Anibale Fly (Age 8, weight 11st 10lb) Finished best of all when second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the best run of his career. Third in last year’s Gold Cup on his way to running fourth in the National. Another big effort is possible but it’s hard to see him doing better this time, not least because he has had just three weeks to get over Cheltenham, rather than last year’s four. Has a bit more weight to carry and only 4lb better off with Tiger Roll, who beat him 11 lengths last year. Valtor (10, 11st 6lb) Bought out of France with this race in mind in November but his preparation has not been ideal. Stunned everyone by winning easily at Ascot in December, which sent him up the weights by 12lb, and then his wheels fell off at Cheltenham in January, when he was pulled up after hanging and jumping to his right. If a left-handed circuit is uncomfortable for him, he’s not going to like the Canal Turn. If that was just a bad day, this exuberant little horse could be dangerous once more, though his jumping is far from faultless. Tiger Roll (9, 11st 5lb) Hugely and deservedly popular, his victory in this race last year being just one high point among many, including four Cheltenham Festival victories. Not the biggest but has proved neat and nimble, notably when stepping around a faller at Becher’s Brook. On the other hand, he was low at some fences and it might only take one mistake to ruin his chance. One view of his form is that he has struggled under big weights, so it might make a difference that he carries 11st 5lb this time, rather than 10st 13lb a year ago, when he just barely held on. His Festival win last month was, on the ratings, the best performance of his career by some margin and has an obvious chance of becoming the first dual winner since Red Rum. The moment Davy Russell heard that he won last year’s Grand National on Tiger Roll. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Outlander (11, 11st 4lb) Three times a Grade One winner but not since 2017 and some way below his best this season, especially in his most recent two starts. Would ideally like soft ground, so Thursday’s rain a help. Probably doesn’t want to go much beyond three miles, leaving him a mile short here. Don Poli (10, 11st 3lb) A Cheltenham Festival winner in 2014 and 2015 and third in the Gold Cup three years ago, when his plodding style earned him the nickname ‘Don Slowly’. Even slower since returning from 22 months off with a tendon injury and yet to run to anything like his old form this winter. A revival is possible and the handicapper has given him some encouragement, dropping him to 10lb below his peak rating. But more likely to be lapped than to win. Go Conquer (10, 11st 3lb) Strong-travelling front-runner took a step forward for his latest change of stable in the summer and produced his best effort yet when landing the Great Yorkshire Chase by six lengths in January. His two most significant wins have come when he was allowed to set a sustainable pace and unlikely to get that luxury this time. Doubtful his stamina will hold up unless he shows unaccustomed restraint. Mala Beach (11, 11st 2lb) Beat 20 rivals to win the Troytown in late 2017 the last time he was tried in a handicap, very relevant experience here. Lightly raced since and did not reappear until January, presumably with this as his sole target for the year. His handicap rating looks a bit stiff. Thursday’s rain was very timely for him. Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks Minella Rocco (9, 11st 1lb) Beat Native River to win the four-miler at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival and was a running-on second in the Gold Cup two years ago, when a stronger early pace might have helped. Has since been suffering from Big Horse Syndrome, setbacks and wind problems conspiring to keep him from showing his best form. His rating has dropped 11lb, which would make him attractive if he could suddenly return to his peak but that seems a long shot. Pulled up before halfway at the Cheltenham Festival. Lake View Lad (9, 11st 1lb) Tough stayer, won two of the North’s quality handicaps in December, the Rehearsal Chase and the Rowland Meyrick. Stayed on well to be third at the Cheltenham Festival, off the same handicap mark as he has for this race, looking as though the extra mile here would help. Easy to like. Pleasant Company (11, 11st 1lb) Got within about an inch of winning this last year, when storming home but narrowly failing to catch Tiger Roll. Meets that rival on 2lb better terms and clearly capable of winning this if everything goes right. On the other hand, he has been beaten in the last two Nationals and is now 7lb further up the ratings on a career-high mark at the age of 11. No show in two outings this winter but has surely been aimed at this since last April. Tiger Roll, right, just holds off Pleasant Company in last year’s Grand National. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Ballyoptic (9, 11st 1lb) Stamina won’t be a problem for this fella, who stayed on strongly to be a very close second in last year’s Scottish National and looked as though he was going past Joe Farrell at the line. Won a Grade One at Aintree in his novice hurdle days and bits of his form suggest he’s very fairly weighted. Fell when tried over these fences in December but the ground might not be as testing this time and he may jump better as a result. Disappointing at Haydock when last seen but trainer reports him in better heart now. Dounikos (8, 11st) A marathon like this could be just what he needs, judging by his powerful finish to win at Punchestown when stepped up to three and a half miles. Been raised another half a stone for that win, however, and lacks the experience over fences that most of his rivals here will have. Was a late faller on his previous start at Gowran. Jack Kennedy booked to ride, which suggests that he is the most fancied of the Gordon Elliott contingent, barring Tiger Roll. Rathvinden (11, 11st) Looked all over a National type when cruising through the four-miler at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, finding extra when needed to go past Ms Parfois close home. Confirmed that impression at Punchestown last April, when he lacked the necessary speed for three miles but flew home for fourth. Won the Bobbyyjo just after the weights for this were set and now 8lb well in. Short on experience, having had just one run over fences since his novice season, but a good run seems likely. One For Arthur (10, 11st) Impressive winner of the 2017 National but little has gone right for him since, starting with a tendon injury that sidelined