Your ultimate guide to a meeting full of stars at Aintree on Friday

It's rematch time on ladies' day

Altior stays at home and Cyrname does the same, but while those two stars will be missed, if Politologue and Min can serve up a repeat of their titanic tussle in last year's JLT Melling Chase we are still set for a fabulous Friday.

Twelve months ago only a neck separated the two, with Politologue coming out on top to make amends for his final-fence fall in the previous season's Maghull Novices' Chase.

Politologue (left) beat everything except Altior in the Champion ChaseCredit: Michael Steele

Harry Cobden takes over from Sam Twiston-Davies aboard John Hales's grey, who had Min well behind when running a huge race to get within smelling distance of Altior in the Champion Chase. However, this time the opposition also includes the tremendously talented Waiting Patiently, who skipped Cheltenham and seeks to secure a belated first win of the campaign.

For Politologue's trainer Paul Nicholls this could be a big day, as 35 minutes before the Melling the trainers' title leader saddles his Cobden-ridden Cheltenham Festival hero Topofthegame in the Betway Mildmay Novices' Chase.

Harry Cobden salutes the crowd after Topofthegame's Cheltenham triumphCredit: Edward Whitaker

Topofthegame – already a serious contender for the 2020 Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup – will be a red-hot favourite, even shorter than Champ is set to start for the Doom Bar Sefton Novices' Hurdle.

For Champ there is the chance to build on an excellent Cheltenham second. The Olly Murphy-trained Itchy Feet will be trying to build on an excellent Cheltenham third in the card's other Grade 1, the Betway Top Novices' Hurdle.

On top of four top-flight prizes there is much else to enjoy, not least the chance to see the Grand National fences being jumped in the Randox Health Topham Chase.

A huge field lines up and a huge crowd will be watching it in person, with 50,000 racegoers expected on ladies' day, one of the most popular of its kind in the calendar. If the Melling matches its excitement levels of 12 months ago, those racegoers are in for a treat.

Bowen bids to regain Topham thread

A 30-runner race over a little more than a lap of the Grand National fences should be an unfathomable beast. In one way, however, the result of the Randox Health Topham Chase has recently become easier to predict than you might expect.

Ultragold has won the last two runnings but you can rule him out this year as he waits for the Grand National. When he has not landed the Topham, Nicky Henderson often has, with three of the last five winners hailing from Seven Barrows. Henderson might win it again, with favourite Janika heading his four-pronged challenge, but so, too, might another trainer with a wonderful record in the race.

Peter Bowen was successful in 2007 with Dunbrody Millar and then again for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012 thanks to hat-trick hero Always Waining. Bowen has not been represented in three of the last five renewals but he very much is on this occasion courtesy of Henryville and More Buck's.

"Henryville ran well last time and will come on for that again," said Bowen. "He's very well handicapped and has finished placed over the National course, so we'd be hopeful he'll run well. More Buck's should go well as long as the ground remains good."

McCoy has good news for son about Champ

Sir Anthony McCoy's young son Archie suffered major disappointment during the Cheltenham Festival when his favourite horse Champ was unable to overhaul City Island in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle.

Archie's dad, and the man after whom Champ was named, sounds bullish about there being a happier outcome at Aintree.

"He couldn't work out how it could have happened," said the 20-time champion jockey when asked how Archie had handled defeat last month.

In trying to work out what will happen in the Doom Bar Sefton Novices' Hurdle, McCoy points to the longer trip of Champ's latest Grade 1 mission as being significantly to the benefit of JP McManus's seven-year-old.

"Originally I thought he was a three-miler and I couldn't believe how much pace he showed in his early races," said McCoy. "His pedigree definitely suggests he'll be a three-mile chaser. His dam is a half-sister to Best Mate and he's by King's Theatre, who has sired so many good jumps stayers.

"Champ was beaten by a very good horse in City Island and I think it will take another City Island to beat him this time. He's a very solid horse and I expect him to be very hard to beat."

Maguire looks for change of luck in bumper

Friday's card can be a dicey day for anyone with a ride in the Grand National. Many a jockey has missed out on a mount in the great race after being hurt the day before, which in turn means many a jockey has suddenly picked up an unexpected mount in the sport's most famous race.

Finian Maguire has the chance of an Aintree triumph on Santa RossaCredit: Alain Barr

Amateur Finian Maguire has hopefully used up all his bad luck, given he sustained broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung when sent crashing to the ground in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.

After making his return at Limerick on Sunday he now has an obvious chance of landing Aintree's Grade 2 bumper on the Dermot McLoughlin-trained Santa Rossa.

"I feel great and it's brilliant not to miss out on a chance at Aintree after what happened at Cheltenham." said Maguire. "I won on the mare at Leopardstown but this race is open to professionals, so I'm delighted the owners have placed their faith in me again."

Don't worry – it's still the Melling

As well as being without Altior and Cyrname the 29th running of the JLT Melling Chase is also missing its Melling.

For the first time in its history the Melling Chase is not quite the Melling Chase after being rebranded the JLT Chase, with the Melling handle now simply its registered title in brackets.

A similar fate befell this season's Long Walk Hurdle, which became the JLT Hurdle in recognition of the sponsors of the Cheltenham Festival's JLT Novices' Chase, a contest officially lodged as the Golden Miller Novices' Chase.

Politologue's connections celebrate after last season's Melling ChaseCredit: Grossick Racing 07710461723

Aintree press officer Nigel Payne said: "JLT, as a major sponsor and supporter of racing, have requested racecourses replace official handles wherever possible.

"The races will remain 'registered as', and if in the future a change of sponsor occurred, in our case for the Melling Chase, the race name could be restated into the race title."

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