Saturday Horse Racing Trades: Tom Collins has a tasty trio to follow at Aintree

Horse racing fans have been subjected to plenty of quantity issues this jumps season - too many races and not enough runners - but this weekend is all about the quality.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle favourite Facile Vega will make his much-anticipated return to the track at Fairyhouse on Saturday (1.52). While Triumph Hurdle fancy Zarak The Brave (12.25), crack novice chaser Three Stripe Life (1.55), Champion Hurdle star Honeysuckle (2.25) and Willie Mullins’ Champion Bumper jolly, Chapeau Du Soleil (3.35), are all in action at that track on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, in Britain on Saturday, Arkle favourite Jonbon will be a justifiable short-priced market leader to win the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase (1.45) at Sandown as he looks to back up his impressive chase debut. Kim Muir antepost fav Revels Hill runs in the London Gold Cup (3.30 Sandown), and both Langer Dan and Ahoy Senor head to Aintree. That’s not even mentioning the Grade 1 Tingle Creek (2.55 Sandown), where Shishkin returns to face last year’s winner Greaneteen and Edwardstone in a thrilling renewal.

Although I will have a close eye on the action elsewhere before heading to the Sky Sports Racing studio on Saturday in a bid to find some Wolverhampton and Stateside winners, my three main bets come on the undercard at Aintree.

Shishkin: one of many stars running on Saturday afternoon

Their meeting kicks off with a 2m1f novices’ hurdle (11.45) that contains two last-time-out winners - Our Marty and Strong Leader - and a selection of unexposed runners from leading stables. One of those is Etalon, who will make his second start over timber for Dan and Harry Skelton.

This son of Sholokhov is a fantastic physical specimen - I’m no constitution expert, but Etalon stands out a mile off. He is a big and imposing five-year-old who will clearly thrive in years to come when he is sent chasing. 

Perhaps his physicality caught him out first time up in a bumper at Chepstow. He loomed large on the scene but didn’t handle the downhill finish as well as his nippier rivals and couldn’t match their closing speed. He took a notable step forward on hurdling debut at Warwick when last seen - Etalon jumped fluently throughout and travelled like a good thing, only to weaken inside the final furlong and finish second to a two-time point winner who had stamina assured.

Both of those efforts were laced with promise and the drop back in trip from 2m3f is sure to suit, as will the flat track. The aforementioned Strong Leader is the horse to beat, but he has to give Etalon 6lb, which looks a pretty tough task. Dan Skelton also boasts a 16% strike-rate (£1 level-stakes profit of +£63.05) with his hurdlers at Aintree over the last five years.

I fancy a similarly unexposed hurdler in the following 3m½f novices’ handicap hurdle (12.20) in the form of Broadway Boy. This four-year-old, who cost £22,000 in May last year, was heavily punted into favouritism (13-2 into evens) on his debut at Market Rasen but jumped like a bag of hammers - to steal a phrase from commentator Jerry Hannon. 

He was noticeably slow at the first hurdle and, although he warmed to his task a little thereafter, Broadway Boy continued to lose out in the jumping stakes. Nevertheless, he went down fighting over an extended 2m4f and finished second, just three-quarters-of-a-length behind the 115-rated Let’s Have Another. 

Broadway Boy clearly learned plenty from that experience and jumped far better on his only subsequent outing at Lingfield, though he finished in the same berth, this time because he faced a horse with serious potential in Authorised Speed. That horse runs at Sandown on Saturday and could be rated in the 140s soon.

The selection now steps up to 3m½f, which is sure to bring out further improvement, and enters handicap company off a mark of just 112. I’m confident that Broadway Boy has more talent than his initial rating suggests.

Snow Leopardess (right): won the Becher Chase last year

Aintree’s visual feature is the Becher Handicap Chase (2.05) and, despite believing Skelton’s Ashtown Lad is by far the horse to beat off a mark of 138, I want to back last year’s runner-up Hill Sixteen as he’s more than double the price. Value is crucial.

There is a lot of speed signed on in this race - Dr Kananga, Snow Leopardess et all will make sure they travel at some clip throughout the early stages, and that will suit this hold-up performer. Hill Sixteen raced in the rear half of the field in this contest 12 months ago, but sauntered into contention with some solid jumps and only just went down fighting in a driving finish.

He warmed up for what appears to be his seasonal target with a good third at Kelso behind the talented Sounds Russian and Aye Right, and, although he’s not exceptionally well treated off a career-high mark of 145, Sandy Thomson’s runner has less to prove than most in this line-up. 

Recommended trades

Etalon (11.45 Aintree) @ 5.6
Broadway Boy (12.20 Aintree) @ 3.65
Hill Sixteen (2.05 Aintree) @ 13