Five horses who missed Cheltenham and will be in top form for Aintree

Jump racing is not all about the Cheltenham Festival and, with attention now turning towards the Aintree Grand National meeting, there is the chance for a different cast of stars to take centre stage. Here are five horses who missed Cheltenham but could make their mark at Aintree.

RathvindenWillie Mullins
Five of the top six in the Grand National betting took the chance to advance their case at Cheltenham but the exception was Willie Mullins’ big hope, Rathvinden, who stayed at home following his impressive warm-up win in last month’s Grade 3 Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse.

Opinion is divided on whether going to Cheltenham is the best Aintree prep (five of the last ten National winners did, five didn’t) but Mullins has gone down the same route he took with 2005 National hero Hedgehunter, who also landed the Bobbyjo and then waited for Aintree.

The look of love: Warren Greatrex and La Bague Au Roi after last year's Flogas ChaseCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

La Bague Au Roi
Warren Greatrex
The star mare has won all four chase starts and boasts some of the strongest novice form, having beaten RSA Chase one-two Topofthegame and Santini in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton’s Christmas meeting as well as JLT Novices’ Chase runner-up Lostintranslation on two occasions.

Connections always felt Aintree would suit her better than Cheltenham and, having scored a second Grade 1 win in last month’s Flogas Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, she is set to bid for a third in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase over 3m1f on April 5.

Emitom
Warren Greatrex
The next big thing in the Greatrex yard might be this exciting five-year-old, who is unbeaten in two bumpers and three runs over hurdles but had to miss the festival after the equine flu shutdown meant his trainer was unable to give him enough experience in time.

Instead Greatrex sent him to Newbury to score over 2m4½f on March 1 and a Grade 1 bid over that trip (Mersey Novices’ Hurdle) or a step up to 3m½f (Sefton Novices’ Hurdle) will be the aim at Aintree. His November win over Lisnagar Oscar (fifth in last week’s Albert Bartlett) offers some form book evidence for Greatrex’s opinion of him as being "right up there with the best I've trained. He's so talented, a bit special".

Rouge Vif (Gavin Sheehan) flies the last on his way to Grade 2 success at KelsoCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Rouge Vif
Harry Whittington
The five-year-old has stepped up the ranks in six runs over hurdles and was a four-length winner of a Kelso Grade 2 novice over 2m2f this month, with Grade 1 Challow runner-up Getaway Trump well beaten in fourth as odds-on favourite. That is not his only piece of good form as he split Mister Fisher and Thomas Darby (eighth and second behind Klassical Dream in last week’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle) at Kempton’s Christmas meeting.

His trainer describes him as "a classy performer with plenty of speed" and his performance on the sharp, left-handed Kelso circuit augurs well for a crack at the Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle on April 5.

Ballywood (left) battles against Dynamite Dollars at Doncaster in JanuaryCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Ballywood
Alan King
The progressive novice was fancied for the Grand Annual Handicap Chase at the festival but ground conditions turned against him and Aintree might well be the target, with his trainer firmly of the belief there is a good race in him this spring. The five-year-old’s form is solid, especially his last-time-out second behind crack novice Dynamite Dollars in a Doncaster Grade 2 in January. He is open to improvement with only four chase runs under his belt.

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