AINTREE FESTIVAL DAY 2 2025

I was seriously impressed with CALDWELL POTTER at the Cheltenham and following the race I was kicking myself that we didn’t back him. He was a former Grade 1 winner over hurdles when trained by Gordon Elliott and all season I have been watching him, thinking he will come good soon, once he has settled into Paul Nicholls yard and they have learned more about the horse. I don’t normally miss horses like that and I have a forgiving nature when it comes to horses, as they are not machines and fully understand that. I made the mistake at Cheltenham and it was a lesson learnt but I am not missing CALDWELL POTTER here. He is up to 3 miles fo the first time and at Cheltenham in December when he was 3rd to Jango Baie, I actually marked him down as a 3 mile horse. He went down to 2 miles in January, a trip which was totally against him, while his last start he was back up to 2m 4f and bolted up. As I say the signs were there and I only had myself to blame. 

CALDWELL POTTER is an excellent jumper of a fence and I feel the better ground helped at Cheltenham, which he will get again here. He is a horse who clearly has a bit of speed and given this 3m 1f is on a decent surface, he can use those gears from the front. 

Handstands is the current favourite but I have reservations about him on a sounder surface. His form tells us he prefers cut in the ground and with that in mind, he is short enough. He is a talented horse and he may well have enough class but with question marks about the ground, I won’t be rushing to back him at his price.

The same with Dancing City who wants a true stamina test and would prefer softer ground. He did win around Aintree last season so he ticks the box for Aintree but I just feel he won’t have the speed to go with some of these. 

Stellar Story wants it softer, so does Quai De Bourbon while The Changing Man is surely not a Grade 1 horse?….

I couldn’t have Don’t Rightly Know and couldn’t win a handicap so I can’t see how he is up to Grade 1 level.

I have taken the race apart and CALDWELL POTTER didn’t have the hardest race at Cheltenham, jumped like a stag, is clearly improving and at the price he will do for me. WIN.

 

 

We have 2 selections in this race and I am happy to go in strong in this race. I think it is a poor race and I am extremely confident we can get a winner and a place out of these two selections, bar any accidents. 

 

IMPOSE TOI ran a cracker in the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival. He was absolutely tanking along coming around the bend and I thought, by how far….

Unfortunately he came up against a Willie Mullins masterplan with Jimmy De Seuil but it was still a great effort from IMPOSE TOI. He has gone up the handicap 4lb for that 2nd but take Jimmy De Seuil out of the Coral Cup and he gets an 8lb rise. 

I don’t think this is the strongest race or handicap in the world and he will have to give weight away, but he is on an upward trajectory and should keep on improving. 

He has only run twice this season so far with a win and 2nd to his name, so is very lightly raced. 

In fact he has only had 11 career starts so it very lightly raced on the whole.

If he wins this race then I think Nicky Henderson may have a Stayers Hurdle horse on his hands for next season.

If he shows the same level of form as he did at Cheltenham then he has to be thereabouts. 

Interestingly he is just marginally shorter in the betting than he was at Cheltenham, which makes no sense given the race he ran at Cheltenham.

 

BE AWARE was sent off 3/1 for the Coral Cup and he didn’t run a bad race, came there travelling strongly, just didn’t pick up at the hill. A return to a flatter track on the same handicap mark, should do the trick and he is double the price here.

He is a horse with a big stride and I wouldn’t mind seeing them go from the front with him. I find that horses with big strides are better from the front as everytime a horse comes to them, they can use the big stride to go again. We will see but Dan Skelton if you are reading this – go from the front and you will not be dissapointed haha.

BE AWARE still looks well handicapped after his 2nd in the Greatwood Hurdle and then 3rd at Ascot. Both were over the minimum trip and no doubt he wants further these days, minus a Cheltenham Hill.

Aintree is a course which will suit and I don’t think he will be this price come the day.