Grand National 2024 Tips: Two To Back In Aintree Showpiece
The most watched race on planet Earth is here once again, the 2024 Grand National. 34 horses will go to war with the aim of adding their name to the illustrious list of winners since 1839, and with the market looking as volatile as ever in the lead up to the race, we may see a new favourite usurp last year's winner Corach Rambler who has been top of the antepost lists for months.
As well as penning a runners guide, (which you can read here) Billy Grimshaw has penned us a full race preview with a couple of selections that will hopefully be there or thereabouts come the finish...
There really is no place quite like Aintree on National day. Packed out stands, an air of nervousness and expectation lingering around the course and above all - excitement. This is a race that has had its knockers over the years, more than any other horse race across the globe in fact, and it has had to be nimble on its feet to public opinion to avoid being canned altogether. This season we will see the first 34 runner field assembled, down from 40, in another attempt to increase safety.
We will also see a standing start, which is being implemented in the Hunters and the Topham as the other races that are run over the National fences. Last season I was quite sweet on Mr Incredible for this race, and he was running well until departing the race. He is a similar price again and is still only a young horse, but I'm massively worried about him at a standing start given his history of refusing to race so he was crossed off. If he starts with the field, I'd not be surprised to see him in the places.
Corach Rambler looks set to be overtaken as favourite by I Am Maximus as race time approaches, and although the 2023 winner has proven himself well capable off a much higher mark in the Gold Cup when finishing a brilliant third, he looked exhausted crossing the line there and with the ground very likely to be soft I'd be against those carrying big weights. I Am Maximus is supremely talented, as he has shown, but his big weight and the fact he seems to be markedly better at Fairyhouse than elsewhere means he is off the staking plan too.
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Ownership and stablemate of I Am Maximus Meetingofthewaters definitely makes more appeal, in what must be JP's strongest ever National squad in which he also has Limerick Lace, who is now too short to me with her age, gender and stamina all against her, and a few at bigger prices. Meetingofthewaters was a smashing best of the Irish third in the Ultima as his prep for this and I do think he is the perfect type you want for a National, so he was very hard to leave out.
Instead though I am siding with a horse who Meetingofthewaters vanquished back in December, PANDA BOY for Martin Brassil. The worry was if the ground got bottomless, however Aintree seems to be riding just like a normal soft ground meeting and the forecast is dry. As can be seen in the embedded video, connections clearly have no doubts over Panda Boy's ability to last home over any trip and he smacks of the type who will really relish the unique test these fences present.
He has big weight swings with the aforementioned Meetingofthewaters and indeed I Am Maximus from last year's Irish Grand National, in which he was running a cracker when still fairly lightly raced before ending up sixth. Brassil is a master of bringing horses along slowly and I feel Panda Boy looks to have tonnes in his favour for Aintree glory in 2024, particularly with such a low weight to carry and the ground now coming back in his favour. His price is contracting all the time, as it is for a lot of these, but there is still juice in backing him each-way now the extra places are available.
Despite a bit of a drift since I penned my antepost preview of this race a month or so ago, I am still very keen on last year's second VANILLIER going one place better for Gavin Cromwell too. Yes he was battered in the Bobbyjo by I Am Maximus, but Vaniller did not have a hard race there and Cromwell used it as the prep before last year's brilliant effort. His mark is the main reason he makes such appeal, with the handicapper massively underestimating his chances in my opinion given how well he finished last season.
Stamina is Vanillier's forte but he also relished the test of jumping these fences last campaign and should do so again here. A former Albert Bartlett winner, he does have to defy some trends which say placed horses from years gone by cannot win the race, but taking just this horse on his merits I would be flabbergasted were he not in the three barring a fall or being taken out by a loose horse. I am still very strong on his chances.
There are a host of those at bigger prices who make appeal and may well see a few pennies of my Aintree betting bank, with Roi Mage making appeal on the back of his seventh last year considering he seems to be flying despite being 12 years of age now and Mac Tottie another who looks overpriced on his Aintree form and if staying could run a massive race. For tipping purposes, however, I will stick with the two dashing greys from Ireland to hopefully bag one of the biggest prizes in Jumps racing.
