Grand National festival 2023 tips: Thursday's best bets from Racing Post experts

Day one of the Grand National festival is upon us – but who do our top tipsters fancy most?

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Ahoy Senor

2.55 Aintree

By Paul Kealy

Lucinda Russell's eight-year-old was running a cracker in the Gold Cup until falling six from home, but he won't have had a hard race and he can normally be relied upon to run really well in the spring.

He has won easily at this meeting in each of the last two years, first when slamming Bravemansgame in a Grade 1 novice hurdle and then when winning the 3m Grade 1 novice chase last season.

Throughout his career he has tended to get better as the season has progressed and he went into the Gold Cup on the back of a career-best win in the Cotswold Chase.

It was too far out to say what would have happened in the Gold Cup, but he looked to be in the process of putting in another top-notch effort, and if the fall hasn't left its mark he can be a player with Brian Hughes deputising for Derek Fox, who is sitting this one out in a bid to recover from injury in time to ride Corach Rambler in the Grand National.

Ahoy Senor14:55 Aintree

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Jky: Brian Hughes Tnr: Lucinda Russell

Zenta

2.20 Aintree

By Kevin Morley

Triumph form usually comes to the fore and, with that in mind, the vote has to go to Zenta, who has a fair bit in hand on adjusted RPR following her third in the Cheltenham contest.

Nusret holds solid frame claims, but the dark horse is Gary Moore's French import Bo Zenith, who can give the selection most to do.

Zenta14:20 Aintree

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Jky: Mark Walsh Tnr: W P Mullins

Latenightpass

4.05 Aintree

By Tom Segal

The same horses who dominated the Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase in 2021 did so again last year, and the safest course of action is probably to stick with the horses and jockeys who know their way around the National fences.

Latenightpass stayed on strongly to win the race last year, having raced up with the strong pace, and I see no reason why he won't do the same again. He has clearly been trained with this race in mind and the more rain the more his stamina will come into play.