Home By The Lee tops Liverpool Hurdle contenders Joseph O’Brien’s veteran Home By The Lee will bid to add to his surprise Cheltenham Festival success in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree on Saturday. The 11-year-old won the Stayers’ Hurdle at the fifth time of asking at Prestbury Park last month and was claiming his third Grade One. He has run in the Liverpool Hurdle twice before, failing to complete on both occasions. Honesty Policy, Hewick and the Nicky Henderson-trained duo of Doddiethegreat and Impose Toi, who all ran at Cheltenham but were unplaced, will hope to perform better. Henderson has also entered Jingko Blue, the easy winner of the BetMGM Cup at Cheltenham. Henry de Bromhead has two interesting entries among the 15 in last year’s winner Hiddenvalley Lake and the mare Air Of Entitlement, winner of the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham. Gordon Elliott’s Mares’ Hurdle winner Wodhooh and Dan Skelton’s Pertemps Final scorer Supremely West are also in the mix, as is Olly Murphy’s Strong Leader, who won this prize two years ago and was second to Hiddenvalley Lake last season. In the Hallgarten and Novum Wines Maghull Novices’ Chase, Willie Mullins’ Salvator Mundi will be aiming to win at the meeting for a second time, having landed the Top Novices’ Hurdle 12 months ago. Warren Greatrex’s rapidly improving Mighty Bandit, Elliott’s Kala Conti and King Of Kingsfield and Ben Pauling’s No Questions Asked are all among 10 entries. A total of 21 have been entered in the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle with Ballyfad, Bossman Jack, Zeus Power and Soldier Reeves among the main fancies.
