Seven horses were scratched at the Grand National’s five-day declaration stage, to leave just 50 in contention for the Aintree prize.
Royal Pagaille and Quick Wave were amongst those withdrawn, with the likes of Gevrey and Defi Blue expected to follow suit after gruelling Irish Grand National runs on Easter Monday.
Of the 40 that will eventually make it to Aintree, three will do so off the back of wins at March’s Cheltenham Festival. Corach Rambler was installed as ante-post favourite for the race following his victory in the Ultima Handicap Chase, while Delta Work and Gaillard Du Mesnil also tasted success over the Prestbury Park fences.
It may be Noble Yeats, Any Second Now and the aforementioned Delta Work who prove most popular come race day though. Many once-a-year punters are sure to have last year’s results in the back of their minds, and they’ll have good memories of those names after they came home in the top three spots.
Those looking for a new winner, or bigger odds, may prefer to consider Enjoy D’allen, after a ‘supercomputer’ marked him up as the most likely winner based on past trends, or even Back On The Lash who is part owned by former Premier League football manager Harry Redknapp.
