Minella Study aiming to do Nicol proud once more

Adam Nicol expects Minella Study to be an even more potent force at Aintree than he was at the Cheltenham Festival when he bids for Grade One success in the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.

While the first of four top-level prizes up for grabs on day one of the Randox Grand National Festival has not attracted surprise Triumph Hurdle hero Apolon De Charnie, several horses who finished behind him at Prestbury Park do take their chance, most notably runner-up Maestro Conti, third home Minella Study and the fourthSelma De Vary, who is a stablemate of the winner.

Minella Study did his trainer proud with a fantastic effort, beaten just a length and a half after leading at the final flight, and Nicol is excited to see if he can reproduce or even better that performance on Merseyside.

“He’s doing fine. I’m really happy with him, everything is going good,” said the Seahouses handler.

“His weight’s good and he’s never missed a meal. He’s been eating really well and we’ve had a clean prep, so I said to Malcolm (Humble, owner) on Saturday that I’d give him a bit of a blow on the gallops and see how he went, and that’s when we made the decision.

“He has a really big stride, so I think a flat track should benefit him more than going up and down hills.

“He obviously handles a bit of cut because they a had fair bit of rain on the night before Cheltenham, but he will appreciate the quick ground.”

Maestro Conti had looked every inch a top-class horse in the making in winning his first two starts for Dan Skelton at Kempton and Cheltenham and he pipped Minella Study to second in the Triumph by a short head, teeing up an intriguing rematch.

“I don’t see any reason to suggest that he will under-run that performance. If anything, I think he can improve, just because he’s getting bigger, stronger and generally better,” said Ladbrokes ambassador Skelton.

“This is a different track, but again I don’t think that’s a negative for him; he won around Kempton, which is a flat track. I think he’s going to go really well in this. There are three or four of them that are closely linked on form, but I’d like to put our hat in the ring and say we’ve got a massive chance here.”

The Willie Mullins-trained Selma De Vary is joined on the trip from Ireland by Gordon Elliott’s Mange Tout, while Faye Bramley is represented by Winston Junior, who finished second in the Fred Winter at the Festival four weeks ago.

At much bigger odds Warren Greatrex is hoping for a positive showing from Aqua Bleu, who steps up to elite level after a hat-trick of victories at Doncaster, Lingfield and Chepstow.

He said: “He’s won his last three and I was umming and ahhing because he could stay a novice next season, but he’s got better and better with every run and since the Chepstow run where he had to give a double penalty away, he’s just really thrived.

“I just thought why not, let’s roll the dice. I think he’s a very nice horse.

“It’s a very good race and I’m not saying he’s nailed on to go and win it, but I definitely think he will outrun his price and I definitely think he will shock a few people because he has a lot of attributes.”