2026 JCB Melling Chase Betting Tips
Jonbon will look to have a final hurrah at Aintree and the bookies certainly give the horse a decent chance in the Melling Chase. The ten-year-old was well beaten over two miles at Cheltenham and Sandown, although there was a triumph at Ascot in January over a slightly further distance. Then came a mid-February success in the Betfair Ascot Chase.
The Nicky Henderson-trained runner was sent off as the 2/1 favourite to win the Ryanair Chase after the withdrawal of Fact To File. However, it was Heart Wood who was able to come through with a fine performance. The Henry De Bromhead-trained runner was able to score by ten lengths and we're surprised that the horse isn't a shorter price to win this one.
The eight-year-old should find the fast ground to his liking and there was a mid-October win at Punchestown when obliging over two miles and seven furlongs. He was then a long way behind Gaelic Warrior on a return to the Irish track although successes at Tramore and Cheltenham present a strong case for backing the runner.
Grey Dawning isn't certain to line up here but the Dan Skelton-trained runner might benefit from running over a shorter distance than some of his previous encounters. He has gone further than three miles in the past four races. Impaire Et Passe was pulled up in the Ryanair Chase after a mid-February win at Gowran Park, with the horse having won the Manifesto Novices' Chase at the previous Grand National meeting.
2025 Melling Chase Tips
Jonbon looked hard to beat before the Queen Mother Champion Chase, although the nine-year-old revealed a chink in his armour when finishing second in the Cheltenham Festival race. Having been sent off as the 5/6 favourite, the horse made several jumping mistakes and ended up finishing eighteen lengths behind Marine Nationale.
However, there were previous notable successes including a win at Ascot in January, with three other runners beaten including Energumene. There was also a December success at Sandown with an eight-length victory being enjoyed, with a Cheltenham triumph back in November and he’s still regarded as the one to beat at Aintree.
Gaelic Warrior will attract each-way money and the horse has been in the first three home in all three races this term. The seven-year-old was somewhat underwhelming as the 6/4 favourite in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, with that coming after a runner-up effort at Leopardstown in December.
Heart Wood is a seven-year-old trained by Henry de Bromhead, with the horse performing well at the Cheltenham Festival when finishing second in the Ryanair Chase when sent off at odds of 18/1. The horse previously ran well in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown when performing well at similarly big odds and this could be another strong effort.
2024 Melling Chase Tips
Jonbon heads the betting market for the Melling Chase, with the Nicky Henderson-trained runner looking like a tough horse to beat for this showdown. The JP McManus-owned horse didn’t line up at Cheltenham, although he had previously demonstrated smart form and there is sure to be plenty of bets coming for the eight-year-old.
The horse was last seen finishing second behind Elixir De Nutz at Cheltenham towards the end of January after beating Edwardstone twice at Cheltenham and Sandown. However, there are lots of potential winners in the field and this includes Pic d’Orhy who has bagged a couple of wins of his own this season.
The nine-year-old was able to triumph at Ascot back in February when fending off three other rivals and this came after finishing second out of five horses at Kempton in mid January. Previously to this, there was a win at Ascot in November and we should note that the horse was able to win at Aintree twelve months previously.
Protektorat was in the winners’ enclosure at Cheltenham when winning the Ryanair Chase and there’s every chance that the horse can build on this success to claim the spoils against the likes of Envoi Allen and Conflated once again. Previously to this success, there was a third placed finish behind Shishkin at Newbury.
2023 Marsh Chase Tips
The 2023 Marsh Chase promises to be one of the most competitive races when it comes to the 2023 Grand National meeting, with Fakir D'oudairies bidding to land a consecutive hat-trick of wins. Twelve months ago, the horse was able to finish five and a half lengths clear of Hitman after previously enjoying an eleven length win over Nuts Well to land the spoils.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained charge is still only eight and capable of further improvement, with the horse claiming a victory at Thurles when obliging in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase although he was a long way behind Pic D’orhy in the Clarence House Chase. Paul Nicholls will have high hopes that the latter can run well here.
The eight-year-old has been kept back for this race and let’s not forget that mid-January success in the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase when the 6/4 favourite was able to win by sixteen lengths. Indeed, the runner has been performing to a high level since having wind surgery and perhaps this is the runner to back here.
Hitman was third in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and is another Nicholls runner with a lively claim to win this encounter. Having been sent off at 22/1, the runner was able to finish third behind Envoi Allen and Shishkin, with both of the latter horses potentially lining up here to make it a star-studded affair.