Grand National Festival 2025: Ben and Conlan's Day 2 Tips

My best bet of the day for Ladies Day is Handstands in the Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices' Chase, which is run just over 3 miles. For me, this horse looks to be spectacular value, even if it shortens a little.

The gelding's last race came at the start of February, when the 6-year-old beat Arkle winner Jango Baie by a short head over 2m4f - which is already enough of a reason, in my opinion, to look at this horse with extreme interest.

However, trainer Ben Pauling thinks this horse can be better over 3m, and having won both times previously over this trip, it bodes well. In fact, the trainer even thinks the gelding is on a similar level to The Jukebox Man, so I cannot see anything but a Handstands win here, especially with him being much fresher than his biggest rival, Caldwell Potter.

Starting off the Day 2 tips, I have decided to stick to my guns and go for Jonbon in the 2m4f Grade 1 Melling Chase.

Unfortunately, he didn’t jump well enough in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham last time out, but he stayed on well towards the run-in and took second. He has an impeccable record at Aintree, winning three from three, two being Grade 1 Novice Hurdle and Chase’s respectively, whilst most recently taking last year's renewal of this race for the first time.

With this step back up in trip and a return to Aintree, which he so clearly loves, he should be able to put the disappointing run at Cheltenham behind him and get back to winning ways here.

It's definitely a jump in price to my Next Best, but I'm looking to take advantage of value with this pick, and I've gone for Familiar Dreams in the Oddschecker Sefton Novices' Hurdle, which is at 16:40.

This is certainly going to be a bit of a jump in distance for the mare, considering she has only run over 2m6f and shorter before this race, but I'm willing to take a chance on her, with there being a lot of positives behind her, in my mind.

The mare comes into this race at 11-1 (the joint lowest of the race), despite being the highest rated horse of the 15 runners, which I think immediately is something to take note of. To add to this, at the start of the year, she finished an honourable 3rd behind Maughreen, whilst winning both of her last two runs at lower weight.

Six pounds lighter than her place at Punchestown in January, I think she could be in with a real chance here, and the recent shortening of her odds to 15/2 supports this.

Caldwell Potter was incredibly impressive at Cheltenham in the Class 1 Jack Richards Novice Handicap Chase, taking a step up in trip to 2m4½f to win by 6½ lengths to a huge 100/1 outsider in Anyway on the day. His jumping was faultless throughout as he defied his 7/1 price tag.

He finds himself having to take another marked step up in trip, with the Grade 1 Mildmay Novice Chase taking place over a 3m1f trip, which he is currently unexposed over, typically being used to a trip around about 2 miles.

This extended trip looked like exactly what he needed, and if he can stay the trip, which his pedigree definitely suggests, he could make it a fifth victory in this realm for Paul Nicholls, and his first winner in this race since 2015.

My final pick of the day is Fantastic Lady, running in the Randox Supporting Prostate Cancer UK Topham Handicap Chase in race number five of the day. With a 30-horse field set to line up here, I think there could be a really big winner, and I really like the look of this mare.

Less than a month ago, she lined up in the Kim Muir (ran over 3m2f, which we'll come back to), but was pulled up before the final run-in, with her stamina clearly gone. However, before that, she was travelling well in a big pack, and was amongst the leaders.

Her entry into this race then is a real interest to me, largely because the trip is much shorter, at 2m5f, and she has shown an ability to work in a big field, whilst also jumping well enough.

Coming into this race a stone lighter than the run at Cheltenham, and now with experience wearing cheekpieces, I think the Nicky Henderson mare is massively overpriced, and I'm taking the price all day.

One horse I find very interesting on Day 2 is Serious Operator in the Grade 3 William Hill Handicap Hurdle, taking place over 2m4f.

He comes from a relatively small yard where the owners go by the name ‘The Operators’ who have registered only 6 runners in this current jumps season, winning 2 of these. Trained by Lucinda Russell, who happens to be hitting form in the lead-up to the Grand National Festival, Serious Operator had a go at this race last year, running off a pound lower than his current mark and finishing a measly 11th.

However, his record when fresh is impeccable, with this performance being the last time we saw him run in the public eye. Lucinda Russell will be looking for her first win in this race, and I think that Serious Operator has a seriously good each-way chance for her yard.