Molyneux Hurdle: key quotes from connections

Alexei will be a red-hot favourite for the renamed and rehomed William Hill Molyneux Hurdle at Aintree on Saturday after main market rival Mydaddypaddy was taken out on Friday.

The six-year-old enjoyed an excellent campaign last season for trainer Joe Tizzard, winning valuable handicaps at Ascot and Cheltenham and the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton before stepping up to Grade One level.

He was fourth in the Champion Hurdle and third in the the Aintree Hurdle in the spring and while he has to concede weight to each of his three rivals in what was the Elite Hurdle and formerly staged at Wincanton, connections are expecting a bold showing.

“I think he’s got a very good chance, Joe tells me he is very well in himself and he is very pleased with him,” said Garth Broom, who alongside his wife Anne runs his horses under the Brocade Racing banner.

“We’re looking forward to seeing him again this season and luckily he handles faster ground so we can go to Aintree.”

Alexei (right) heads the market for Aintree's Grade Two on Saturday.

With regular partner Brendan Powell sidelined by a broken arm which also rules him out of Sunday’s ‘Racing Come Dancing’ fundraiser, Harry Cobden has been called up to partner Alexei for the first time.

Broom added: “We’ve got Harry on board who is not a bad substitute for poor Brendan, who we feel heartbroken for and as well as being out for a while, sadly it’s mucked up his dancing hasn’t it!

“We’ll know where we stand afterwards. This time last year Alexei had only had a couple of races and we were still in handicaps. It would be nice if he could keep progressing like last year, but there are no guarantees in life.

“It will be nice to see him back in action and I’m sure he will put up a good performance. We’ve spent the summer dreaming and now we get to see if the dreams come true.”

Mydaddypaddy was the star novice hurdler for champion trainer Dan Skelton last season, impressing with victories at Carlisle and Haydock before placing in the Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day and the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Skelton had been keen to get a run into a horse he considers a potential Champion Hurdle contender this season, but despite saddling two winners at the track on Friday he ultimately felt the ground was too quick for his charge.

Speaking before Mydaddypaddy was officially declared a non-runner, Skelton said: “He is the one I have to be triple cautious with.

“At the end of the day it is watered ground and not natural. They have done a phenomenal job and his participation or not is no reflection on the efforts they have made.”

The potential fly in the ointment is Gordon Elliott’s Irish raider Mange Tout, who has won four of her five starts over hurdles to date and was last seen winning a Grade One over the course and distance at the Grand National meeting in April.

Nicky Henderson’s Lucky Place and Melon from the yard of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero complete the field.