Our form expert has four selections for Randox Grand National day at Aintree on Saturday including two in the big race itself.
The Verdict: Saturday April 11
0.5pts e.w Bad in the 14.30 Aintree at 28/1 (Sky Bet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
1pt win Air Of Entitlement in the 15.05 Aintree at 11/1 (General)
1pt e.w Monty’s Star in the 16.00 Aintree at 14/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
0.5pts e.w Jordans in the 16.00 Aintree at 33/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
Monty’s to Star in the National
With class rising to the top and (only) 34 runners going down to the famous start the Randox Grand National is meant to be easier to crack than it used to be, but it doesn’t feel like that with so many good horses lining up.
Willie Mullins is bidding for his third successive success in the race and he has eight to call upon, including last year’s second and third I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West with the former bidding to repeat his 2024 heroics.
The Mullins squad is deeply respected, especially the two aforementioned, the Scottish National winner Captain Cody and interesting outsider Quai De Bourbon, who has Irish National form in the bank and a back-to-form third at Leopardstown last time.
There looks nothing out of line when it comes to the Mullins horses in the market, though, and fellow Irish trainer Henry De Bromhead isn’t far behind when it comes to success in the modern National.
He had the first two home in 2021 with Minella Times and Balko Des Flos, then Minella Indo was third in 2024 and Senior Chief ran well at a big price in sixth last year, so his runners Amirite, Gorgeous Tom and MONTY’S STAR are worth a second look.
All have chances, but Monty’s Star fits the quality angle best being on the cusp of Grade 1-winning class and after a low-key reappearance in the Coral Gold Cup he’s looked as good as ever in two subsequent starts in top-level company at Leopardstown.
An eye-catching, staying-on fifth in the Savills Chase at Christmas, he also put in a performance worth upgrading in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival after jumping well up front and going toe-to-toe with Fact To File deep into the contest.
He got tired after the second last, but it was a run that proved he’s worth his place in Grade 1 company and, freshened up after a few months off, he should be ready to tackle a Grand National where he gets to face off with old foes I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West in receipt of significant weight.
He has to prove he stays, but he’s from a strong staying family, he’s run well in a Cheltenham Gold Cup and has always looked like he’s worth a go at this race, and with stable jockey Darragh O’Keeffe taking the ride he appears to be the De Bromhead number one.
The Verdict: Back MONTY’S STAR in the 16.00 Aintree
Jordans could be an each-way stunner
I do want another string to my bow in such a deep race and along with proven class I do think the unexposed angle is worth exploring.
Oscars Brother has to come under consideration, then, getting in here after six chasing starts, the minimum number required to run in the race, especially given this marathon trip could unlock more improvement.
He’s generally 14/1, however, which is nothing more than fair and I’d rather take a chance on Joseph O’Brien’s JORDANS at 33/1.
Not quite as lightly-raced as Oscars Brother after 10 chasing starts, he has had just the eight goes over fences in the UK and Ireland and he is only seven, with youth not the barrier it once was in this contest.
Noble Yeats won as a seven-year-old in 2022, while fellow seven-year-olds Gaillard Du Mesnil and Iroko have been placed in the National since then, and the best trainers can target this race with a young horse if they are confident they’ll get in.
That’s just the scenario we have here, with O’Brien knowing he had a 150-rated horse on his hands after a good novice campaign in which he finished fifth (beaten less than seven lengths) by Jagwar in the Plate at Cheltenham, before he ran an excellent second to Caldwell Potter in the Grade 1 Mildmay at this meeting.
He gets an 11lb pull at the weights with Jagwar here, and O’Brien was so confident he’d get in the National he could give him a quiet campaign, running him over hurdles twice before Christmas before he went chasing again in January.
Pulled up at the last in the Thyestes, he shaped much better in the Listed QuinnBet Handicap Chase at Leopardstown in March, looking in contention two out before he got outpaced after the last.
Both of those races were run in softer ground than ideal and with the promise he showed last time in mind he could leave that form well behind now he gets back on spring ground at a track he likes.
Again, he has to prove he stays, but his career best run came over 3m1f here in Grade 1 company where he was a running-on second, so he’s worth chancing at big odds with the excellent Ben Jones taking over in the saddle.
The Verdict: Back JORDANS in the 16.00 Aintree
Something in the Air for Henry
It could be a good day for De Bromhead and while he’s double-handed in the Grade 1 Jet2 Liverpool Hurdle I like the claims of his second-string AIR OF ENTITLEMENT.
Stable and owner-mate Hiddenvalley Lake is the choice of O’Keeffe and he has been third and first in this race the last two years, so he is an obvious contender if back to his best form.
He hasn’t shown anything this season, though, whereas Air Of Entitlement comes in here on the back of a career-best win in the Martin Pipe Conditionals’ Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival where she powered up the hill.
She’s never run over three miles under Rules, but she is a former point-to-point winner and she is related to Irish National winner Rogue Angel, as well, so there’s every chance she’s going to thrive again over three miles.
The bit of forecast rain on Saturday morning won’t do her chances any harm at all and with the mares’ allowance and Jack Kennedy in the saddle she can go well.
The Verdict: Back AIR OF ENTITLEMENT in the 15.05 Aintree
Bad looks good in the Freebooter
Finally, BAD is worth a small each-way bet at 28/1 in the William Hill Handicap Chase (the Freebooter) over 3m1f.
Ben Pauling’s horse can be quirky and the trainer keeps him interested with various headgear tweaks, but he’s interesting at this trip with the cheekpieces on.
He’s won three times over 2m4f at Kempton in recent times, and two of those were thanks to strongly-run races, so he looks well worth a go over three miles with extra improvement needed from somewhere now he’s rated in the low 140s.
To be fair to him he’s been running well over intermediate trips with and without blinkers this season, but he might just travel away very sweetly over this trip with the sheepskin applied for the first time in 16 starts.
The Verdict: Back BAD in the 14.30 Aintree
Preview posted at 16:00 BST on 10/04/26
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