PREVIEW: The Grand National 2022

The 174th Grand National will take place at Aintree in Liverpool this weekend with forty horses and riders bidding to etch themselves in racing folklore and be added to an immortal roll of honour.

The World’s greatest steeplechase is littered with drama dating back to its first running in 1839, won by the appropriately named Lottery. 

Since then we’ve had the drama of 1967 where no horses bar 100/1 winner Foinavon cleared the 7^th fence, Red Rum running down Crisp in the unforgettable 1973 edition before gaining his unforgettable third victory in 1977 to become a racing great and “the race that never was” in 1993 after a false start that had gone unnoticed by many jockeys who completed the whole course.

There is also Rhyme ‘n’ Reason being picked up off the floor at Becher’s Brook in 1988, Party Politics winning days before the 1992 General Election and the Monday night running in 1997 following the bomb threat that postponed the scheduled event 48 hours earlier.

It is a race littered with drama and there is always a story to be told.

So how about this year’s renewal? 

Like most major jumps races on these shores of late, it has been dominated by Ireland who have won four of the last five running’s and have most of the market leaders this time around too.  

Minella Times won the race last year and bids to be the second back-to-back winner in three years, although he has failed to finish in his two subsequent runs this season.

Any Second Now, in the same famous JP McManus silks as last year’s winner, was third in the race in 2021 after early interference and warmed up for a renewed tilt with a last gasp narrow victory over Escaria Ten six weeks ago at Fairyhouse. Both horses appear to have leading claims for trainers who have won the race before, Ted Walsh in 2000 with Papillion and Gordon Elliott on three occasions, Silver Birch in 2007 and of course Tiger Roll twice in 2018 & 19.

Elliott also saddles Delta Work in the Tiger Roll silks, who beat his illustrious stablemate in the cross country at Cheltenham last month and is a five-time Grade 1 winner bringing the best form into the race.

Trainer Willie Mullins dominated Cheltenham and the leading hope of his four-pronged attack would appear to be last years fourth Burrows Saint. He was well beaten behind Any Second Now at Fairyhouse but has all the credentials needed to go closer than twelve months ago.

What about the home challenge? That is headed by a mare, Snow Leopardess who won over these fences in November and is three from three this season. She will welcome the forecast rain at Aintree throughout the week although no mare has won the race since Nickel Coin in 1951.

Cloth Cap was sent off the 11/2 favourite last year but pulled up about half a mile from home. He hasn’t been in the same form this season but is available at a much bigger price and may have been overlooked.

I think Any Second Now, despite carrying a couple of pounds more weight than a typical winner, looks a rock solid contender towards the head of the betting at around 8/1 and should go very close to continue the Irish stranglehold. 

As for an outsider, Two For Gold ran his heart out in top company at Ascot in February and represents the 1990 winning trainer Kim Bailey, whose Mr Frisk won the race in a record time. Two For Gold should stay, has plenty of class and could give us a good run for out money at around 40/1.