Clan Des Obeaux appears weak in betting for Bowl clash with Protektorat

Your one-stop shop for Grand National festival news on Thursday morning.

Top stories: Clan out to 13-2

Clan Des Obeaux won the Betway Bowl as the 5-2 favourite last year, but he appears friendless for Thursday's race (2.55).

Trained by Paul Nicholls, the talented chaser has been earmarked for Aintree for some time and was Coral's 7-2 joint-favourite for the Bowl on Wednesday with Protektorat.

However, support for the ten-year-old does not seem overly forthcoming and 13-2 is widely available.

That is in contrast to Protektorat, who was third when last seen in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Clan Des Obeaux: Aintree winner last yearCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

He has a fine Aintree record and is as short as 5-2 with Paddy Power and Betfair, although William Hill are 3-1.

Aintree is an important meeting for Nicholls, who heads the race to be Britain's champion jumps trainer, which is decided on prize-money.

He has two in the Betway Aintree Hurdle (3.30) on Thursday's card and that Grade 1 - like the Bowl - is worth £250,000, some of which could be making it into the trainer's pocket.

He fields McFabulous, but Monmiral seems the more likely stable winner and he is into 7-1 in places having been as big as 10-1 a day earlier.

Ed Dark of Star Sports said: "It's been a little quiet so far but we've laid £5,000 each-way Protektorat at 3-1 in the Bowl and £5,000 on Rosy Redrun in the mares' bumper. Erne River is by far the worst result for us in the opener."

Posted at 12.12pm

Foxhunters' fancy: Jett solid

Sam Waley-Cohen's fine record over the Grand National fences might be a reason for Jett hardening as favourite for the Randox Foxhunters' () on Thursday and the Racing Post's top tipster Paul Kealy is sweet on his chances too.

Waley-Cohen has enjoyed six winners over the sport's most famous fences from 39 rides and appears to have decent claims of adding to those victories on Jett, who was eighth in the 2020 Becher and filled the same spot in last year's National.

The 11-year-old, owned and trained by the amateur jockey's father Robert, was 3-1 for the race on Wednesday, but was into 5-2 on Thursday morning, although 9-4 was the best price with plenty of layers.

Kealy was a guest on , the Racing Post's daily YouTube show during the National meeting, and gave Jett a ringing endorsement.

Jett and Sam Waley-Cohen in the National last yearCredit: Tim Goode (Getty Images)

"Won't he do what Livelovelaugh did a few years ago [took to the fences in the National] and then he came and destroyed the field in the Topham," he said. "Isn't that what Jett is going to do today?

"You've got a 23-runner race and a 3-1 favourite and I'm the one who wants to take on horses at that price, but I think he's a massive price. He's got 22 rivals, but none of them are going to be in front of him by the time they reach the first.

"On his best form, he's by far and away the best horse in the race - far better than any of these have been or will be - and he's got a jockey who has a better record than the vast majority of professionals over the fences.

"There really are no negatives. There are firms paying five places, but I've just backed him to win. I can't see what will beat him."

Posted at 10.42am

National latest: Two out, two in

Nicky Henderson's bid to end his Aintree hoodoo will go on for at least another year after Caribean Boy was ruled out of Saturday's Randox Grand National on Thursday morning - news that means the fancied Eclair Surf will make the final field.

Fortescue will also run as Gordon Elliott did not declare Farclas.

Henderson has had a wonderful career, but he has had little joy in the sport's biggest race and a pulled hamstring has stopped Caribean Boy, owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, from competing.

That opens the door for Eclair Surf, who had been as short as 11-1 to triumph, to get a run in the race, which has a maximum field of 40.

Trained by Emma Lavelle, Eclair Surf showcased his credentials for staying prizes by bolting up in Warwick's Classic Chase before a fine second to the well-handicapped Win My Wings in the Eider.

He was not, however, rated high enough to be guaranteed a run and he was in danger of missing out, but recent defections of Battleoverdoyen and Court Maid gave connections hope and their dreams were realised on Thursday morning when injury prevented Caribean Boy, who had been as big as 80-1, from taking part in the £1 million event.

The Henry Daly-trained Fortescue, far from a forlorn hope given the way he stuck on to win a Listed race at Ascot last time, was also in danger of missing out, but he will line up after the absence of Farclas.

The National takes place live on ITV at 5.15pm on Saturday and Commodore, School Boy Hours, Romain De Senam and Roi Mage are the four reserves.

They have - in that order - until 1pm on Friday to creep in if any other horses are forced to swerve the prestigious showpiece.

Updated at 10.25am

Market movers

1.45
Erne River 5-2 (from 7-2)

2.55
Protektorat 11-4 (from 100-30)

4.05
Jett 9-4 (from 11-4)

4.40
Shakem Up'Arry 12-1 (from 16)

5.15
Ashroe Diamond 4-1 (from 11-2)

Updated at 12.06pm

Ground and weather: showers forecast

Conditions are set to be "ideal" for the first day of the 2022 Grand National meeting on Thursday, according to clerk of the course Sulekha Varma, who cannot wait for the action to start.

Varma, on Thursday morning, described the going as good to soft, good in places on the regulation chase and hurdle (Mildmay) tracks, while it is good to soft on the National course, which is in use for the Randox Foxhunters' ().

The classy card starts with the SSS Super Alloys Manifesto Novices' Chase () and its features are the Betway Bowl Chase () and Betway Aintree Hurdle ().

"We had 1mm of rain before midnight last night and we've had a few blustery showers come through this morning, but nothing significant," said Varma, who applied 2mm of water to the National course on Wednesday night.

"We are expecting them to continue on and off this morning and we might get in the region of 2-4mm.

"That might take us to good to soft on the Mildmay courses and we'd be good to soft all over, but on the Grand National course we're probably where we are now.

"It's quite a windy start this morning. It was blustery overnight and there was some minor damage, bins blowing over and some hoardings, but nothing too concerning.

"We might get a couple of showers pass through on Friday, but nothing significant and then plenty of sunny spells and Saturday looks bright and breezy."

Varma, who said some strips of turf were so fresh they had not been raced on for 12 months, added: "Aintree's a fast-drying course so we'll take each day as it comes and assess things each evening as to whether we need to do anything [with regard to watering] overnight on either of the three tracks, but it's an ideal place to be starting definitely."

This fixture was cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic and last year's meeting was staged with restrictions, but racegoers are back in full force this year and Varma went on: "It always feels like a very long build-up to this meeting and the site build starts as soon as we come back from the Christmas break. It's been a gradual building of excitement since with things coming together and we had some new ideas for public areas for 2020 that we never got to see happen, so it will be great to see those come to fruition."

Posted at 7.39am

Non-runners

1.45
2 Jacamar

4.05
18 Mighty Stowaway

4.40
4 Global Citizen

Posted at 7.49am

Thursday's Aintree previews:

1.45 Aintree: 'This was always the target' – Nicholls hoping to crack Grade 1 with Pic D'Orhy

2.20 Aintree: 'You'd like to think he'll take a bit of beating' – Elliott confident in Piper

2.55 Aintree: Gold Cup third Protektorat out to prove best of British in Bowl at Aintree

3.30 Aintree: intermediate trip sets up fascinating clash between Epatante and Zanahiyr

4.05 Aintree: is Jett ready for take-off? Expert analysis and key quotes on the Foxhunters'

4.40 Aintree: front-running Before Midnight could be the one in a fast and furious Red Rum

New Sky Bet customers can get £20 in free bets. New customers only. First single & e/w bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 2 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non-withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further T&Cs apply. 18+. begambleaware.org.