Grand National News - Hewick Heads Weights with Corach Rambler 9lb Higher

Defending champion Corach Rambler is due to carry 11st 2lb as he seeks to emulate Tiger Roll and win a second successive Grand National at Aintree on Saturday, 13th April. The ten-year-old is rated 13lb higher than his mark of 146 last season, but will carry 9lb more in physical weight given the entries for this year’s renewal.

The horse he beat into second last season, Gavin Cromwell’s Vanillier, has shortened for the race significantly since the announcement, with his weight of 10st 8lb just 2lb more than he carried when finishing strongly a year ago. His mark of 151 is just 4lb higher 12 months on and 1lb lower than the last Irish rating he ran off at Leopardstown in December.

Lucinda Russell’s charge has been the ante-post favourite to go back-to-back throughout the season, though another former winner will be looking to become the first horse since Red Rum to regain the Grand National crown. Noble Yeats won off 147 in 2022 and was fourth off 19lb higher last season. He is set to carry 11st 8lb this season and will undoubtedly be dangerous once again with 3lb less to carry than a year ago.

Heading the weights is King George winner Hewick. After his triumph at Kempton, he has been handed a rating of 169 and will carry the maximum allotted weight of 11st 12lb if connections decide to take their chance come April. Conflated is second in off a mark of 166, 3lb lower than the top-weight. Meanwhile, the joint ante-post favourite, Mahler Mission, who is rivalling Corach Rambler at the head of the betting, has been given a racing weight of 11st 1lb following his runner-up finish in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.

94 entries were made for the contest a fortnight ago, with 61 hailing from Ireland. The maximum field size has been reduced from 40 to 34 for the first time this season, putting a squeeze on the British entrants. The highest weighted runner for the home side is Welsh National winner Nassalam, who would be trainer Gary Moore’s first runner in the race, and has been allotted 11st 4lb.

Last year’s lowest-rated runner was Born By The Sea, who got in off a mark of 137 to carry 10st 2lb from 6lb out of the handicap. The cut-off looks set to be higher given the reduced field and quality of the entries, with a rating of 145 required to carry 10st 2lb this time around.

Seven horses either failed to qualify or have been scratched from the race, leaving 87 to have been weighted by the official handicapper.

Grand National Weights