FAKIR D'OUDAIRIES can land a record third straight victory in the Marsh Chase (Registered As The Melling Chase) (GBB Race) (3.30pm) on the second day of the 2023 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse.
Joseph O'Brien's eight-year-old has won the Grade One feature on Ladies Day at Aintree for the past two seasons. And having again bypassed last month’s Cheltenham Festival, he can be the first horse to bring up the treble. Fakir D’Oudairies was the sixth horse to win the race in successive seasons last year after Viking Flagship (1995-1996), Direct Route (1999-2000), Native Upmanship (2002-2003), Moscow Flyer (2004-2005) and Voy Por Ustedes (2008-2009). But he can do what no-one else has and claim the treble. Last year he came into the race on the back of victory in the Betfair Chase at Ascot, and although he was beaten into third by Shiskin in February of this year, he still remains the most likely winner of the Marsh Chase. He is ideally suited to the 2m4f contest on the Flat Aintree Mildmay course and can triumph ahead of Paul Nicholls' Pic D'Orhy to become one of the very few Aintree treble heroes.
READ MORE: Full list of final 40 runners for the 2023 Grand National
