Aintree Festival 2023: Sefton Novices’ Hurdle tips - Grey Dawning can challenge Cheltenham heroes

The Sefton Novices' Hurdle is a demanding Grade One race run over an extended three miles with 13 hurdles to negotiate along the way.

Ahoy Senor was a notable winner of this race in 2021, while last year's event was won by Gelino Bello at 7/2, although the first five also included a couple of 80/1 and 100/1 longshots.

Cheltenham heroes Stay Away Fay and Iroko will be looking to build on their Festival successes here, but our eye is drawn more towards the Dan Skelton-trained Gey Dawning.

This promising six-year-old finished second here in November, and has since gone on to string together a hat-trick of eye-catching wins, including the Ladbrokes handicap Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, and he looks primed for more success here under Harry Skelton

If you're looking for some tastier outsider value, then it's worth noting that Hurricane Bay was not far adrift of the re-opposing strong fancies Maximilian and Stay Away Fay at Doncaster in January.

If he can remain as close to them here then he could well be in the mix on the run-in, and with Bryony Frost in the saddle he looks a decent each-way shout.