'He should be clear favourite - but there are also each-way angles in this race'

Thursday: 2.55 Aintree
Betway Bowl Chase (Grade 1) | 3m1f | 5yo+ | ITV/RTV

Part of the Cheltenham Gold Cup mythos is that even though a significant chunk of the Pattern has been built around the race, its unique demands means it remains largely a law unto itself. Some King George winners do not get home in it, for instance, while the Betway Bowl at Aintree (2.55) – this year featuring a mix of horses like Protektorat, who ran at Cheltenham, and 2021 winner Clan Des Obeaux, who did not – is held up as another example of how different the Gold Cup is to ostensibly closely related races.

The stats on that last point bear out to a degree. The Gold Cup actually informs the Bowl pretty well. Of the 70 to run in both races this century, 13 have won and another 16 have been placed. Considering the median field size in the Bowl is seven, that puts wins slightly above the expected strike-rate (which would be 14.3 per cent or 1/7th of all runners) and places well above.