Aintree tips: Harry Allwood begins with 5/1 winner and has two more bets

Race: 2.20pm - William Hill Handicap Hurdle.

Best odds: 10-1 (Coral and Ladbrokes).

There aren’t many trainers who target races as well as Dan Skelton, and Kateira appears to have been aimed at this contest for some time. 

This mare looked a potential Graded performer when winning her first three outings over hurdles last season before finishing a fine second to Irish Point in the Mersey Novices' Hurdle at this meeting over course and distance.

Given the strength of that form, it was disappointing she could not win one of the two Listed races she contested on her first two outings this season. 

However, she was clearly not at her best on each occasion, and in an exclusive interview on Racing TV with Jess Stafford this week, Skelton advised that physically, Kateira looked a completely different horse ahead of her outing at Kempton when last seen compared to how she looked in the Autumn.

Skelton also mentioned that “there’s a bit to work on” and one can only imagine Kateira has been primed for this contest as she certainly caught the eye at Kempton with the way she stayed on under pressure on her first start for 110 days, especially as she wasn’t given the hardest time under pressure. 

The selection remains on a rating of 136, and she’s definitely handicapped to go close plus she’s won twice on soft ground, so conditions shouldn’t be an issue.

The standout 10-1 with Coral and Ladbrokes looks fair, and the Skelton team remain in fine form, so there’s plenty to like.

Race: 4.05pm - Randox Supports Race Against Dementia Topham Handicap Chase.

Best odds: 25-1 (Coral and Ladbrokes).

Plenty you can make a case for here, but a chance is taken on Empire Steel who looks a shade overpriced at the 25-1 on offer.

Sandy Thomson's charge has some notable form next to his name, including when defeating Le Milos in the Premier Chase at Kelso last year, and he relished heavy ground when winning the same race with ease in 2022.

After running well for a long way in last year's Scottish National before his stamina emptied, Empire Steel returned this season with two fair efforts in defeat, but a wind op clearly worked ahead of his latest outing as he found plenty under pressure to get back to winning ways at Kelso over a similar trip to this. 

The handicapper has only raised him 3lb for that four-length victory, which looks lenient as the runner-up has since franked that form, and the ten-year-old has gone close off a higher rating in the past. 

He's a sound jumper who relishes soft ground, and it is wise to think this test is going to suit, especially with Grand National-winning jockey Ryan Mania on board, so there are enough positives to suggest he will outrun his chunky odds.

Race: 5.15pm - Alder Hey Handicap Hurdle.

Best odds: 11-2 (General).

Progressive handicapper Go Dante gained a deserved success in the Imperial Cup last time out, and may still have more to offer. 

The eight-year-old performed with credit in the Greatwood Hurdle and the Betfair Hurdle, two of the strongest handicaps run in Britain this season, prior to that plus also recorded a victory in a useful handicap at Cheltenham in between those outings. 

Olly Murphy said that he'd have been disappointed if Go Dante didn't go close in the Imperial Cup as he believes his eight-year-old is better than a rating of 129, and while he only scored by a nose plus has been raised 5lb since, he did pull a few lengths clear with Faivoir who was racing off a rating just 2lb higher than when he won the County Hurdle last year.

He certainly has the strongest handicap form next to his name here, and Dylan Johnston, who has ridden 10 winners from 40 rides for Olly Murphy this season, is a positive jockey booking. 

Go Dante is proven in these conditions, and Murphy, at the time of writing, has been operating at a 31 per cent strike-rate in the past fortnight.