Walsh alarm as Brits at National hit record low

GRAND NATIONAL winning jockey Ruby Walsh cannot believe there are so few British-trained horses entered in the Randox Grand National given the £1million pot on offer. After the weights were unveiled yesterday, BhA handicapper Martin Greenwood predicted only a quarter of the 40-strong line-up at Aintree on April 15 will be British-trained — a further decline from last season when a record low of 19 British runners started. It reflects the dominance of the Irish in jump racing. They have won the last four runnings of the race and last season outscored the British at the Cheltenham Festival 18 victories to 10. Walsh, who won the Grand National on Papillon in 2000 and hedgehunter in 2005, said: ‘It is fairly obvious there is a decline in British jump racing. The Grand National is the only £1m jumps race in the world. I can’t believe there aren’t more British horses in it. ‘There are some (decent) British novices hurdlers going to Cheltenham for the first time in a number of years and that’s where it has to start. eventually those horses wash through.’ Of the 85 original Grand National entries only 31 are British, whereas Ireland boasts 18 of the top 20 in the weights. last year 54 British horses were entered. Paddy Power make it a 1-5 shot that the race will be won by an Irish-trained horse and 7-2 that there will be a home win. Their 8-1 favourite is emmet Mullins-trained 2022 winner Noble Yeats. The shortest-priced British hope is Corach Rambler (12-1), trained by lucinda Russell. This year’s Grand National falls on the 34th anniversary of the hillsborough disaster and Aintree plan to mark the occasion with a minute’s applause.