image source, Getty Images
Crouch Rambler aims for second consecutive Grand National victory
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venue: Aintree Racecourse date: Saturday, April 13th time: 16:00 BST |
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coverage: Commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live. You can watch the live text on his website and app on BBC Sport. |
Last year's winner Colac Rambler will lead the field of contenders for Saturday's Grand National at Aintree, with the final line-up to be decided on Thursday.
The maximum number of runners in the Aintree contest has been reduced from 40 to 34 this year for safety reasons.
Coraque Ramblers, who are coached by Lucinda Russell in Scotland, lead the English hopes in a field dominated by Irish runners.
Irish trainer Gordon Elliott has nine horses guaranteed to run, while compatriot Willie Mullins has eight.
Owner JP McManus confirmed plans for Paul Townend and the team to ride I Am Maximus, with Mark Walsh opting for the Limerick race over Meeting of the Waters, which will be ridden by Danny Mullins.
Keith Donahue will play Capodanno, and Jodie McGarvey will play Janidil.
After Monday's confirmation stage, 51 entries remain in the race, with the top 34 horses advancing to the final field.
When the top 35 is announced on Thursday, the final two spots will be chosen by random voting between tied teams Kitty's Light, Chambal and Eclat Delire.
Scottish National winner Kitty's Light is aiming to become the first Welsh-trained horse to win since Kirkland in 1905 for trainer Christian Williams, whose young daughter Betsy is being treated for leukemia.
Owner Harry Redknapp's winner at last month's Cheltenham Festival, jockey Shechem Up-A-Lee, will need several withdrawals to have a chance of running.
As the rain continued to fall, the surface of the National Course on Wednesday was said to be heavy or soft in places.
Owner Ronnie Bartlett said his pair, Galvin and Statler, would not participate if the ground was too soft.
Who is your favorite at the Grand National?
Colac Rambler is aiming to become the second horse after Tiger Roll to win back-to-back Nationals since Red Rum in the 1970s, and is bookmakers' favorite at around 5-1.
Approximate odds: 5-1 korak rambler, 7-1 I'm Maximus, 8-1 water conference, 9-1 Vanilliers, 12-1 Mr. Incredible, Panda Boy, 14-1 kitty lights, 16-1 mahler mission 20-1 bar
Irish trainers have established a strong dominance in big jump races, winning 18 of the 27 contests at the Cheltenham Festival.
After the Cheltenham race, Julie Harrington, chief executive of British Horse Racing, said this dominance was “damaging” horse racing, adding that Britain's top horses are not being produced, owned, trained or raced. He said more needs to be done to encourage people to do more.
Mullins leads the pack with nine wins at Cheltenham to reach the landmark of 100 festival wins, but there are also strong contenders such as I Am Maximus and Meeting of the Waters.
Elliott's team includes top-flight Conflate, Delta Work and Chemical Energy, although Conflate could be rescheduled for Friday's Melling Chase.
What are the safety changes?
Course clerk Surekha Varma said organizers had “spoken to people both inside and outside the racing world”.
Activist group Animal Rising has said it will not disrupt the Grand National this year after protesters entered the track in 2023 and delayed the race by 14 minutes.
On race day, police arrested 118 people after gelding Hill Sixteen was fatally injured.
As well as reducing the line-up, organizers have moved the contest forward by 1 hour and 15 minutes to 16:00 BST to provide a safer playing field for runners, and reduced the distance to the first fence to slow horses down in the early stages. I plan to make it shorter.
Changes include the reintroduction of standing starts and additional veterinary checks.
