Cape Gentleman has Grade 1 Aintree aim The Betway Mersey Novices’ Hurdle on the Grand National day card (April 10) at Aintree is next on the agenda for the exciting Cape Gentleman. The Emmet Mullins’ trained gelding, winner of the Paddy Power Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh last autumn, has taken well to hurdles winning twice including the Grade 2 Sky Bet Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton last month. “Cape Gentleman will probably go to Aintree for the two and a half miles Grade 1,” said Mullins before adding, “Ground is probably key to him - by Champs Elysees he definitely wants a bit of nice ground.” In between hurdle wins at Punchestown and Kempton, the five-year-old gelding disappointed at the Dublin Racing Festival in Leopardstown and the Closutton trainer is a little concerned about the return to a left-handed track. “We are taking a bit of a risk going back left-handed after Leopardstown went against us. There was a lot of things went wrong on the day at Leopardstown. “We are probably taking a bit of a chance going back left-handed in Aintree but I think the ground could be most of it and we won’t know until we try.”
