Cobbler looks a shoo-in
TODAY’S Midlands Grand National is the one race of the season that makes the real thing at Aintree look like a sprint.
It’s the same trip as the Liverpool epic but is more of a slog due to the horses not being as good and it’s usually run on bottomless ground.
Both those criteria are bang in place today and the following statistics must be followed:
■ Younger than nine.
■ Won between one and four chases.
■ Carrying 10st 12lb or less.
We are now down to a shortlist of Back To The Thatch, Themanfrom Minella and The Artful Cobbler.
is unlikely to make the necessary improvement after 17 outings over fences, so that leaves us with two Henry Daly horses.
fell in the Eider Chase last time when going well.
He also hit the deck on his seasonal/chase debut at Ffos Las and it’s unlikely he’ll go round here without a mistake.
It’s his inability to stay upright that draws us towards
who has the required survival streak.
Admittedly, he’s higher in the weights than when beginning his three-race winning run, but the seven-year-old still has an attractively light weight in this class.
This column also has a great record in the contest, so have 4pts win at a general 8-1.