Thursday 1 November 2018

Grand National thoughts and ones to watch in 2019

If there's one racing festival or rather a specific festival race that holds both worldwide and national appeal, it's the Aintree Grand National. Taking place each year in the village of Aintree in Liverpool, the Grand National was first run in 1839. That alone gives you a taste of just how steeped in tradition this handicap steeplechase event is. With prize money of over £1 million and TV audiences of around 8.5m viewers in the UK alone (and 600m worldwide) it's no wonder this is 'the one to win' for horse trainers, owners and jockeys alike.

Fun Fact: The Grand National TV audience is bigger than that of the Superbowl (111m in 2017) and UEFA Champions League (118m) combined!

It's no easy task to traverse the National course with 30 tough fences over two laps of the racecourse. This includes notorious fences such as Becher's Brook (described by some jockey's as feeling like 'jumping off the edge of the world') and The Chair (a 5ft 3 inch fence just ahead of a 6 foot open ditch). A combination of its difficulty and history is responsible for the Aintree course becoming something of a legend maker, with the likes of Red Rum achieving a place in racing royalty due to their Grand National successes. For those living under a rock, the Ginger McCain trained Red Rum was a three time Grand National winner in the 70s. Winner of the 2018 Grand National was Tiger Roll ridden by Davey Russell.

The much anticipated 2019 Grand National takes place on Saturday April 6th at 17:15 and already people are considering the odds and runners and who the potential winner may be, out of those horses that may line up on the day. Of course it's an impossible question to answer at this stage, but based on previous form, trainer comments and the like we have early ideas for potential runners and what their prospects may be.

We'll start with an obvious likely runner. Tiger Roll (currently 20-1), winner of the 2018 race is surely likely to attempt to go for back to back wins. Defending the Grand National crown in a rarity especially in the modern age, but 8 year old Tiger Roll is certainly up for the task, having shown his abilities not only in the National but also at Cheltenham and more besides.

Pleasant Company (25-1) was 2nd in the 2018 Grand National and so again it would also be no surprise to see him attempt to go one better in 2019. He eased around the course in 2018 when many struggled, and came close rallying towards the end, so who can blame trainer Willie Mullins for being optimistic. Mullins also trained Hedgehunter, who finished second back in 2006.

Other potentials for 2019 include Bellshill, Step Back, Total Recall and 2017 Grand National winner One For Arthur!