How To Pick A Winner For The Grand National
John Smith’s Grand National - held annually at Aintree Racecourse - is one of the most prestigious horseracing events on the calendar and certainly the worlds greatest steeplechase. However, with 40 horses competing, picking a winner can be a daunting task. That is why I have listed the most important criteria to check when picking a horse.
JUMPING
As the race is primarily about jumping, a strong fencer will be a likely candidate for winning it. There are 30 obstacles over the two courses so checking the form guides to determine how well the horse has jumped in previous races is a good idea.
HANDICAP
The second factor to take into account is the weight carried by the horse. Unlike the Cheltenham Gold Cup where the horses are handicapped evenly, in the Grand National more weight is given to the better horses. As a general rule of thumb, those carrying the largest amount of weight are going to struggle, although winners have emerged from the top weight bracket in the past, (2010 winner Don't Push It took victory with 11st 5lbs.)
ENDURANCE
Stamina is another property to look for in the competitors. Avoid those horses which have a good track record over short distances (2 miles). They won’t be able to recreate the same level of performance over twice the distance. Those horses that are stronger over longer distances will be the likeliest candidates, as stamina will always beat speed in a four and a half mile race.
Good luck to you all!
The 7 day weather forecast summary for Aintree Racecourse:
The forecast for Aintree Racecourse in the coming week is predicting the average daytime maximum temperature will be around 11°C, with a high for the week of 14°C expected on the afternoon of Sunday 21st.
The average minimum temperature will be 6°C, dipping to its lowest on the morning of Thursday 18th at 3°C.
The week ahead will
have mixed weather with some days dry and some seeing a little rain or sleet.
It looks like Tuesday 18th will have the most precipitation with an accumulation of around 4.0mm.
On the whole winds are likely to be moderate.