Grand National meeting day two: Fakir D’Oudairies to land the Melling

F akir D’Oudairies was the sixth horse to win the Grade One Melling Chase for a second time when he came home five-and-a-half lengths in front of Hitman 12 months ago, but he will be the first to complete a hat-trick if he can overcome six opponents at Aintree on Friday.

Joseph O’Brien’s chaser was sent off at odds-on last year on the back of a Grade One win in the Ascot Chase in February, but he was third in the same event this season behind Thursday’s Bowl winner, Shishkin.

Pic D’Orhy, his main market rival, was seven lengths in front of Fakir D’Ourdairies (3.30) there, but Aintree seems to bring out the very best in the eight-year-old and first-time cheekpieces could also aid his cause.

Aintree 2.20 Harry Derham has made a hugely impressive start to his training career after graduating from his role as Paul Nicholls’s assistant and Dargiannini, who made the move with him from the champion trainer’s yard, could supply him with his most valuable success to date in this tightly knit handicap hurdle. He was a faller on his first start for his new stable, but has since contributed two victories that have helped to push Derham’s strike rate to 28%. He had plenty to spare last time and arrives fresh after bypassing Cheltenham so it should not be beyond him to defy a 7lb rise in the weights.

Aintree 2.55 Davy Russell’s unexpected return to race-riding to cover for the injured Jack Kennedy has not progressed without the occasional bump in the road, but he has a definite chance to get another Grade One on his record aboard Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty. The six-year-old was touched off by the highly promising Corbetts Cross at Naas in February and that form was franked when the winner ran a huge race to the final flight in