Age
8 to 10 is the optimal age for a Grand National winner.
We couldn’t be happier to see Rachael Blackmore win the 2021 Grand National on board Minella Times. Watching history being made was surreal and thrilling so will she be back for the 2022 Grand National? When the horses are entered in 2022, we will start whittling down our tips!
We will pick the runners we think can run a great race on April 9th 2022. But we still have a long way to go before that happens! We’ll also add in a few tips from the top pundits and tipsters around the UK and Ireland – to give you even more options.
MINELLA TIMES
Usually seen running over shorter distances, he’s only started at 3 miles twice under race rules, though he notched up a very decent second place at Leopardstown in December. Odds crashed when red hot Jockey Rachael Blackmore was pencilled in to ride him. Can he win it? Time will tell.
NO: | FORM: 0-1221 | AGE: 8 | WEIGHT: UNKNOWN | JOCKEY: UNKNOWN | TRAINER: H. De Bromhead
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Unlikely to mount a serious challenge.
Could place with a slice of luck.
A strong eachway chance and could even win it.
Odds listed on this page are antepost and taken from Paddy Power on 09/11/21. Check the odds with your Bookmaker before placing a bet as fluctuations can occur. Full Terms and Conditions for the promotional bet offers can be found on the respective websites – please read them before signing up.
WHO WILL WIN?
Who will win the 2022 Grand National? It’s the question we’re all asking, and without the aid of a crystal ball we’re all forced to study the form, statistics and trends to help us find the winner.
Grand National winners, and those horses who place, generally fall into certain trends. I look at those trends and rule out those who don’t quite fit the criteria although I always tip one or two outsiders who have the potential to defy the odds.
On this page we will feature the horses who we think can run a big race. For now though it’s too early to speculate so come back closer to the time!
Karl Hedley - Irish Post Tipster
Bristol De Mai
Burrows Saint
Kimberlite Candy
Cloth Cap
Greg Wood - Guardian
Any Second Now
Burrows Saint
Mister Malarky
Acapella Bourgeois
Ruby Walsh - Jockey
Burrows Saint
Any Second Now
Kevin Blake - At the Races, ITV & Betfair
Any Second Now
Burrows Saint
Paul Dean
Burrows Saint
Cloth Cap
Mister Malarkey
Minella Times
Paul Dean hit the headlines last month when he won £250,000 with a £5 bet at the Cheltenham Festival
Best of The Rest
Charlie Brooks – Kimberlite Candy
Alice Plunkett – Cloth Cap
Bob Champion – Cloth Cap
Barry Geraghty – Any Second Now
Barry Hearn – Canelo
Marcus Armytage - The Telegraph
Cloth Cap
Kimberlite Candy
Magic Of Light
Potters Corner
Finding A Winner
Here you can read a little more about how we narrow down the field of runners to find a potential winner. That’s not to say that finding the winner is easy, the race still remains one of the most open contests in sport. But with the application of statistics and trends we can discount runners who don’t fit into the historical winners profile. Usually this leaves use with a shortlist of 10 or fewer horses who have the ‘right stuff’ to win at Aintree.
Age
The first criteria is the Runner’s age. The Aintree Grand National fences require a level of maturity from the horses that usually comes with age and experience. So first off, eliminate all of those horses that are younger than eight or older than 11 years of age. In the last 20 years, 19 of the winners have come from that age group. Only Amberleigh House house bucked the trend in 2004 when winning at the ripe old age of 12.
Weight
The handicap system is designed to give every horse a fair crack at winning the race. Good horses will carry more weight than those perceived to have less ability. Historically horses carrying over 11 stone 3 pounds have struggled to overcome this handicap. Only four horses in the last 20 years have managed it and they were Tiger Roll in 2019, Many Clouds in 2015, Neptune Collonges in 2012 and Don’t Push It in 2010.
In fact, 6 of the last 10 winners have weighed less than 11-01 so before you place a bet, bare that in mind when you’re trying to reduce your selections.
Aintree Factor
It really does help if the horse you have backed has previously run and done well at Aintree, preferably over the Grand National Fences. So whether they’ve run the race in the past or taken part in the Becher Chase or the Topham Chase, if they’ve successfully navigated the course and finished the race then it proves they have the jumping ability to make it around again.
Form
When it comes to form, you need to look closely at how a horse has been performing for the last couple of seasons. Those who consistently get pulled up, fall, unseat their riders or refuse need to be taken out of the equation. The 2014 winner, Pineau De Re had only fallen once in the two years prior to his big win and had never pulled up, refused or unseated his jockey at any point in his entire career.
Battlegroup, on the other hand, had Refused and Pulled-Up twice in his three races immediately prior to the National. So it wasn’t surprising news when he refused to race in the 2014 Grand National. He planted his feet at the starting line and wouldn’t budge! A huge disappointment for all those who backed him.
