How great is it to see racing back in full swing? It seems like only yesterday we had to watch the biggest festivals in the UK with no crowds. Of course, crowds create atmosphere and while the lack of racegoers didn’t detract from the racing or the excellent tv coverage, it’s good to finally see the doors open again.
While Rachael Blackmore may have won the Grand National at a near-empty Aintree, there is always the chance that she can do it again in front of a packed house in 2022.
But back-to-back Grand National wins are a rare breed. Tiger Roll and Davy Russell may have done it in 2018 and 2019 but it had taken more than 40 years since Red Rum had achieved the same feat.
That said, jockey Leighton Aspell won back-to-back Nationals on board Pineau De Re in 2014 and Many Clouds in 2015 so it is possible.
With so much interest in horse racing, you can literally bet on anything from a bet on South African horse racing, to the Gold Cup to which trainer will win the Grand National. So who will you be backing next April?
Grand National 2022 Date Announcement
It may a way off but the BHA and Jockey Club have already set a date for the 2022 Grand National. It will be held at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday, April 9th 2022 at 5.15pm.
Tickets are on sale for the event but you’re going to have to be quick as demand was high and a lot of the ticket categories are already sold out. There is still availability for the first two days of the festival.
As with 2021, the opening day of the festival will now be called ‘Liverpool’s NHS Day‘ to honour all the hardworking NHS staff across the Merseyside region.
And of course, there is always the option of upgrading your experience with a hospitality package.
Ante Post Odds For The Grand National 2022
Of course, as with any major event, the bookies are already offering ante-post odds on who they think will run a good race in 2022. Don’t expect to get a comprehensive list as we are so far from the actual race date.
Minella Times is currently the joint-favourite alongside another JP McManus owed chaser, Any Second Now. The Ted Walsh trained nine-year-old was third behind Minella Times and Balko Des Flos in 2021.
Other notable potential runners include those that ran well last season, including Burrows Saint and Cloth Cap which are both on decent ante-post odds of around 25/1.
We do see a few new names on the ante-post odds market including Gold Cup runner Santini. He was entered last season but was withdrawn by trainer Nicky Henderson when given top weight along with Bristol De Mai and Easysland. Connections opted for the Gold Cup instead but he was pulled up.
The most interesting candidate looks like Galvin from Gordon Elliott. Winner over 3m6f at Cheltenham, he is on excellent form with six back-to-back wins. With stamina in bucket loads and a winning start to this season, ante-post odds of 25/1 look very generous.
However, whether any of them will actually get an entry into the 2022 Grand National is debatable at this stage.
The full list of entries will be published at the end of January 2022. So until then, it is a guessing game as to which horses will get entered.
