The Topham goes over the National fences. It's not a warm-up.
By mid-morning on Friday, April 12, the crowds were already moving through the gates at Aintree, hats pinned against the breeze, and the card was set for seven races that would carry the Grand National Festival through its middle day — Ladies' Day, the one that belongs as much to the Style Award as to the finishing post.
The day sits between the opening Thursday and the Grand National itself on Saturday, and it carries its own weight. Two races in particular anchor the afternoon: the Grade One My Pension Expert Melling Chase at 3:30 and the Randox Topham Handicap Chase at 4:05. Both draw serious fields, serious trainers, and serious money.
The Melling Chase, run over two miles and a furlong, brings together thirteen runners with the sport's biggest names behind them. Nicky Henderson's Jonbon and Paul Nicholls' Pic D'Orhy — last year's winner under Harry Cobden — share the 10/3 joint-favouritism, but it is Dan Skelton's Protektorat, sent off at 4/1 favourite, who earns the tip. Harry Skelton is in the saddle, and the combination has been building toward a race like this all season.
The Topham, run over the Grand National fences themselves — that distinctive, storied stretch of Aintree turf — draws a field of 38 over two and a half miles. It is a handicap, which means the form book gets complicated fast. The NAP of the day goes to Lounge Lizard, trained by Henry Daly and ridden by Jonathan Burke, sent off at 25/1. Bill Baxter, who won this same race twelve months ago for Warren Greatrex, lines up again, this time with James Bowen aboard at 12/1.
The day opens at 1:45 with the Mildmay Novices' Chase, a Grade One over three miles. Fifteen runners go to post, with Corbetts Cross and Grey Dawning sharing joint-favouritism at 3/1. The tip here is Henry De Bromhead's Heart Wood, available at 8/1. Last year's winner was Gerri Colombe, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Davy Russell at 4/6.
At 2:20, the William Hill Handicap Hurdle sends out a field of 55 — one of the largest of the week — in a Premier Handicap over two miles and a furlong. Making Headway, trained by the partnership of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, gets the nod at 14/1. The 2:55 slot belongs to the Trustatrader Top Novices' Hurdle, another Grade One, where WP Mullins' Mystical Power is tipped at 11/4, with Slade Steel the other short-priced contender at 5/2.
Later in the afternoon, the 4:40 Cavani Sartorial Menswear Sefton Novices' Hurdle — a Grade One over three miles — features a nine-runner field including Dancing City, Shanagh Bob, and Croke Park. The selection is Readin Tommy Wrong. Apple Away won this race in 2023 at 16/1 for Lucinda Russell and Stephen Mulqueen. The card closes at 5:15 with the Lydiate Handicap Hurdle, a Conditional Jockeys' and Amateur Riders' race over two miles and a furlong. Nineteen runners are declared, and Skycutter gets the tip. Last year's winner, Punctuation, came home at 40/1.
Away from the racing itself, the annual Style Award runs alongside the card — the competition that gives Ladies' Day its name and draws a different kind of attention to Aintree's second afternoon. For the racing crowd, though, the eyes stay on the fences. Saturday and the Grand National are one day away.
Notable Quotes
Bill Baxter won the Topham at 20/1 in 2023 and lines up again, this time at 12/1 with James Bowen aboard.— race record, Warren Greatrex yard
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Ladies' Day carry its own identity when the Grand National is right there the next day?
Because it earns it. The Melling Chase is a Grade One over the flat course — proper championship racing. The Topham goes over the National fences themselves. It's not a warm-up, it's a full day.
The Topham field has 38 runners. Does that make it harder to call?
Much harder. Handicaps at that size are almost deliberately unpredictable. Bill Baxter won it last year at 20/1. The NAP here, Lounge Lizard, goes off at 25/1. The market is spread thin for a reason.
Pic D'Orhy won the Melling last year and is back again. Does that matter?
It matters a great deal. Defending a Grade One on the same course with the same jockey is a serious statement of intent. The fact that Protektorat is still tipped over him says something about how the form has shifted since last spring.
The William Hill Handicap Hurdle has 55 declared runners. Is that unusual?
It's enormous. Most handicap hurdles at a festival run with 20 or 25. Fifty-five means the race is a genuine lottery — trainers from every corner of the training ranks think they have a chance.
The Style Award runs alongside all of this. Does it change the atmosphere?
It changes who's there. Ladies' Day draws a crowd that includes people who couldn't name the favourite in the Melling but know exactly what they're wearing. That mix is part of what makes Aintree different from Cheltenham.
Is there a logic to tipping Lounge Lizard as the NAP when it's 25/1?
The NAP designation is about confidence in the selection, not certainty of the price. At 25/1 in a 38-runner field over the National fences, you're backing a horse you believe is underestimated by the market — which is exactly the kind of bet the Topham rewards.