father, the hugely popular broadcaster and journalist Lord John Oaksey, finished second aboard Carrickbeg way back in 1963.
Every punter will have their own way of picking a winner, of course, and Gorgeous Tom may well be popular later with the nation’s Thomases and their kith and kin, and I reckon he might well be in with a decent each-way chance. Picks for the National itself and the ITV races in the run-up to the big one are here, a full guide to all of the runners is here, and you can, as always, follow all the news, views and market moves here on the blog as the countdown begins to the biggest race of the year.
The toddler’s mother Denise Fergus says she is “devastated” by the vandalism at Kirkdale Cemetery.
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Key events
Championship fixtures
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QPR v Bristol City
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Coventry City v Sheffield Wednesday
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Norwich City v Ipswich Town
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Oxford United v Watford
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Leicester City v Swansea City
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Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers
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Southampton v Derby County
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Middlesbrough v Portsmouth
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Sheffield Untied v Hull City
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Charlton Athletic v Preston North End
It’s also another big day in the Championship as Coventry City look to take another huge step towards promotion. They face already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday in one of the early games.
David Estherby has messaged in to say:
“Have to agree with godfrey007 (8.33); it’s clear Ange prioritised a cup over league position last year, theres no way he would’ve let them slide to 17th or worse again. More importantly, there’s not a chance Spurs would be where they are if Vertonghen and Alderweireld were still there, let alone Kane. Club’s a mess but until the board prioritise Tottenham Hotspur over the Jacksonville Jaguars/Beyonce/the karaoke singer from the Bricklayers not a jot will change.
“S**t runs downhill, folks.”
Some more on Spurs…
I think the problems at Spurs go deeper than the coach. But saying that – the decision making at the club has certainly contributed – especially with the choices of coach post Ange.
Frank inherited a squad built for the front foot, proactive football. We were promised flexibility from Frank after Ange’s mostly myopic approach, but instead we kind of got a non-football under Frank which seemed to leave the players confused. Spurs didn’t really have problems scoring goals under Ange. But that became difficult under Frank – with a focus on set piece play for a team that used to like to press from the front, have possession, play the ball on the floor and dominate games. With Frank Spurs started to launch it long (with a keeper who couldn’t) – and that was the start and downhill from there. Historically bad xG’s occurred game after game, players pölayed out of position or simply mis profiled. Frank’s tenure was absolutely awful. Injuries played their part (when don’t they at Spurs?) – and the club selling two season’s in a row top scorers who weren’t replaced certainly added bluntness in front of goal to the mix.
De Zerbi sees players in this Spurs team that can play the game in his style -or at least to his principles . As we’ve seen with West Ham – they are getting out of this mess by trying to win games. Spurs need to be more positive in their intent and they actually have the players to do this. Let’s see if De Zerbi can raise the confidence levels.
The firing of Ange – after delivering a trophy – and with most of the season having a depleted squad as we have now (for context) – was an achievement. This talk of Spurs getting used to losing is denied by the EL win – an ultimate in winning. There was a sense of togetherness between players, fans and coach after Bilbao. The club decided to end that abruptly and the club hasn’t recovered.
Today’s Premier League fixtures
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Arsenal v Bournemouth
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Brentford v Everton
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Burnley v Brighton
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Liverpool v Fulham
Arteta also admitted he is proud to be coming up against former team-mate Andoni Iraola, who is also from the Basque Country.
He said: “Yes, it’s amazing what he has done together with the club. The consistency that they’ve shown, the manner that they’ve done it and the amount of players they’ve sold – how they’ve then reinvented themselves. The run that they are on is incredible because we know how tough the Premier League is. When it comes to pride, it’s huge, when it comes to rivalry on matchday, it’s even bigger – it goes out the window.”
Mikel Arteta urged Arsenal fans to bring the noise at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon as the Gunners look to go 12 points clear at the top of the table.
He said: “We know the meaning of every match here and the opportunity that we have, especially when we play at home. We need to maximise every result. It’s about each individual and how we turn up there. It’s actually impacting the game, the atmosphere and energy in the stadium. Whoever comes tomorrow, I ask them to be with that mindset, energy and commitment, because the team is going to respond beautifully to that.”
It should be a good match between Arsenal and Bournemouth this afternoon, although I don’t think anything could beat this game… the DRAMA!
Now from one end of the table to the other… Arsenal will look to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table with a win over Bournemouth at lunchtime. The Gunners currently lead by nine points, although second-placed Manchester City have a game in hand.
This could be a huge weekend for the title race, with Pep Guardiola and Co facing a difficult clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
Speaking of “Ange-ball” – Roberto De Zerbi wants to bring it back as he attempts to prevent Tottenham’s first relegation in 49 years.
Another question for Tottenham fans, do you think the club would be in this position if Ange Postecoglou had stayed?
De Zerbi to bring back Angeball. Along with the majority of other Spurs fans, I can’t help thinking that the club should never have sacked Ange in the first place! A terribly run club
With Burnley and Wolves looking pretty much certain to go down, the battle to avoid that last relegation place is heating up. Tottenham slipped into that spot last night following West Ham’s 4-0 win – and they face a challenging game away at Sunderland tomorrow.
Nottingham Forest and Leeds United are also down there. The question is, who will face the drop? Let me know what you think!
Thank you, James, for getting this Matchday live up and running while I battled through train delays to make it into London! I just about made it… eventually!
Anyway, Premier League football is back and we have four games to look forward to later today. Arsenal will look to extend their lead at the top of the table when they face Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium. Brentford then host Everton, with Brighton travelling to face Burnley at Turf Moor.
And in the late game, Liverpool will look to bounce back from defeats to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain when they take on Fulham at home.
Friday night’s European roundup
Real Madrid had to settle for a 1-1 draw against mid-table Girona in La Liga, extending the hosts’ winless run to three games in all competitions and giving leaders Barcelona the chance to stretch their advantage at the top.
Federico Valverde put Madrid ahead six minutes after half-time but Girona levelled in the 62nd minute through Thomas Lemar. Álvaro Arbeloa’s side are six points behind with league leaders Barça, who have a game in hand against Espanyol on Saturday and could move nine clear with seven games to play.
West Ham’s rout of Wolves sends Spurs into bottom three
Jacob Steinberg
Two-nil up in a must-win game, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side looked unrecognisable from the doomed bunch who dropped seven points off 17th place in early January. This is a different West Ham. This is a West Ham with a punch in attack and, if this daring escape act does end with Premier League football secured for another season, a key part of the story will be how Nuno strengthened his squad in January.
While Axel Disasi has brought order in defence, the best way to compliment Castellanos and Pablo Felipe is to call them the modern equivalent of John Hartson and Paul Kitson.
West Ham, after all, have form in this department. They were fired to safety in 1997 after signing Hartson and Kitson halfway through a difficult campaign and, 29 years on, have given themselves a fighting chance thanks to the mid-season arrivals of Pablo and Castellanos.
Preamble
Emillia will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what happened in east London last night …
We’ve another stacked lineup today, including Coventry’s push for the Premier League and Arsenal’s latest test as they close on the top-flight title, along with much, much more. Let us know if you’re at a game anywhere today or how you’ll be following from around the world, just drop us an email via the link in the standfirst.
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