2024 Melling Chase Tips - Will Nicky's star take to this new trip?
- Odds and betting predictions for the 2024 Marsh Chase
- This Grade One will take place on day two of the Grand National meeting at Aintree on April 12th
- Jonbon is our best bet at 5/2
Day two of the Grand National Festival is headlined by the Melling Chase. This two-and-a-half-mile Grade One was first staged at Aintree 1991 and Pic D'Orhy will bid to join the likes of Viking Flagship, Voy Por Ustedes and Moscow Flyer on the list of two-time winners when he returns to Merseyside this week.
Let's take a look through the latest Melling Chase betting and run through the headline entries.
2024 Melling Chase Odds
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jonbon | 5/2 |
| Protektorat | 3/1 |
| Pic D'orhy | 10/3 |
| Envoi Allen | 11/2 |
| Conflated | 10/1 |
| Easy Game | 16/1 |
| Minella Drama | 66/1 |
2024 Melling Chase Runners
Pic D'Orhy took down two-time defending champion Fakir D'Oudairies to land the Melling Chase 12 months ago and Paul Nicholls' star returns to Aintree on the back of an impressive victory in the Ascot Chase.
Having missed the Champion Chase at Cheltenham, Jonbon is stepped up in trip for the first time by Nicky Henderson. Protektorat defeated the defending champion Envoi Allen to win the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham and both will line up in the feature race on day two of the Grand National Festival.
Conflated goes for this Grade One instead of carrying top-weight in the Grand National. Willie Mullins and Paul Townend team up with multiple Grade Two winner Easy Game. Donald McCain's Minella Drama completes the field.
Conflated goes for this Grade One instead of carrying top-weight in the Grand National. Willie Mullins and Paul Townend team up with multiple Grade Two winner Easy Game. Donald McCain's Minella Drama completes the field.
2024 Melling Chase Tips
As I'm writing this preview (1:00pm on Thursday), the Grand National Festival is yet to begin. If Sir Gino, Shishkin and Nicky Henderson's other day one runners go as well as expected, then we can safely say that the bug that swept through the yard last month is on the way out and JONBON (5/2) will go off shorter than 5/2 for Friday's main event.
Jonbon has done very little wrong during his career thus far. Prior to the Clarence House Chase in February, only Constitution Hill and El Fabiolo had beaten Henderson's eight-year-old over obstacles. Elixir De Nutz added his name to that select list in the Clarence House, but Jonbon produced one of the worst rounds of jumping I've ever seen from a Grade One winner that day, and was still only beaten a neck.
Dan Skelton had Protektorat primed for the Ryanair Chase and he hasn't recorded back-to-back victories since 2020. Pic D'Orhy won this race on ground officially described as soft 12 months ago, but the going was only changed from good-to-soft in the build-up to the race and ground bordering on heavy won't suit Paul Nicholls' star.
Envoi Allen and Conflated were disappointing in the Ryanair and both seem to be in the twilight stage of their glittering careers. Easy Game has been thrashed on the majority of his starts in Grade One company and if Minella Drama mounts a challenge, then something has gone horribly wrong.
Verdict
People have been clamouring for Jonbon to be stepped up beyond two miles for ages, and that moment has finally arrived. Nico De Boinville's star jumped beautifully when winning the Maghull Novices' Chase by half the track here at Aintree 12 months ago and the favourite has won five of his six starts on soft or heavy ground.
If Nicky Henderson's runners perform poorly on day one, then I'll probably leave this race alone. Yet, I'm itching to side with Jonbon, who could go off much shorter than his current odds if any of his stablemates do the business today at Aintree.
If Nicky Henderson's runners perform poorly on day one, then I'll probably leave this race alone. Yet, I'm itching to side with Jonbon, who could go off much shorter than his current odds if any of his stablemates do the business today at Aintree.
Jonbon
2024 Melling Chase Tips
@5/2 - 10 Units
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