Ginger Joe - Aintree Day 1 - Betting Tips for 11 April 2024

The Aintree Grand National Meeting starts here

The Grand National meeting has arrived and we have four superb Grade 1s to take a look at on the opening day. There’s no racecourse in the world quite like Aintree. The racing action here is always fiercely competitive action and of course it all leads up to the big event itself - the 34-runner Aintree Grand National on Saturday.

Although most eyes are on the main event, as racing fans, we also have 11 Grade 1s to get stuck into over the three days and I will bring you a preview and betting tips for all of those big races. But for the Grand National itself, I’ll be putting together a full runner-by-runner guide to help point you in the direction of a winner. So, whether it’s colours, names or numbers you like to go on, stay tuned and I’ll have all the angles covered.

£30 of free bets from race sponsors William Hill

William Hill are the sponsors of today’s feature race - The Bowl Chase - and they have a cracking free bet deal up for grabs. Bet £10, and you’ll get £30 in free bets. Now is a great time to get your free bets lined up ready for the big event on Saturday.

13:45 Aintree - Manifesto Novices Chase 2m 4f

The Aintree Grand National meeting kicks off with the two and a half mile Novice Chase where Turner's winner, Grey Dawning, heads the betting at 11/10. He is certainly the right favourite on form, and he should also prefer Aintree to Cheltenham, but there is always the question of how much the Cheltenham Festival has taken out of the runners and Grey Dawning probably had the hardest race of them all. Not just because he won it, but because he takes a lot of winding up through a race and if he is to win again in this company, he is going to have to be 100% and the four-week gap may not be quite long enough for him. Which does make his 11/10 price tag slightly questionable.

Ginny’s Destiny finished second to Grey Dawning in the Turner’s and he is a seriously good jumper of a fence. He ran a mighty race at Cheltenham and it’s probably fair to assume he can back it up here at Aintree, based on the campaign he has had this season. If you’re looking for a Placepot horse here in the opener, the reliable Ginny’s Destiny is the one. Colonel Harry is here for Jamie Snowden at a massive price, and he will love these conditions so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him outrun his odds, whilst Blow Your Wad comes in fresher than his four rivals and could also go really well.

This is a fantastic race it really is, but I think it could be worth taking a chance on Il Etait Temps for Willie Mullins. When he finished third in the Arkle, he looked to me like a step up in trip would suit him quite nicely, so there is a good chance he can improve again. He did win the Irish Arkle over 2m before underperforming a touch at Cheltenham, so again, the lack of a decent break may not be ideal, but I think going up to the intermediate trip could well be key here, so I’m going to side with Il Etait temps.

The GJ verdict

Winner: Il Etait Temps
Placepot: Ginny’s Destiny

14:20 Aintree - Juvenile Hurdle 2m 1f

I always really enjoy these Juvenile Hurdles because they always seem to serve up some sort of unexpected treat. And despite having just six runners here, this is still an interesting race to try and dissect. Sir Gino is the current even money favourite and he is a very interesting contender. He came from France with a big reputation and then bolted up on both of his starts for Nicky Henderson, which earned him a price tag of just 4/6 for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Of course didn’t actually make it to the big day, but he has the chance to prove his class here and could be very tough to beat. Nevertheless, he doesn’t come without caveats, the first being that he is only a four-year-old who is taking on more experienced horses who already have Graded form and, to a lesser extent, we can’t be sure if he will cope on what promises to be fairly deep ground. He doesn’t look over-complicated but he has no margin for error here.

Kargese is a very progressive mare and I have been particularly impressed with her since she joined Willie Mullins. I like the fact that she built on her debut by winning the Spring Juvenile at the Dublin Racing Festival and I also like that she put on a repeat performance at the Cheltenham Festival, finishing second to Majborough in the Triumph Hurdle. I also feel that she has been underestimated this season, because everything she has done has been on deep ground and I’m convinced we’ll see better still when she eventually gets a nice bit of good to soft. Kargese sets a very good standard here and could well be Sir Gino’s main danger.

Kalif Du Berlais represents Paul Nicholls and he remains unbeaten in his three starts to date, but we still don’t know how good he really is at this point. My gut feeling says that he would need to improve a fair bit to win this, especially if everything goes to plan for the front two in the market. That said, the softer the ground gets, the closer he might go. Lastly, we have the Joseph O’Brien pair, Nurburgring and Intellotto. However likeable they both are, I feel they would both need to improve too much to be in with a shout this time around. So after all that, I think the way to go here is to side with Sir Gino, despite the slight concerns I have expressed. If he is as good as we believe he is, and as good as the Seven Barrows team think he is, then he should get his nose in front, but with Kargese right on his tail.

