Stat Selector: Saturday 3 December

Five Star Getaway - 14:05 Aintree

Smart Stat: £42.33 - Christian Williams's profit to a £1 level stake with only one runner on the card (chases)

Christian Williams proved on several occasions last season that he is very good at targeting the big races on a Saturday and you get the feeling that Five Star Getaway may have been laid out for this. He shaped well under considerate handling over two and a half miles on his return at Bangor last month, travelling better than most before the lack of a recent run appeared to tell. He should be spot on for this now and will relish the step back up in trip.

Greaneteen - 14:55 Sandown

Smart Stat: 4 - Paul Nicholls's number of winners in past 10 runnings

Greaneteen arguably proved better than ever when defying top weight in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on his return last month and has solid claims of repeating last year's success in this race on the back of that performance. He appeared to relish the change to front-running tactics, going with plenty of zest and finding plenty at the finish. He can boast an excellent record at this track and represents a yard with a very good record in the race, so there is plenty to like about his chances.

Walking On Air - 15:15 Aintree

Smart Stat: 2 - Nicky Henderson's number of winners in past 10 runnings

Walking On Air looked something out of the ordinary when making a winning start over hurdles at Newbury in January and, though he failed to fire in the Mersey Novices' Hurdle over course and distance on his final start, it shows the regard in which he's held that he was contesting such a race on just his second start in this sphere. On his Newbury run, he has the potential to blow this opening mark of 132 out of the water, and he also represents a yard with a good record in this race.