The new Jump season steps up a gear at Aintree this Sunday (October 26th) with Halloween Family Day.
The seven-race card at the home of the Randox Grand National is headlined by the £80,000 William Hill Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase over two and a half miles.
There are 10 entries for the Grade Two contest, with sponsor William Hill making Imperial Saint the 9-4 market leader. The seven-year-old has won three of his four starts at Aintree, including at this fixture a year ago, and showed tremendous improvement throughout last season as he rose by 20lb in the handicap.
Last year’s contest was won by Minella Drama, who is a 7-1 chance with William Hill to become the first back-to-back winner since Monet’s Garden in 2009 and 2010 (the grey had also won previously in 2007).
Third behind Minella Drama in 2024 was Ahoy Senor. The now 10-year-old is a dual Grade One winner at Aintree, having taken the 2021 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and the 2022 Mildmay Novices’ Chase. He is set to carry top-weight of 11st 12lb in Sunday’s contest.
After his third place finish a year ago, last season proved to be a frustrating one for Ahoy Senor and he was last seen out when fifth behind Gaelic Warrior in the Grade One Bowl Chase at the Randox Grand National Festival in April.
Dual Randox Grand National-winning handler Lucinda Russell, who trains Ahoy Senor alongside Michael Scudamore in Scotland, reported: “It is definitely the plan to run Ahoy Senor in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree on Sunday to start off his season.
“He seems in great form. He is a three-miler and I don’t suppose he is getting any faster in his older age, but he ran such a great race in it last year and if we could emulate that again, it would be grand.
“He was running a mighty race in the Cheltenham Gold Cup (when falling at the 15th fence) last season and we’ll never know what would have happened.
“We will get Sunday out of the way with and see where we go from here I would imagine we’ll be looking at a similar programme to last season although I think we will miss the Betfair Chase at Haydock as he didn’t seem to like it around there.”
Ahoy Senor winning at Aintree in 2022
Photo Credit: Grossick Photography/The Jockey Club
The going at Aintree is currently Good.
William Hill Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase (Grade 2) 2m 3f 200y 2.20pm, Aintree, Sunday 26th AprilAhoy Senor (IRE) 10 11 12 Wymer & Russell Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore
Master Chewy (IRE) 8 11 6 Anne-Marie & Jamie Shepperd Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies
Hitman (FR) 9 11 3 Mason, Hogarth, Ferguson & Done Paul Nicholls
Boombawn (IRE) 8 11 3 Bullen-Smith & Faulks Dan Skelton Harry Skelton
Minella Drama (IRE) 10 10 12 Green Day Racing Donald McCain Brian Hughes
Imperial Saint (FR) 7 10 8 Richard Johnson Racing Imperial Saint Philip Hobbs & Johnson White Sean Houlihan
Colonel Harry (IRE) 8 10 8 The GD Partnership Jamie Snowden
Heltenham (FR) 8 10 4 Exors of the late Mr N. W. Lake Dan Skelton
Scarface (IRE) 8 10 0 Kevan Leggett, Susan & John Waterworth Joe Tizzard Knockanore (IRE) 8 9 5 Ms J. Bennett Ryan Potter Freddie Mitchell (5)
William Hill Old Roan Chase, William Hill odds
9-4 Imperial Saint
4-1 Master Chewy
5-1 Boombawn
6-1 Hitman
7-1 Minella Drama
8-1 Colonel Harry
10-1 Scarface, Ahoy Senor
33-1 Heltenham
50-1 Knockanore
The spooky theme on Halloween Family Day will see lots of spooky entertainment, face painting, and plenty of surprises for the kids.
Halloween Family Day also sees Aintree Racecourse partner with local charity Nugent. Funds raised will go directly towards delivering Nugent’s ambitious new strategic plan. With five clear priorities - accommodation, employability, poverty alleviation, quality of life, and making memories - the charity is focused on building a lifelong pathway of support for individuals and communities across the Liverpool City Region and the wider North West.
For further information and to book tickets, click here.
