We're just a matter of days away from the 2024 Grand National at Aintree and our writer has produced this pinsticker's guide for punters looking at the horse racing betting for this weekend.
Grand National Tips By Day
So, without further ado it is time to get down to it - check out Steve Mullington's take on the projected runners at Aintree for the 2024 Grand National.
Grand National Pinsticker's Guide For 2024
CONFLATED
Hinted at a return to form in the Ryanair but has never raced over a marathon distance like this.
NOBLE YEATS
Landed the race in 2022 as a 50/1 shot and finished fourth last year. He looks good for the frame once again.
NASSALAM
Won the Welsh National by a country mile and will be of interest if the going becomes really testing.
COKO BEACH
Second in this year’s Becher and very consistent all season long. Another who can make the frame.
CAPODANNO
Pulled up in last year’s renewal and will need to put that ghost to bed quickly.
I AM MAXIMUS
Winner of the Bobbyjo Chase which has often been a bellwether marker for the National itself.
MINELLA INDO
Gold Cup scorer in 2021 and to be honest looks well overpriced at 20/1 for a class horse.
CORACH RAMBLER
Attempting back-to-back victories and he won’t be giving up his title without a brave fight.
JANIDIL
Soundly beaten in the Stayers’ Hurdle and is unproven at this trip.
STATTLER
Doesn’t mind an extreme trip like this and could well be the Mullins dark horse in this.
MAHLER MISSION
Second in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury and is bred to stay. A dangerous sleeper.
DELTA WORK
Veteran performer who plies his trade mainly over the cross-country courses these days.
FOXY JACKS
Excels on the cross-country scene and you should never underestimate a Mouse Morris-trained runner.
GALVIN
Quietly fancied to give Davy Russell a fairytale send off in last year’s race but fell at the first. This year will be different.
FAROUK D'ALENE
Has never raced beyond three miles and looks well out of his depth in this.
ELDORADO ALLEN
A class horse in his time and didn’t finish that far away in the Coral Gold Cup.
FURY ROAD
Fell in last year’s race and has been totally out of sorts since. More Melling Road than Fury.
AIN’T THAT A SHAME
Won the Thyestes Chase back in January and was snapped up by David Maxwell as his Grand National ride. Will get around in his own time.
VANILLIER
Runner-up in the race last season and has had the ideal preparation to go one better this time.
MR INCREDIBLE
Second in the Midlands Grand National a month ago and looks sure to be involved in the finish.
RUN WILD FRED
Hasn’t won a race now since November 2021 and has more letters to his name than numbers this season.
LATENIGHTPASS
Took the 2022 Aintree Foxhunters’ in fine style then finished fourth in it last year. Definitely enjoys the fences.
MINELLA CROONER
Beaten 25 lengths by I Am Maximus in the Bobbyjo kind of tells you his chances.
ADAMANTLY CHOSEN
Won by a healthy margin at Down Royal last time but probably isn’t good enough for this test.
MAC TOTTIE
Successful in the 2022 Topham Chase and could easily outrun his odds at a track where he thrives.
CHEMICAL ENERGY
Runner-up in the 2023 National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and has guaranteed stamina.
LIMERICK LACE
Seven-year-old mare who scored at the Festival but that 1951 record is still proving to be a monkey on the back.
MEETINGOFTHEWATERS
Has won and placed in some useful races of late but is the youngster’s stamina assured?
THE GOFFER
Ran into a place in last season’s Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown and spring may well be his time of year.
ROI MAGE
Owned by the same people who enjoyed National success with Aurora’s Encore, this veteran will love the going and is an interesting outsider.
GLENGOULY
Second in this year’s Thyestes but there’s isn’t a lot more to recommend him with.
GALIA DES LITEAUX
The eight-year-old mare finished second in the Warwick Chase and Dan Skelton is having a wonderful season.
PANDA BOY
Martin Brassil sent out Numbersixvalverde to capture the 2006 running of the National and his current horse has been the subject of sustained money in recent weeks.
Grand National Trends (last 10 years):
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Age: 8 of the last 10 winners were aged between 9 and 11.
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Price: 2 of the last 10 favourites have won. 3 of the last 10 winners have come from the top 3 horses in the Grand National odds.
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Last Run: 3 of the last 10 winners won on their last run before the Grand National with 3/10 placing on their last run. 9/10 winners ran within the last 35 days. 5/10 winners ran at the Cheltenham Festival on their last run.
