RACING: Robbie Power's guide to Saturday’s major action at Down Royal and Aintree

The National Hunt season is slowly getting into full swing and you can enjoy an excellent weekend across the UK and Ireland.

BoyleSports sponsors the entirety of Aintree’s Autumn Raceday card on Saturday afternoon with the undoubted highlight being the £100,000 BoyleSports Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing Sefton Handicap Chase at 2.11pm over two miles and five furlongs. The contest is run over the Grand National fences.

Paul Nicholls has a live contender in Broken Halo who is the current 5/1 favourite with Horse Racing Betting. He lacks experience over fences having run just four times over the larger obstacles. However, he does have a 50% strike-rate over fences and impressed when routing a small field at Fontwell in March when last seen. A handicap mark of 137 does look workable and he is strongly considered in this event.

Two For Gold (7/1) was pulled-up in the Grand National when last seen, but had previously filled second in the Ascot Chase. He unseated-rider in the 2021 Grand National, but the fences don’t seem to be a major problem for him, given the manner in which he jumps and dropped down to this trip over this unique course, he looks a leading player. 

Al Dancer (10/1) is undoubtedly classy, but he does seem to have lost his way in recent times, with his last win coming in October 2020. Second at Newbury in April, he is respected along with Senior Citizen (8/1). He really took to the fences when second in this race 12 months ago and was not disgraced when eighth in the Topham Chase last time out.

Jacamar impressed when scoring at Kempton and Leicester over fences last term and should strip fitter for a reappearance effort at Chepstow. 

Others who command a mention include Spiritofthegames (10/1) and Gesskille (12/1) who come into the race on the back of a win.

BoyleSports ambassador Robbie Power is a Grand National winning rider and has a close affinity with Lifetime Ambition. Power, who retired from the saddle after this year’s Cheltenham Festival, rode Lifetime Ambition on his three starts last term, which included Graded glory at Limerick in March. Jessica Harrington’s charge took a big step forward when second in the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown on his latest start and he rates as a fascinating contender thrown into this event. 

Power said: “It's a cracking renewal of the Grand Sefton, there are some classy individuals in there including Lifetime Ambition, who was second in a Grade 1 to Capodanno on his last start at Punchestown. He was only beaten 6½ lengths and that is good form. He won a beginners’ Chase at Down Royal on this weekend last year beating Beacon Edge and I think he’ll relish the Grand National fences.

“When I got off him at Punchestown in April I said to Jessie Harrington and the owners that I’d train him for a Grand National. This is the first step towards that to see how he handles the unique obstacles. It’ll be interesting to see how he takes to it. 2m5f is probably a bit on the short side for him, but he jumps so well and must have a massive each-way chance. I was at Aintree last week and around Canal Turn from Beechers - it was pretty soft then, so it’ll be testing especially in that part of the track. He has form on all sorts of ground, so stamina coming into play would be a positive for him.

“Spiritofthegames was fifth in the Topham for the Skeltons at the Grand National meeting and that’s great form too because this race isn’t as strong. The form of that Topham has worked out very well so with his experience over the fences, Spiritofthegames is the horse they all have to beat. He’s already had a run this season and he’ll be wound up for this one.”

Elsewhere on the card, the £45,000 BoyleSports Best Odds Guaranteed Day Before Hurdle (2.45pm) is stacked full of quality and features Langer Dan who deservedly captured a big prize over course and distance last term. He is clearly respected along with Brewin’Upastorm who landed a big pot at Lingfield last season and also shaped well in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell when filling the runner-up position. Former Ascot Chase scorer Dashel Drasher and Voix Du Reve complete the four runners.

The other brilliant action this weekend comes in Northern Ireland where Down Royal stages two days of superb racing action. The undoubted highlight is the €150,000 Champion Chase (2.32pm) on Saturday afternoon. Sadly the race lacks defending champion Frodon who has been rerouted to the Badger Ales Chase at Wincanton owing to the potential for soft ground in Northern Ireland.

However, the field still features plenty of quality and is led by the Gordon Elliott-trained Galvin. The eight-year-old was second in this race 12 months ago and also boasts a Cheltenham Festival win to his name in the National Hunt Chase. Fourth in this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup he landed successive renewals of a Grade Three event at Punchestown on his reappearance with a facile win and clearly looks the one to beat here. He got within three-quarters of a length of Frodon last year and with that rival side-stepping this assignment, he is undoubtedly the one to beat.

Elliott is also represented by the progressive Conflated who scored by six and a half-lengths in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February. He fell when making his challenge in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, but shaped with promise when second in the Bowl at Aintree on his final start last term.

Envoi Allen was deemed at one point to be the most exciting horse in training. However, despite landing a Grade One over fences last term he struggled in the main, finishing his season with a third in the Champion Chase at Punchestown having filled the same position in the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Former Savills Chase hero Kemboy is another who is respected. However, he has finished second to Easy Game on two starts this term and this demands more. Beacon Edge completes the five runners.