Unveiling every race on day one of the Grand National Festival

Despite the Grand National on day three of the Festival drawing most of the headlines throughout the Aintree gathering this month, there’s a rich selection of fiercely competitive races that will undoubtedly entice both ardent and casual National Hunt racing fans. Keeping this in mind, the focus here is on detailing each race on day one of the Grand National Festival – all of which stand as intriguing spectacles in their own right.

Manifesto novices’ chase

Launching the Festival is the Manifesto Novices’ Chase, a Grade 1 two-mile and four-furlong competition with 16 fences to leap during the run. Available to novice chasers, this event is a stepping stone for rising talents who typically secure themselves as recurring graded victors later in their careers.

The 2022 winner was Millers Bank, the then eight-year-old outrunning the competition by a comfortable margin, claiming victory ten lengths ahead of War Lord.

Anniversary 4-Y-O juvenile hurdle

The Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, a race spanning two miles and one furlong, is open to novice hurdlers and features nine fences to be cleared from start to finish. This race often plays host to horses who previously ran in the Triumph Hurdle – the last horse to bag both was Pentland Hills, trained by Nicky Henderson, in 2019.

Aintree bowl

Many expect the three-mile and one-furlong Aintree Bowl to be a contender for race of the year, and it stands as one of the Grand National Festival’s most eagerly anticipated events. Heavyweight National Hunt racing participants, including Betfair Ascot Chase winner Shishkin, Cotswold Chase champion Ahoy Senor, and King George VI Chase victor Bravemansgame, are in this year’s line-up.

Shishkin, the nine-year-old, is presently fetching the shortest price, with 5/2 in the horse race betting odds.. However, the assembled elite field must match the precedent set last year when Clan Des Obeaux made history by becoming only the fifth horse to secure multiple Aintree Bowl victories.

Aintree hurdle

This event, in many experts’ view, looks decided already, with generational talent Constitution Hill expected to effortlessly win the Grade 1 two-mile and five-and-a-half-furlong Aintree Hurdle. It’s easy to see why, given the six successive triumphs to the horse’s name, with victories amounting to an impressive combined margin of 86 lengths.

As a result of this remarkable streak, Constitution Hill has earned the title of Timeform’s highest-rated novice hurdler in its 74-year existence, with a rating of 177p, toppling the previous record-holder, Golden Cygnet. It’s no surprise, then, that Constitution Hill is an exceptionally short favourite, quoted at 1/4, with the nearest competitor, Epatante, priced at 7/1.

Foxhunters’ open hunters’ chase

This race is a wide-open contest; the two-mile and five-furlong Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase will feature in-form horses, a previous champion, appealing outsiders, and a mix of others. The 2022 champion Latenightpass currently stands as the third favourite at 11/2, behind joint favourites Winged Leader and Famous Clermont, both listed at 4/1.

Red Rum handicap chase

A premier handicap run over a distance two miles, the Red Rum Handicap Chase consists of 12 fences to be jumped during its running and is the penultimate race on day one. Open to horses aged five years or older, the fixture is run on the Mildmay course at Aintree and has seen some prominent National Hunt thoroughbreds win it in years’ past.

Editeur Du Gite, the champion of 2021, has since claimed victory in several graded races, including the Albert Bartlett Clarence House Chase earlier this year.

Mares’ standard open national hunt flat race

The final event on day one of the Festival is the Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race, a race open to horses aged between four and six. The last three 2m1f Grade 2 events were claimed by Ashroe Diamond (2022), Me Too Please (2021), and The Glancing Queen (2019). Unfortunately, the 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The editorial unit