Grand National 2022: 78 Horses still in contention to run at Aintree

Henry De Bromhead's Chris's Dream is set to carry top weight in the 2022 Randox Grand National at Aintree on April 9, as he heads a list of 78 horses left in the Merseyside marathon at the latest acceptance stage...

Fresh from a sparkling Cheltenham Festival, which saw him win both the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup, De Bromhead will have the top weight in the shape of Chris's Dream, but his standout contender will be the reigning champion Minella Times, who features among the 78-strong list of horses.

With only 40 horses entitled to run there will be some nervous times for those situated below number 40, but a host of the well fancied contenders at the head of the betting feature in the top-40 and fresh from a fine win in the Cross Country Chase last week, Gordon Elliott's Delta Work remains in the list of runners.

Battling it out for favouritism are the Irish duo of Ted Walsh's Any Second Now and the aforementioned Elliott's Escaria Ten, and that pair are hovering around the 10/1-12/1 mark for the world's greatest steeplechase, which is only three weeks away. Prior to the latest entry stage, Charlie Longsdon's Snow Leopardess, who won the Becher Chase in tremendous fashion, wasn't guaranteed a run, but the galloping grey now sits in the top 40 following the latest round of scratchings with the likes of Galvin, Conflated and Melon all exiting the race.

Currently sitting at number 40 on the list is the Harry Fry-trained Phoenix Way, who is available at around 40/1, at the time of writing, and as attentions now turn to Aintree, punters will start looking through the form guides for the 2022 Grand National, which is set to be a fabulous spectacle.

Other notable entries holding their place and could prove huge players in the race include Longhouse Poet, Burrows Saint and Farclas.