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It’s the Grand National this weekend, here’s your guide to all the festivities
Aintree is all about the big one, the Grand National, four Mile and two furlongs with thirty of the world’s most unique fences to be jumped. Many jockeys and horses will be attempting history.
Tiger Roll is the one most eyes will be on. Red Rum is probably the most famous horse in the history of British sport and Gordon Elliot’s little lion is looking to emulate the first part of Rummy’s achievements, by becoming the first horse since Red Rum to win the race back to back.
He is a very short price. He is also a small nimble horse so the nine pounds extra lead he will have to carry is also a concern.
Should Tiger Roll win he will provide Gordon Elliot with a third Grand National win, a record, he saddles eleven runners in the race, also a record amount of runners for a single trainer.
The shortest price winner of the Grand National was back in 1919, that was Poethlyn at 11/4. Tiger Roll at 7/2 is very close to that price. It’s an enormous ask but he does seem better than ever this year. History beckons.
Ruby Walsh is on board Rathvinden, were the Kildare man to win he would become only the third jockey to win the race three times since 1900 and the first to achieve the feat since the 1950s. He was victorious on his first ride in the race back in 2000 with Papillion and also in 2005 with Hedgehunter.
Trevor Hemmings has two runners in the race in Lake View Land and Vintage Clouds, should one of his horse win on Saturday he will become the most successful owner in the competition’s history, with four. He is currently the joint most successful with Noel le Mare of Red Rum fame, Charles Duff and James Machell. Duff and Machell predate World War I so Hemmings feat would be truly unique doing it with four different horses.
The race that everyone has a bet on is ironically the one generally the most difficult to pick the winner of. Generally, the favourite wins about once in nine, the last favourite to win was in 2010.
To narrow the field to just a handful is a trying task in itself, the nature of the race and the huge field size of forty, invariably lead to pin sticking and betting because people like the names. Or in the case of Rule the World in 2016, Take That fans all backing the winner!
There are one or two trends to keep an eye out for though.
Foremost is… Jumping. Jumping. Jumping. Even in the post-2012 world of a somewhat sanitised jumping contest, a proven ability to get from one end fo the course to the other is key. Discard any recent fallers.
Stamina is also important as it’s a bloody long race. Picking a horse that has not competed beyond three and a half miles is a bad idea. A cursory look back through the previous running sees many a hard-luck story of horses going too soon and being outstayed. Tiger Roll nearly was last year.
Age. The average age of Grand National winners is 8.8. This is no country for old men. The older they get the more exposed their ability is. Have a bit of youth on your side.
From these criteria, a good pick is Lake View Lad. Make sure you back him each way.
As the ladies file through the gates on Friday and the Daily Mail photographers consider what brand of new car to get, the first day of the Aintree Festival is a fine undercard.
The Topham Chase at five past four on Friday is a first opportunity for the professional jockeys to have a go over the Grand National fences at the festival.
One eye-catcher, despite the poor record of Irish trained runners in the race, is Cadmium. He has always been talented but hasn’t always put decent performances together. Paul Townend is on board in the Grade one winning Kemboy colours
Ahead of the big race on Saturday, there is fine talent on show beforehand with Apple’s Jade looking to restore her reputation after the Cheltenham flop.
We’re set for a big weekend of racing!
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