Aintree Day One Predictions: Kevin Blake's 12/1, 11/1, and 3/1 Selections

The Grand National Festival commences at Aintree on Thursday, featuring four Grade One events, with expert analyst Kevin Blake sharing his top picks for the day. The highly anticipated Grand National Festival at Aintree has arrived, marking the end of a long winter. The rain has subsided, and Aintree has taken measures to maintain the desired soft track conditions by applying ample water. This promises to be an exciting few days of action, and following a successful Cheltenham Festival, there's hope to replicate that success this week. The first event of the week over the Grand National fences is Thursday's Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase (3:30), with LETS GO CHAMP, trained by Mags Mullins, being a notable contender. The 11-year-old has had a complex training history, with a four-year gap between his point-to-point win and racecourse debut, but his talent has been evident from the start. Under Henry de Bromhead, he progressed through the ranks and achieved his most significant victory in a valuable handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival two years ago. He then demonstrated his ability by performing well in both the Galway Plate and the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham. This season, he was switched to Mags Mullins for hunter chasing and made a successful start in point-to-points, beating Stuzzikini and Journey With Me in an open at Oldtown in February. He followed this up by defeating Hunters Yarn in the prestigious Tetratema Cup Hunters Chase at Gowran Park in March. The form of these two races has been well-documented in recent days, positioning Lets Go Champ among the top hunter chasers in Ireland. What makes Lets Go Champ an attractive choice for this contest is his racing style. As a strong-traveling, forward-goer at mid-range trips, he is well-suited for the test presented by this race. Additionally, he is a skilled jumper with the right technique for these fences. Although his rider, Sophie Carter, cannot utilize her claim in this race, she has ridden him to his last two wins and is familiar with him. He appears to be overpriced. The Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase (4:40) is typically a competitive event, but SANS BRUIT, trained by Paul Nicholls, has made it look effortless in winning the last two renewals. The BHA handicapping team has also played a role, as this horse is a striking example of their cooperative approach when handicapping British-trained runners. After winning this race for the first time with a mark of 130 in 2024, Sans Bruit performed well off a higher mark but was then given a generous 9lb drop by the handicappers for four below-par runs. This aggressive drop is unusual by any standard. Following this generous treatment, Paul Nicholls returned Sans Bruit to this race off the same mark as the previous year, and he duly came back to life, winning easily. If that wasn't enough, Sans Bruit went to Plumpton 18 days later and won a similarly valuable handicap chase off a 9lb higher mark. If this were to happen in Ireland, there would be consequences, and the horse would likely face a tough rise and be slow to be dropped again. However, this is not the case in Britain. The BHA handicapping team has once again been incredibly generous, dropping Sans Bruit 11lb for five runs this season that weren't that bad. It's clear that Sans Bruit was being worked towards this race, and the handicappers have been more than happy to cooperate. The final event of interest on the day is the Goffs Nickel Coin Mares' National Hunt Flat Race (5:15), where LENNON GROVE, trained by Gavin Cromwell, is a favorable choice. The five-year-old has ample experience, having won a point-to-point and competed in four bumpers. She won at Thurles in December, but her most notable performance was a third-place finish in a Listed mares' bumper at Sandown in March. In a race where it seemed advantageous to be prominent, she was held up in rear and made good late gains up the possibly favored near side. Now that she has secured black type, it's likely she'll be given a more forward ride, and it wouldn't be surprising to see her show more improvement. She appears to be overpriced.