🏇 Aintree & Doncaster: The Full Report

How’s it going?

It’s here once again – ‘Big Saturday’.

Although this ‘Big Saturday’ waves goodbye to the Flat season, it also sees the jumps moving up another gear in a month that is simply on fire.

November:

Sat Nov 7 – Aintree, Molyneux Hurdle
Fri 13-15 – Cheltenham, November Meeting
Sat 14-15 – Navan, Navan Festival
Sat 21 – Haydock, Betfair Chase
Sat 21 – Ascot, Ascot Hurdle
Sat 21-22– Punchestown, Premiere Weekend
Fri 27-28 – Newbury, Coral Gold Cup Weekend
Sat 28 – Newcastle, Fighting Fifth Hurdle
Sat 28-29 – Fairyhouse, Winter Festival

We just need a few drops of rain 🙏

Last Saturday’s Final Word, sent to Pro members that morning, went perfectly. All three of The Purist’s picks won:

✅ Media Mogul – 12.50 Ascot
✅ Didntgotwenty – 1.18 Ayr
✅ The G Wizard – 1.53 Ayr

One Pro member put them in an each-way treble and emailed to say thanks 👇

Days like this don't come every week, and we won't pretend they do. But it's the research Pro is built on.

Coming up in Pro:

Founding price ends 30 November: just over 3 weeks left

Join now for £59.99 a year, just £5 a month, and keep that price for as long as you're a member. After 30 November, it goes up.

You'll also get our Jumps Season Preview 2026/27 straight to your inbox when you join. It's produced winners of 16/1, 5/1, 4/1, 2/1 & 9/4 this week alone.

👉 ITV4 show five Saturday races from Aintree and three from Doncaster. 

👉 Doncaster is the final day of the Flat season, including the November Handicap.

👉 Saturday’s big jumps meeting is at Aintree, featuring the Grade 2 Molyneux Hurdle and Grade 2 Rising Star Novices’ Chase.

👉 Arkle runner-up Kopek Des Bordes returns at Naas on Sunday.

👉 Champion jockey Billy Loughnane has joined powerhouse Godolphin.

👉 Chelmsford returned to all-weather action in midweek – and returned to Sky Sports Racing.

We’ve put in the rounds sparring this week – time for another fight with the bookies.

Inspiration comes via Apollo Creed ahead of his rematch with Rocky…

"No playing, no jivin' – just business". 

Not sure what our walk-on song would be.

Ding, ding.

1. NICKY RICHARDS (Trainer) 
✅ REAPPEARANCE IN NOV/DEC

ℹ️ Nicky Richards’ runners making their seasonal reappearances in November/December produced 19 wins from 56 runs for a +£76 profit to £1 level stakes (last three years).

Saturday’s runners:

2. SILVER TROPHY HANDICAP HURDLE (Chepstow) 
✅ FORM

ℹ️ Runners from the top eight of last month’s Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow (17 ran) have produced 2 wins from 2 runs for a +£4 profit to £1 level stakes.

Saturday’s runners:

3. JAMIE SNOWDEN (Trainer) 
✅ UTTOXETER

ℹ️ Snowden’s Uttoxeter record in bumpers (NH Flat Race) produced 3 wins from 5 runs for a +£27 profit to £1 level stakes (last three years).

Saturday’s runners:

4. PAUL NICHOLLS (Trainer) 
✅ IN-FORM

ℹ️ Nicholls’s runners since Wednesday produced 5 wins from 11 runs for a +£7 profit to £1 level stakes.

Saturday’s runners:

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A lot can change in a week – especially when it comes to trainer and jockey form – just look at Paul Nicholls.

That’s why we focus on the very latest form.

Here’s who’s been banging them in during the last five days, including Friday afternoon’s results...

Some trainers are mustard at getting their horses ready first time up, while others leave a bit to work on; here’s the latest.

Some interesting numbers above, especially second time out – take note when scanning the form this weekend.

Featuring the latest big-race roll of honour alongside ten-year trends analysis, our ‘Super Trends’ reveal the key stats for all the big races.

