Vautour leads six-strong field for Melling Chase at Aintree

Vautour will face just five rivals as he bids to supplement his Ryanair Chase success in the JLT Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday.

Willie Mullins’ top-class performer won for the third year running at the Cheltenham Festival when justifying the switch from the Timico Gold Cup to the shorter event.

He was a convincing six-length scorer and will be odds-on to make his first visit to Merseyside a successful one.

The Dan Skelton-trained Al Ferof, who was fourth in the Ryanair, and Paul Nicholls' Vibrato Valtat, who fell, re-oppose.

Tom George’s God’s Own and the Mick Channon-trained Somersby ran with credit in the Queen Mother Champion Chase when fourth and fifth respectively. They step up to two and a half miles.

Completing the half a dozen runners is the Gordon Elliott-trained Clarcam, who won the Grade One Manifesto Novices’ Chase over this course and distance a year ago with Vibrato Valtat back in second place.