The chase is on for the Grand National
MULTIPLE G1 winner Bristol De Mai heads the weights on 11st 10lb, with a lowered rating of 168, for the 2019 Randox Health Grand National, details of which were revealed yesterday.
With a prize fund of £1 million, the world's greatest chase is the most valuable Jump race globally and takes place over four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards and 30 fences at Aintree on Saturday, April 6, day three of the Randox Health Grand National Festival. This year sees the 172nd running of the great Aintree chase.
Bristol De Mai, one of nine entries for dual Randox Health Grand National-winning trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, gained his second G1 Betfair Chase at Haydock Park in November, when he defeated Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Native River by four lengths.
Twiston-Davies, whose Aintree successes came courtesy of Earth Summit (1998) and Bindaree (2002), also has impressive Sky Bet Chase victor Go Conquer (10st 13lb) and 2017 Becher Handicap Chase winner Blaklion (10st 12lb) among his nine entries.
Tiger Roll
The 2018 Randox Health Grand National hero Tiger Roll (Gordon Elliott IRE) has been given 11st 1lb, as he bids to become the first dual winner of the race since the legendary Red Rum.
Tiger Roll is the 20/1 joint-favourite with Betway, official betting partner of the Randox Health Grand National Festival, alongside Welsh Grand National winner seven-year-old Elegant Escape (Colin Tizzard, 11st 4lb) - Earth Summit was the last horse to win the Welsh Grand National and Randox Health Grand National in the same season (1997/98).
British Horseracing Authority Handicapper Martin Greenwood, who framed the weights for the first time this year and has total discretion for the Randox Health Grand National, said: "It was fairly straightforward to do the weights. I tried to treat it like any other race whilst bearing in mind there has to be some digression when needed.
“Bristol De Mai heads the weights and his rating has been compressed by 5lb as I thought it was better to have a horse at the top of the handicap whose rating was slightly out of kilter. If Bristol De Mai does run then I think it was the right call to make.
Auvergnat
“I found Auvergnat (10st 8lb) of Enda Bolger's hard to weigh up. He has a lot of Cross Country form and he was the hardest one I had to deal with. He has been running primarily in Cross Country races and they are events which are having an increasing impact on the Grand National, highlighted by Tiger Roll’s success last year.
“Tiger Roll is up 9lb from his mark for last year’s Grand National and Pleasant Company 7lb. I have them both on the same mark for what they were rated after last year’s Grand National. Tiger Roll confirmed that rating in the Cross Country Handicap at Cheltenham in November. Pleasant Company has been a bit disappointing in a few runs since, but I think the Aintree fences will bring out the best in him, so that is why I left him on that mark.