Use these trends to find your selections, or if you’re short of time, check our shortlist below each race.

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Sans Bruit

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Mange Tout

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Talk To The Man

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Our Guide
🏅 Harbour Lake
🏅 Lihyan

Who fits all the trends?

🏅 Atherstone Warrior
🏅 Stem

We heard The Purist had a banging time last Saturday night.

Large chips and chilli sauce everywhere, apparently.

Here are The Purist’s thoughts for Saturday, including a bet or two…

So, when’s that rain arriving?

We’re in bad need of the wet stuff as non-runners continue to stack up, and there are big meetings on the horizon such as Cheltenham’s three-dayer next week – let alone Kempton at Christmas; they haven’t raced there yet this season with the ground deemed unsuitable.

Take time at the weekend to perform a rain dance.

Onto the betting.

Aintree has attracted some big fields, and there are two worth backing at attractive odds against the field in the big handicap chase.

BLUEY 3.35 Aintree
Bet (on a scale of 1 to 3): ⭐ (win)
Odds: 9/1

In a nutshell:

✅ Ground and trip ideal
✅ Goes well fresh
✅ Midweek market support
✅ Yard back to form

In detail: 

It was good to see trainer Emma Lavelle with her first winner for a while in midweek – promptly followed by a second and third. Hopefully she can take that into Saturday, where Bluey ticks a lot of boxes. This seven-year-old won first time out last autumn before a lull, which prompted a wind op last winter, and a subsequent return to form – he won two of his next three, including a Grade 3 handicap chase in April (2m5f, good). He seems to prefer flat tracks without undulations, and looks underestimated in the market against some bigger yards.  

SOUTHOFTHEBORDER 3.35 Aintree
Bet (on a scale of 1 to 3): ⭐ (win)
Odds: 11/1

In a nutshell:

✅ Ground and trip ideal
✅ Strong second last time out
✅ Trainer in good form
✅ Likes flat tracks

In detail: 

Remember Henrietta Knight? The trainer of three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate. Well, she’s still sending out winners and enjoyed a very fruitful autumn to date, including another winner on Sunday. Her Southoftheborder improved over fences last season, winning two of his last three, before a career-best runner-up effort in stronger company on his reappearance last month – ahead of Crebilly in third, who won a Grade 3 last weekend. He can be expected to strip fitter for that outing and is 1-1 at Aintree (also 4-6 on flat tracks) while the good ground is ideal (3-6) – the ground is currently drying out. As with Bluey, he looks overpriced against the ‘sexier’ yards, and is worth a punt.

Another jumper for your tracker.

Las Canals (5yo)

This French-bred hurdler took his record to 3-4 for joint-trainers Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero when hosing up at Uttoxeter last week. He is definitely on an upward curve, and a 6lb higher mark of 119 may not stop him.

Incidentally, that Uttoxeter race was won by John Barbour 12 months ago, who subsequently won a better race two outings later off a mark of 121 – the 2022 winner of that Uttoxeter race also won again (next time out).

No escaping that man Dan Skelton – here’s the pick from his latest blog at Ladbrokes…

‘We run a nice horse in the bumper called Al Capony (4.05 Aintree). It is a race for three-year-olds, and we have done plenty with him. He was away last year for a gallop on the grass and went quite nicely. This is his first start though, so we aren’t going out there with high expectations, but I would be very surprised if he doesn’t run well given what we have seen at home.’

📌 Keep your eyes on conditional jockey Jamie Neild, who claims 7lb off in the saddle. He is growing in confidence with four winners from his last eight rides, including two this autumn. With 12 career winners in total, there is still a lot of time and value left in riding before he rides out his 7lb claim.

► ITV4: Aintree: 1.15, 1.45, 2.25, 3.00, 3.35; Doncaster: 2.10, 2.45, 3.25.

Next week is 🥁

Cheltenham’s three-day November Meeting – starting Friday.

It’s big. Very big.

Until then…

…keep ‘em peeled 👀

The Paddock Report Team.