JOHN SMITH'S GRAND NATIONAL, Aintree: Saturday 4 April, 1615 BST
|
By Oliver Brett
|
 |
606: DEBATE
|
Text 81111 (with "RACING" as the first word), e-mail racing@bbc.co.uk with "for Oliver Brett" in subject field or use 606 . (Not all contributions can be used)
1340: Ads in Longparish has sent a very authoritative text message: "People can put all the money they want on Rambling Minster. He's too old and probably wants more give. Kilbeggan Blade to nick it."
1339: We've just had a replay of the "people's race" - where members of the public enter a ballot to get a ride in a 1m 1f flat race. Congratulations to 25-year-old David Griffiths, from Droitwich, who has raised £100,000 for the Injured Jockeys Fund and the County Air Ambulance with his winning ride on Mith Hill.
1335: Here's cowboymartin on the 606 thread: "A few years ago all the jockeys were sat in the Dressing Room and the BBC recorded them singing The Fields of Athan Rye. I'd love to see it again if at all possible. On another note, Golden Flight will win today."
(Good luck with your selection - not for me but he's a very attractive price. I heard a version of The Fields of Athan Rye converted into The Fields of Anfield Road on the radio this morning, I think it's a charity fundraiser for the 20th anniversary of the Hillsbrough disaster).
1330: Ruby Walsh has won this race on twice, and here he is on BBC1: " My Will has plenty of weight but he ran a cracking run in the Gold Cup, the other options were Snowy Morning, but he's got 11st 8lbs, Southern Vic but it's too dry, and Big Fella Thanks who was a little bit inexperienced. You can only ride one. If I didn't get nervous I'd be in the wrong game, it's nervous energy - you have to channel it the right way."
1320: The BBC's new betting expert, who is forming an entertaining double act with local boy John Parrott, is Gary Wiltshire, and he reckons McCoy's mount Butler's Cabin will start as the "jolly" (favourite). That's a big call. But it's either going to be him or My Will, you'd have thought.
1318: Aha - here's our first 606 contributor, called The New Cescy or something: "I put £20 on Rambling Minister to win; almost certainly has the stamina for this longer distance, having won the Borders National at Kelso over four miles last season. Another plus is that Rambling Minster has never fallen.... In the money?"
(Not sure, Cescy, but I love the semi-colon, almost as out-of-fashion as winkle-pickers. But yeah, plenty of positives about the Minster)
1315: I'm thinking some of you have just got back from the bookies, faithfully clutching your betting slip. Time to grab a sandwich and pull up a chair - there's only three hours to go before the off and plenty of interviews from all the big names to come. But if you STILL haven't a clue what to back, and were in the pub when the office sweepstake went round yesterday, here's our runners and riders guide for website viewers: Grand National runners and riders in full
1310: Another quick update from the market, though remember the fluctuations will be impossible to monitor all the time. My selection, Darkness, is being really well backed among the outsiders - you'll struggle to get 20-1 right now if you still fancy Charlie Egerton's horse - while Welsh-trained State of Play is much less popular and is drifting.
1307: We reckon around 70,000 people will be at the Liverpool racecourse today. And a word from the bookies - William Hill predict up to half the adult population across Britain will have a wager today, while Totesport estimates they will look recession in the eye and laugh at it, by staking around £400m in all.
1302: With Aintree coverage just starting up on BBC1 - brought to you by Clare Balding (and also streamed on this website) - now is an opportune time to invite you to get involved, whether by e-mail to racing@bbc.co.uk or on 606 - or by text to 81111.
1255: A very warm welcome to the 162nd Grand National, where glorious sunny skies await the crowds arriving at Aintree. However, with all the watering during a very dry week, and a heavy overnight shower, the going is officially good to soft, good in places.
The mere mention of the word "soft" will gladden the heart of Southern Vic's supporters. That horse was overlooked by Ruby Walsh, who instead goes for My Will.
There's been plenty of support for Rambling Minster this morning, trained in the north-east by Keith Reveley, with his 20-year-old son James - in excellent form this season - on board.
And here's jockey Tony McCoy on BBC1 just now: "You've got one chance each year and you need all the luck. You have to believe you have a chance or there's no point competing." He's on Butler's Cabin, right up there at the top of the betting, and is still looking for his first National success despite more than 3,000 winners across less famous races.
Aintree Grand National latest betting as at 1130 BST:
9-1
Butler's Cabin, My Will, Rambling Minster
12-1
State of Play
14-1
Black Apalachi
16-1
Parsons Legacy, Hear the Echo
18-1
Comply or Die
20-1
Darkness, Irish Invader, Kilbeggan Blade & Big Fella Thanks
25-1
L'Ami, Offshore Account
33-1 bar
Best odds available from UK bookmakers
No comments:
Post a Comment