Grand National meeting day one: A Plus Tard to lift vintage Aintree Bowl

A n exceptional renewal of the Grade One Aintree Bowl Chase is the undoubted highlight on the opening day of the Grand National meeting. Shishkin, Britain’s top-rated chaser, takes on the second and third from last month’s Gold Cup and two more opponents whose luck was out in the Cheltenham Festival’s feature event.

Bravemansgame, the King George winner at Kempton and seven lengths behind Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup, is a narrow favourite overnight and should, in theory at least, be suited by a return to a flatter track. He was a big disappointment over course and distance at last year’s meeting, however, finishing fourth and last when favourite for the Mildmay Novice Chase.

The winner there was Ahoy Senor, another of the major players on Thursday, but his jumping issues resurfaced at Cheltenham last month when he fell at the 17th while still in the lead and going well in the Gold Cup. He badly hampered A Plus Tard in the process and the 2022 Gold Cup winner was pulled up for the second race in a row not long afterwards. In contrast to his dismal run in the Betfair Chase in November, however, Henry de Bromhead’s chaser was still travelling well at the time and apparently on the way back to something close to his best form.

A Plus Tard (2.55) was a devastating 15-length winner of last season’s Gold Cup and anything near that level would make him an outstanding bet at around 4-1.

Aintree 2.20 Zenta, third home in the Triumph Hurdle at the Festival, sets a clear standard on that form, but had a hard race in the process and Nusret, steered around the Festival after his smooth win in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton in February, makes more appeal at around 6-1.

Aintree 3.30 This could prove to be Constitution Hill’s fina