The GJ verdict

Winner: Sir Gino
Placepot: Kargese

14:55 Aintree - William Hill Bowl Chase 3m 1f

Next up we have the Aintree Bowl and this is going to be some race tactically speaking. We may as well start with the current favourite, Gerri Colombe, who comes into this off the back of running a huge race in the Cheltenham Gold Cup to finish second, so it looks like he is finally starting to get the hang of things. His resume is very good, and he hasn’t finished outside the first two in any of his twelve career starts, which makes me think he could be open to more still. It must be said that he has managed to acquire a superb record whilst doing plenty wrong in the process, but it all seemed to click in the Gold Cup. He may be an eight-year-old, but I think he is still the unfinished article and he could potentially spring yet another surprise here, provided he gets ridden with the right tactics.

Shishkin is currently the second favourite and he could cause Gerri Colombe more than enough problems on a flat track like Aintree. He may not be the two-miler he once was, but he is certainly a big player in the Staying Chase division now. From what we’ve seen recently, if he is allowed to go from the front, he’ll be incredibly hard to catch. We saw him do it at Kempton in the King George, and he has a massive chance again if he is in the right mood.

Corbetts Cross is a horse I absolutely fell in love with after his Cheltenham performance, that engine of his is huge. But whether or not he is up to winning in Open company is another question entirely. I’m sure he’s capable of running a big race, but beating Shishkin or Gerri Colombe off the back of his National Hunt Chase run is a huge ask and isn’t likely to happen. That being said, he looks like he is going to be a serious force going forward and it will be interesting to see how he goes here. Bravemansgame and Gentlemansgame both need to put Cheltenham way behind them if they are to go close, and in light of their recent performances, I have no interest in either of them here at Aintree.

The GJ verdict

Winner: Shishkin
Placepot: Gerri Colombe

15:30 Aintree - William Hill Hurdle 2m 4f

The final Grade 1 on the opening day of the Grand National meeting is the Aintree Hurdle. Here we see fan-favourite and seemingly-rejuvenated character, Bob Olinger, heading the market at a miniscule price. He is a two-time Cheltenham Festival winner, who did lose his way briefly, but has been in great fettle again this season winning his first two starts at Navan and Cheltenham, before running on to finish second behind State Man at the DRF. That form is obviously strong, but at the same time, Bob is hardly the most reliable sort. I have my own ideas about the tactics that might suit him best, but I’m sure that Henry De Bromhead knows what he is doing by now. Bob Olinger does have the advantage of coming here fresh though, having skipped the Cheltenham Festival so it won’t be a huge surprise to see him romp in ahead of the rather lukewarm field here.

Impaire Et Passe was third behind Bob Olinger in the previously mentioned DRF race, so it’s hard to know where to put him at the minute. He hasn’t kicked on from last season, but we know there is an engine inside him on a good day. That said, you’re taking a big chance if you back him here. Luccia could well prove to be the best of the rest after outrunning her odds at Cheltenham and she might just improve for the step up in trip too. Meanwhile, the ten-year-old Beacon Edge isn’t out of this either if he turns up in peak form and is currently sitting at a massive price.

The GJ verdict

Winner: Bob Olinger
Placepot: Beacon Edge and Luccia

Betting tips for Aintree Day 1

Winners enclosure

• 13:45 - Il Etait Temps
• 14:20 - Sir Gino
• 14:55 - Shishkin
• 15:30 - Bob Olinger

Plays for a place

• 13:45 - Ginny's Destiny
• 14:20 - Kargese
• 14:55 - Gerri Colombe
• 15:30 - Beacon Hill & Luccia

Line up your free bets ready for the Grand National

1.

4.8/5

Stake.us Bonus Code

$55 Stake Cash + 260K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback

Players from United States of America accepted

Requirements (WR): 3x

Copy

Get Bonus

T&Cs apply, 18+

2.

4.7/5

Wow Vegas Bonus Code

35 SC FREE and 1.75M WOW Coins

Players from United States of America accepted

Requirements (WR): 1x Bonus, Min. Deposit: 9.99

Go to Wow Vegas

Get Bonus

T&Cs apply, 18+

3.

4.7/5

High5Casino Bonus Code

Get Up To 200 GC + 40 SC + 100 Diamonds!

Players from United States of America accepted

Requirements (WR): 1x Bonus

Go to High5Casino

Get Bonus

T&Cs apply, 18+

4.

4.7/5

Vegas Gems Bonus Code

1000 Gems + 50% Extra gems On Your First Shards Purchase

Players from United States of America accepted

Go to Vegas Gems

Get Bonus

T&Cs apply, 18+

5.

4.6/5

Sweeptastic Bonus Code

33 SC FREE and 67,777 Lucky Coins

Players from United States of America accepted

Go to Sweeptastic

Get Bonus

T&Cs apply, 18+

Want more Aintree news and views? Follow Ginger Joe

👇 Follow Ginger Joe on Twitter, YouTube and Discord 👇

🎥 GJ on Youtube
#️⃣ GJ on Twitter
🫰 Join GJ's expert Discord Channel