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Weights: 9/10 winners carried a weight of between 10st 6lbs and 11st 6lbs to victory.
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Previous Aintree Form: 10/10 winners had at least one previous run at Aintree. 4/10 winners had at least one previous win at the track.
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Previous Distance Form: 10/10 winners had at least one win over 3 miles or longer.
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Previous Chase Form: 10/10 winners had at least 3 Chase wins, with 8/10 having at least 4 Chase wins to their name.
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Rating: 9 of the last 10 winners were rated between 148-160.
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Graded Win: 6/10 winners had at least one previous win in a Graded race.
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Season Form: 7/10 winners had at least four runs that season already.
Grand National Winners:
Did you know that certain letters of the alphabet are much luckier than others when it comes to picking out Grand National winners at Aintree racecourse?
Of course there’s absolutely no science to it, but horses that have started with the letter “R” have won the world’s greatest steeplechase at total of 21 times since 1839.
Aintree legend Red Rum clocked up three victories for Team R, while the likes of Rule The World and Red Marauder have been two of the more recent winners.
Six winners adrift from the leader is the letter “M” on fifteen victories, with the most recognisable names to those with short-term memories being Many Clouds in 2015, 100-1 surprise scorer Mon Mome in 2009 and Monty's Pass in 2003.
The letter “S” brings up the third spot, providing punters with 14 winners over the years including Silver Birch in 2007 and Seagram in 1991.
The full list of letters and their respective number of Grand National winners is as follows:
R (21) M (15) S (14) A (13) T (13) C (11) G (9) L (9) P (9) E (8) B (7) W (7) D (6) F (6) J (6) H (4) N (4) K (3) O (3) V (2) I (1) Q (1) Z (1) U (0) X (0) Y (0).
Grand National Trainers:
Let’s take a look through the current crop of trainers from the UK and Ireland and their respective records in the Aintree marathon.
Some have enjoyed success under Grand National sponsors while others are still waiting for their first win in the race.
Gordon Elliott (3 wins)
Elliott’s first win in the race came in 2007 when Silver Birch won under Robbie Power. He then had an eleven year wait before Tiger Roll took top honours in 2018, then again in 2019.
Anything the Cullentra stable sends over to Merseyside to compete in the race has to be considered and invariably at least one of Elliott’s runners goes well.
Nigel Twiston-Davies (2 wins)
With wins in 1998 with Earth Summit and 2002 with Binderee, Twiston-Davies is a formidable trainer when it comes to preparing horses for these unique Aintree fences.
If anything Twiston-Davies is well overdue another success, so keep your eyes peeled as to what he saddles.
Willie Mullins (1 win)
For a massively successful operation, it’s really surprising that Mullin’s sole Grand National winner to date was Hedgehunter in 2005.
He’s been knocking on the door several times since and you certainly cannot underestimate anything he enters.
Paul Nicholls (1 win)
Nicholls finally registered his first win in the National with Neptune Collonges in 2012, but has mainly had mixed fortunes with the rest of his runners over the years.
Again, for a big stable, punters would have expected more from the Ditcheat maestro but the cookie hasn’t always crumbled for him.
Nicky Henderson (0 wins)
It still beggars belief that one of the most successful National Hunt trainers of all time still does not have the Grand National on his illustrious CV.
Henderson’s first runner in the Grand National came in 1979 with a horse called Zongalero, which ironically finished the runner-up and that has been the closest he has ever come to landing the race.
Grand National Jockeys:
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George Stevens is the most successful jockey in Grand National history with five wins. His final triumph came in 1870.
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Bruce Hobbs is the youngest jockey to have won the race. The 17-year-old was victorious aboard Battleship in 1938. The oldest jockey was Dick Saunders who won aged 48, riding Grittar.
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The first female jockey to compete in the Grand National was Charlotte Brew in 1977, riding Barony Fort at 200-1.
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Since then 16 female jockeys have had mounts in the race, with Katie Walsh being the most successful this far when she came third in 2012 aboard Seabass.
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Of the current crop of female jockeys, Ireland’s Rachael Blackmore looks the most likely candidate to be the first female winner of the Grand National.
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The 2009 winning trainer, Venetia Williams, also rode in the race. She fell at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit when riding 200-1 chance Marcolo in 1988.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
