Grand National, Aintree week.

Still reeling from Cheltenham but yesterday at the big T gave the punters hope.

A three day feast of jump racing from Liverpool is on the way

6th 7th and the highlight the National on Sat

Trying to make my mind up between Definitely Red or Vieux Lion Rouge

It could be a red letter day ?

Blaklion E/W for me - around 14/1 at the moment.

Think one of the favourites will win it this year.

Not for me, can't handle it to see how knackered those horses are after the race. Far too gruelling a race. Fences to high and distance of race a least 4 furlongs to long.

Time form look at the Cheltenham clues


GRAND NATIONAL 2017: CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL FORM

By Timeform — published 30th March 2017

Recent Grand National winners Silver Birch, Don’t Push It, Pineau de Re and Many Clouds all had their final starts before Aintree in races at Cheltenham, so were there are any Grand National clues at this year’s Festival?

The Gold Cup is the obvious place to start – Many Clouds was sixth in that race before winning at Aintree – and when Minella Rocco stayed on strongly to snatch second on the line behind Sizing John, he went straight to the head of the Grand National betting. However, it wasn’t long before trainer Jonjo O’Neill ruled Minella Rocco out of a crack at Aintree this year, though the same connections’ More of That, who plugged on for a never-dangerous sixth, is on course for the National, even if his effort in the Gold Cup didn’t really advance his claims.
Saphir du Rheu, on the other hand, one place ahead of him in fifth, ran a cracker in the face of a stiff task and heads to Aintree in good heart where he’ll be well-in at the weights as he’s since been put up 6 lb by the handicapper.
Besides Saphir du Rheu, another National entry from Paul Nicholls’ yard to run well in defeat was Foxhunter runner-up Wonderful Charm. He might even have beaten stable-companion Pacha du Polder in different circumstances as he only just failed by a neck after being left with too much to do. He’d need to jump the big fences with a bit more conviction than he did when pulled up in last year’s National though.
Gordon Elliott prepped Silver Birch for Aintree with a run in the cross-country chase and he saddled the first two in this year’s race with National entries Cause of Causes and Bless The Wings. The latter was placed for the second year running, though he needs a few to come out to get a run at Aintree and may bid to go one better than last year in the Irish Grand National instead.
Unlike last year, Cause of Causes is high enough in the weights to be guaranteed a National place this time and must have prospects of bettering his eighth place at Aintree two years ago when he had won the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham on his previous start. Galway Plate runner-up Alelchi Inois (Willie Mullins) was the other National entry in the cross-country, though he pulled up looking a non-stayer.
A Festival winner for the third year running, Cause of Causes had won the Kim Muir in 2016 and no fewer than eight horses from the latest renewal of that amateurs’ contest currently hold a National entry. However, most of those will struggle to make the cut at Aintree, though that’s not a worry for the Charlie Longsdon-trained runner-up Pendra who fared much the best of them under top weight at Cheltenham and even looked like winning at one stage. Pendra completed in rear in last year’s National, though has had serious health problems in the meantime (reportedly nearly died from pneumonia in the autumn) and the Kim Muir was his first run since.
The Ultima Handicap Chase was contested by a couple of National entries, with The Young Master finishing sixth behind winner Un Temps Pour Tout and Measureofmydreams thirteenth. Third in the same race twelve months ago before his biggest win in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown, The Young Master is firmly on course for Aintree this time when he’ll once again be ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen who has such a good record over the National fences.
The Young Master’s latest effort in the Ultima was a big improvement on his two previous starts this term, and trainer Neil Mulholland looks to be bringing him to the boil nicely for Aintree. Measureofmydreams (another with an Irish National entry as well) was having only his second start this term for Noel Meade and it’s too soon to be forgetting his third place behind Minella Rocco and Native River in the National Hunt Chase at the 2016 Festival when with Willie Mullins.

The Young Master and Sam Waley-Cohen is the one e/way for me , love the race :woohoo:

Did Saphir Du Rheu, again my knowledge on UK racing is nil, but the 33/1 on Betxchange looked great value when trading at 22/1 on Betfair.

shrek wrote: Did Saphir Du Rheu, again my knowledge on UK racing is nil, but the 33/1 on Betxchange looked great value when trading at 22/1 on Betfair.

You are correct Shrek is generally 20/1 and so Ho has the best price

Still antepost until Thursday when the field will be cut to 40 and reserves

The top eight from Sporting Bet. All much of a muchness.


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shrek wrote: Did Saphir Du Rheu, again my knowledge on UK racing is nil, but the 33/1 on Betxchange looked great value when trading at 22/1 on Betfair.

If you do start taking a big interest in UK racing rather put your efforts into the flat racing as the jumps season is coming to an end. Look at for Steckenfords tips on the forum and Bob often posts a sneaky winner as well.

Eight essential tips for betting on the National
Top tipster Pietro Innocenzi offers eight dos and don'ts when betting on the Grand National meeting

1 Do follow horses who ran well at the previous month's Cheltenham Festival. Since 2006, had you blindly backed those who had finished in the first four at Cheltenham you would have made a £1 level-stake profit of £90.40.

2 Don't back dodgy jumpers. The stiff fences and flat track mean runners jump at faster speeds than they are used to and that can prove too much of a test for those who are not sure-footed. In a similar vein, horses who travel strongly tend to be well suited by Aintree's sharp contours.

3 Don't get carried away with horses who have got round in the Grand National before. The last seven winners were running in the race for the first time, although runners who have gone well in the the Irish, Scottish or Welsh versions are well worth noting.

It also appears to have become a younger man's game since the fences were modified and the take-offs leveled, with significantly less fallers in the last four years. It is nowhere near the test it used to be, with Many Clouds winning as an eight-year-old in 2015 and nine-year-old Rule The World breaking his duck over fences last year (15 of the 16 finishers were less than ten years of age).

4 Don't follow the market. Seven of the last ten Grand National winners ranged in price from 25-1 to 100-1 and plenty of late gambles have come unstuck, Shutthefrontdoor in 2015 the latest. In fact it has proved costly to follow favourites at the meeting in general, with losses particularly heavy in hurdle races.

5 Do check out the best offers from bookmakers.

6 Don't expect the Irish to dominate as they did at Cheltenham. Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott farmed races at last month's Festival, but Aintree doesn't have anywhere near the same appeal to the Irish and they won't have half as many runners (Mullins is unlikely to come close to the six winners he had 12 months ago, which is a real spike in his record).

Indeed, since 2007, Mullins and Elliott have had only 14 winners between them at Aintree - that's just two more than they had together in four days at Cheltenham last month.

7 Do keep Nicky Henderson's Cheltenham Festival winners on your side. In the last ten seasons five of them have followed up at Aintree for the Seven Barrows handler from just eight runners. This season he is set to saddle Champion Hurdler Buveur D'air and Might Bite, who won an epic RSA Chase.

8 Don't be tied down to your original thoughts, be flexible. Look to respond promptly to things that are happening on track. Also look for form lines that are working out well and be quick to react accordingly.

Final Field m.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/39454325