Grand National Runners - Kitty's Light On the Cusp as 51 Stand Ground

The top 34 still remaining in the Grand National entries have all stood their ground at Monday’s five-day forfeit stage, with the exception of Fury Road for Gordon Elliott. With just Thursday’s declaration stage left for any to be ruled out, it ensures Conflated will currently carry top weight of 11st 12lb in the big race, run over 4m2½f of Aintree’s famous course on Saturday.

The news is ominous for connections and fans of Kitty’s Light, one of the primary British hopes for the National. He will need one more runner not to be declared on Thursday in order to take part, currently being number 36 on the list. Hope springs from quotes over the weekend from owner Ronnie Bartlett that neither of his runners, Stattler or Galvin, will run should the ground conditions be described as soft or worse.

Favourite and defending champion Corach Rambler will carry number eight in the race as things stand, with all seven above him still in contention. Only Nassalam of any British-trained runners is set to carry more weight than him in the race.

Second in behind Conflated is 2022 hero Noble Yeats, who is looking to become the first horse since Red Rum to regain the Grand National trophy. Harry Cobden is set to take the mount for Emmet Mullins with Paul Nicholls’ stable without a runner in the race this time around.

The last three to make the provisional cut ahead of Thursday are Panda Boy, well-fancied for Martin Brassil, Henry De Bromhead’s outsider Eklat De Rire and Venetia Williams’ former Cheltenham Festival winner Chambard.

Grand National Odds

With almost everyone standing their ground on Monday, few changes occurred in the Grand National odds ahead of the big race. Corach Rambler remains favourite at a best price of 5/1, though the markets updated substantially in the course of the last week.

Willie Mullins and JP McManus’s pair of I Am Maximus and Meetingofthewaters were both well supported, with the former now a clear second favourite for the race and only available at a high of 8/1 now. Meetingofthewaters is a best-priced 12/1 after his third-placed effort at Cheltenham in the Ultima Handicap Chase.

Last season’s runner-up Vanillier is third in at 10/1 in some places with Mr Incredible and Panda Boy next in. Kitty’s Light remains at a general 14/1 despite still being on the outside looking in with 35 runners above him in the handicap before final declarations.