The home team will be struggling to flex their muscles in this year’s Grand National such is the strength in depth of the Irish invasion. However, there are four candidates in particular who can give the Brits a serious run for their money, including the favourite and defending champion.
Corach Rambler
The Grand National might be a slightly easier race to win nowadays than in the past, but it would diminish nothing if Corach Rambler were to double up on his success last year. The ten-year-old was value for a wider margin of victory last year and a 13lb rise does not look overly harsh, especially on the balance of his best form.
A third in the Gold Cup most recently shows that, despite his age, he may still be improving and he is now clearly capable of Grade 1 level form. A mark of 159 therefore underestimates what he is capable of and, given he has won this race already, there can be no doubts that he can put his best foot forward here.
The one nagging doubt is how he finished the Gold Cup off. Having made a swoop round the final bend to briefly threaten victory, he ended up finishing tired, only just holding on for third with nothing left in the tank up the hill. 29 days may be enough to fully revitalise him, but that is a genuine worry given his short price.
Kitty’s Light
A sensational stretch towards the end of the last National Hunt seasons saw Kitty’s Light win three of the most prestigious staying handicaps in a row outside of the Grand National. Newcastle’s Eider Chase, the Scottish National at Ayr and Sandown’s bet365 Gold Cup all fell his way in a glorious stretch of performances.
There have been brief signs of similar form since the autumn, although it is unsurprising that his mark has been kept significantly under wraps for the big one at Aintree this year. As an eight-year-old, this might not represent the only chance Kitty’s Light has of winning the National, but it may be his best.
A mark of 146 is defiable on his best form from last season. Softer ground would be a serious worry, with all of his three wins last season on good-to-soft or better, but he is a thorough stayer and sound jumper. Those with premonitions for such things may also be nervous that he will be among the smaller horses in the line-up (as long as he gets in).
Grand National Trends 2024 – All the vital stats for Aintree marathon
There have been many changes to the Grand National over many years, but this renewal will see the field size cut from 40 to 34 which shouldn’t have a huge impact in finding the winner but both Auroras Encore (2013) & Minella Times (2021) were number 35 winners. I’m going to look at the last…
Mon 08 Apr 2024
Nassalam
The last horse to win both the Welsh and English Grand Nationals was Silver Birch, who completed the double at Aintree in 2007, three years after his Welsh success. You would have to go back to Earth Summit in 1998 for the last to win both in the same season, but weather permitting, Nassalam may possess the best chance of any horse to attempt the double since.
Heavy ground played right into his hands at Chepstow in December, where he was able to pull clear to win by 34 lengths. Caoilin Quinn will not be able to take 3lb off here, though he could have weighted in a stone overweight in Wales and still have guided this horse to success so dominant was he.
His rating shot up to such an extent that the Gold Cup was his next target. Even soft ground could not enable him to keep up there, but this trip will almost certainly keep him in contention. A mark of 161 is almost certain to prove too much, but if it becomes a slog, do not discount him.
Galia Des Liteaux
Nickel Coin remains the last mare to be successful in the Grand National and only viewers of a certain generation could hope to remember that ahead of this year’s race given it happened 73 years ago in 1951. That particular weight of history bears down on Galia Des Liteaux though Dan Skelton has been conjuring tricks for fun over the last month.
This would not even be his most surprising either given that his mare has often looked an out-and-out stayer. She has a Grade 2 success over 3m on heavy ground at Warwick, and softer conditions look her optimum, even if she was very disappointing most recently at Exeter.
Unusually given her route through this season has often seen her race against her own sex only, she has excelled more against the boys too, finishing second in Warwick’s Classic Chase when staying every yard of the 3m5f. Warwick is a track she likes, but it is not impossible she transfers that form to Aintree too.
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