Its known as the biggest horse race in the world and it’s when many folk have their once a year bet. This time, the bookies are shut so you will need access to an on-line account to put on your wager.
The race is a handicap run over 4m 2f and although the fences have been modified in recent times, they still take a bit of jumping. The handicapper allocates a weight to the horse based on its performances, so those at the top of the race card carry significantly more weight (11st 10lb) than those at the bottom (10st 2lb).
You can see the runners and latest odds via the link above. The top 40 in the race following final declarations will run. My four against the field are:
Cloth Cap 4-1: the reason it’s so short in the betting is because it was allocated a light weight before its most recent runs. If the handicapper could reassess its ‘mark’ it would be carrying 14lb more. Many think it will win with a clear round. I backed it at a whopping 250-1 in November but in my opinion the odds are much too short now for a horse that has never experienced these unique fences.
Burrows Saint 10-1: trained in Ireland by the maestro that is Willie Mullins, this horse had the class to win Irish Grand National when it was a 6 year old. Mullins has not hidden the fact that Aintree was the target this year so I took 33-1 that was available in February.
Discorama 25-1: This would be my biggest winner as I have it in 650-1 double with Galvin (won at Cheltenham), but I’d almost given up on the bet because it ran poorly last time. It’s Irish trainer says it has since had a breathing operation, it’s got a nice low weight and loves good ground. It was still 33-1 a few days ago & I notice a few tipsters are giving it a mention.
Minella Times 14-1: The Rachel Blackmore factor. Blackmore was leading rider at the recent Cheltenham Festival, she’s a truly top drawer jockey & has a real chance of becoming the first woman to ride the winner of the Grand National. I can see the price of this one shortening nearer the day because of the Rachel factor.
So there’s four from me but it’s still a race where my 92 year old mother-in-law has as good a chance as me at picking the winner.
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