Back mullins at 100-1
Paul Jacobs picks some Grand National outsiders
All eyes now turn to Aintree for the greatest race in the world,the Crabbies Grand National,an event I have a natural affinity for as it is staged in my home city.
It also holds a special place in my heart purely for punting reasons having yielded massive success for me through the years including the tri cast way back in 2008 when Comply Or Die beat Kings John Castle and Snowy Morning,a result which further tested my professional outlook on air as I had to commentate on the race on radio!
Of course since then the make-up and shape of the race has changed completely with better class horses being allowed to take their chance on account of the huge prize money and easier lay-out of the course.
It is hard to get away from last year’s superb winner Many Clouds following his latest success at Kelso especially as he races off just a 5lbs higher mark and I suspect he will start at around 6/1, so the current best offer of 9/1 for Oliver Sherwood’s charge is not to be sniffed at.
It was good to see Silviniaco Conti bounce back to form in the Ascot Chase, jumping with great accuracy and at speed and if he takes to the track he, too, has solid claims,getting 2lbs from Sherwood’s horse especially granted some give in the ground which seems a given these days.
So it is purely from a value standpoint, and for no other reason, that I will look elsewhere for an investment in the form of TURBAN forWillie Mullins and the novice ONENIGHTINVIENNA.
The former is best known as a two miler on soft ground in Ireland, but was in the process of running a cracker in last year’s Topham in fifth place and staying on when coming to grief at the third last.
Since then he has shown further evidence that staying could very well be his game when a running third over three miles in the Bobbyjo Chase and I simply like his profile.
Of course, he could be a blatant non stayer over an extended four miles but a top price of 100/1 means we don’t need to invest an awful lot of the hard earned to have an interest.
Onenightinvienna has always been regarded as a National horse by Philip Hobbs and his performances this season have done nothing to dissuade me from that view.
For such an inexperienced horse (four starts over fences) it is already apparent that his sound jumping makes him a prime candidate for this race as does his strong galloping style.
The seven-year-old’s run behind Vyta Du Roc in the Reynoldstown Chase can be safely forgotten as he went way too quickly from a very early stage, pushed to race from halfway by Drumacoo.
Granted a more patient ride I can see this son of Oscar picking his elders off one by one and a mark of 149 looks too much for me to resist as does the 40/1 generally available.
As far as the Betway Lincoln is concerned (April 2) have a second look at Godolphin’s SECRET BRIEF.
A closing third behind Farlow over seven furlongs at the track last backend,he has since run well over a mile at Meydan and a mark of 100 looks pretty enticing at hugely inflated odds of 33/1