Christian Williams can produce another five-star performance at Aintree

Five Star Getaway
4.05 Aintree, Friday
1pt each-way at 16-1, four places with bet365

I think Tom Segal put it best on In The Know on Friday evening when he said Christian Williams is the best trainer of staying handicappers in the country and it certainly looked the case when Win My Wings and Kittys Light gave him a 1-2 in the Scottish Grand National on Saturday.

I think he could add the Randox Topham Handicap Chase (4.05) on Thursday too, as his raider Five Star Getaway has presumably been trained with this in mind given his connections are from the local area.

The eight-year-old improved from a rating of 94 to 135 last season and he's now down to a mark of 133, just 3lb higher than winning a really strong race on his seasonal debut at Kempton in December.

Fortescue finished second that day and he's since finished third in the Peter Marsh and won the Swinley Chase, prompting a 10lb rise in the weights.

Flegmatik was third and he's won both his subsequent races in a common canter, going up 15lb. Stablemates Kittys Light (fourth) and Cap Du Nord (eighth, third in Grimthorpe, won Coral Trophy since) haven't disgraced the form either.

Five Star Getaway ran well behind Le Milos at Sandown afterwards and despite being placed prominently, didn't really get in a rhythm when sent off favourite last time.

All his wins last year came over 2m4f and while his reappearance was over 3m, I've long thought he isn't a slow horse and this test should be right up his street as he's a bold jumper with a lot of natural pace.

The last three winners of this race all 'made most' according to in-running comments and that's exactly what Five Star Getaway did when winning so well on his first start of the season.

Of those ahead of him in the market, Mister Coffey will probably never carry my cash as he's quirky and never seems to put it all in, while Senior Citizen is thoroughly exposed and 6lb higher than when third last year.

It isn't hard to see why Blackbow is popular given he is trained by Willie Mullins, who has scooped the last two runnings of this with Cadmium and Livelovelaugh, but he was probably flattered in what was a glorified two-runner race last time and while he has buckets of natural talent, is hardly value at 10-1.

Five Star Getaway is number 35 on the list and if getting in will carry a featherweight (he would have got in eight of the last nine runnings), so he is worth supporting with bet365, who are offering 16-1. He's as short as 10-1 elsewhere.

Remastered can bounce back after wind operation

Remastered
4.15 Aintree, Saturday
1pt each-way at 14-1 with William Hill

Politesse
1.45 Aintree, Friday
1pt each-way

Aintree is always a fun festival as a punter because the established types are taken on by those who have had much quieter seasons.

The Manifesto Novices' Chase (1.45) looks like it's going to cut up with Do Your Job and Minella Drama running on Saturday at Ayr while presumably Bravemansgame will go for the Mildmay.

Don't discount outsider The Widdow Maker, who looked really good on chasing debut at Exeter in February and put up a good fight when giving 9lb to a relative of Sprinter Sacre's last time.

He's an exuberant type and should be right at home on this speed-favouring track. It doesn't look a deep division and he can outrun his odds.

In the following juvenile hurdle (2.20) I'm most interested by Fautinette, who will make her British debut for Venetia Williams and DFA Racing, who own L'Homme Presse.

The form of her last win at Vichy has worked out well and while this will be a big ask after a 322-day break imposed by injury, expect her to show up well and don't be surprised if she goes chasing with a big allowance in the autumn.

Arguably one of the most interesting horses running at Aintree all week could be Politesse, who was a very promising bumper and hurdler a couple of seasons ago.

She was an emphatic winner on chasing debut in May and then unseated her rider at Cork in November. I'd be fascinated to see what mark the British handicapper gives her as she's entered in the Grade 3s over 2m4½ and 3m½f – give Serious Charges a look if he ends up in the latter, too.

It's unlikely Call Of The Wild will be good enough to beat Jonbon, who runs in the same silks, in Friday's Top Novices' Hurdle (2.20), but nevertheless he rates a decent prospect for 2m handicap hurdles next year. Similar comments apply to Lac De Constance in the same race.

The 2m4f of the Marsh Chase (3.30) should be ideal for Paint The Dream, who took his form to a totally new level last time out and comes into this a fresher horse than most. He can put in a career-best.

Remastered has had a wind operation and is of interest in the 3m1f handicap chase (4.15) on Saturday (also entered in 3m½f handicap hurdle). He's 3lb lower than when he looked like he was going to bolt up with the Ladbrokes Trophy at the beginning of the season and wasn't disgraced afterwards when second in the Tommy Whittle under a big weight and fourth in a top-quality Peter Marsh.

He ran well at the track over hurdles on his seasonal debut and Racing Post Ratings of 155, 152 and 144 put him right in the mix here off an official handicap mark of 143, particularly if the operation has done the trick. He could be tough to peg back with his trainer operating at a 27 per cent strike-rate.

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