him for a year. Has managed to unseat his jockey in both starts since his return, though he was threatening to run on into the argument when making his blunder last time. Pleased connections with a schooling session at Carlisle recently and fairly weighted if he can be brought back to his best, but his preparation has not gone nearly so smoothly as when he won. Rock The Kasbah (9, 10st 13lb) The autumn has generally been the best time to catch this one, six of whose nine wins have been in October or November, perhaps because that’s when he gets the dry ground he likes. Ran a fair race to be second in last April’s Bet365 Gold Cup, albeit 13 lengths behind Step Back. Now 4lb higher, having won at Cheltenham in November, and a suspicion that this will be beyond him. Warriors Tale (10, 10st 13lb) Stamina came up well short in this race last year, when he faded from second Valentine’s and was pulled up before the second-last. Now 4lb higher and Thursday’s rain will ensure that endurance is tested again. Won December’s Grand Sefton, a shorter race over these fences, but seemed to prove the limits of his stamina when failing to complete over three miles the next month. Regal Encore (11, 10st 12lb) Quite a promising introduction to these fences when staying on into eighth in the 2017 National, when the waiting tactics were possibly overdone. Coped well with the course and proved his stamina. A third in the Ladbrokes Trophy later that year also suggested he is the right type. Has had a light campaign and likely to be fitter for his third at Ascot when last seen. Contender. Magic Of Light (8, 10st 11lb) Has improved a stone this season but wins have come in races restricted to mares. When tipped into hotter races in her most recent two starts, she has struggled to cope and jumping errors have crept in. Now has her stamina to prove as well. A Toi Phil (9, 10st 11lb) Has several Grade Two wins to his name but never seemed an obvious National candidate. Has tried three miles but all eight of his wins have been at distances well short of that. Form in handicaps does not suggest his rating is especially lenient. Will be a head-scratcher if he comes home in front. Jury Duty (8, 10st 11lb) Attempting a possibly unprecedented double, having won the Grand National Hurdle at a New Jersey racetrack in October. Probably didn’t need to be at his best that day and this is a lot tougher but he may be improving, to judge by his recent defeat of a more fancied stablemate, Mala Beach, at Down Royal. He’s 6lb well in on that effort but it was essentially a two-horse race. On the rest of his form, his stamina is doubtful. Jury Duty, nearside, beats Mala Beach in a recent race at Down Royal. Photograph: Pat Healy/racingfotos.com/Rex/Shutterstock Noble Endeavor (10, 10st 10lb) Just two runs in the past two years, thanks to injury problems. Some limited promise in his 10th place finish at Cheltenham but asking a lot for him to recover the best of his old form in a race as demanding as this. Looked a possible National type when winning the Paddy Power at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting of 2016. Still half a stone above the rating he had that day. Monbeg Notorious (8, 10st 10lb) May be unsuited by this left-handed track, as he jumped to his right several times at Naass when last seen. A big improver last season, peaking with an easy win in the Thyestes. Shot up the weights as a result and well beaten in all four handicaps since, including last year’s Irish National. The Naas run was his best of the season so far, for all that he had to be driven from an early stage. Needs to improve again. Ramses De Teillee (7, 10st 9lb) Excellent effort to be second in the Welsh Grand National, despite a late blunder. Only seven, younger than every National winner since 1940, so this may come at least a year too soon. It wasn’t clear, at the end of his recent races, that he particularly wanted the extra three-parts of a mile that he’ll face here. Likeable and improving. Tea For Two (10, 10st 9lb) Dual Grade One winner now figures on a tasty-looking handicap mark, a stone below his peak rating. The biggest achievement of his career was at Aintree in spring, albeit not over the National fences, when he beat Cue Card in the 2017 Bowl. A close third in the King George at the end of that year. Has found it harder at the top level since then and seemed to be losing interest but showed up well until unseating in Cheltenham’s cross-country last month. Fair chance if taking to this course. Lizzie Kelly with Tea for Two at his stables. Photograph: Jim Wileman/The Guardian Mall Dini (NON-RUNNER)<doc-sep>The Grand National is nearly here… (Picture: Alex Livesey/Getty Images) The Grand National, one of the biggest horse racing events of the year, returns for its 172nd year this weekend. A total of 40 horses will be taking part in the main race at Aintree Racecourse, which will be broadcast all over the world. Here’s everything you need to know about how and when to tune into the Grant National, and which horses will compete. When is the Grand National? The 2019 Grand National, which is held near Liverpool, will take place on Saturday 6 March at roughly 5:15pm. There will be four races early on in the lead up to the main race. As for how to watch he race, if you haven’t got your ticket to the race already already then you’re bang out of luck – they’re all sold out. You can almost feel the tension of a race about to start (Picture: Alex Livesey/Getty Images) You’re be better off tuning in when live coverage of the racing starts at 2pm on ITV. Who are the Grand National runners for 2019? For this year’s Grand National, 47 runners have been announced, but by this afternoon the list will be whittled down to 40. That’s not including the four reserves which will be able to enter the race if any of the other 40 horses drop out before 1pm Friday. At the moment, Tiger Roll is the favourite to tin this year, after having won the Grant National last year. If Tiger Roll did gallop away with the win, that would make them the first horse to win two Grand Nationals in a row since Red Rum in 1973/1974. Grand National 2019 runners Tiger Roll Anibale Fly Rathvinden Vintage Clouds Lake View Lad Rock the Kasbah Pleasant Company Step Back PairOfBrownEyes Jury Duty Mall Dini Walk In The Mill Ramses De Teillee One For Arthur General Principle Dounikos Noble Endeabour Minella Rocco Up For Review Go Conquer Joe Farrell Carole’s Destrier Ballyoptic Out Sam The Young Master Folsom Blue Baie Des Iles Valtor Captain Redbeard SingleFarmPayment Warriors Tale LiveLoveLaugh Regal Encore Magic Of Light Cogry Milansbar Vieux Lion Rouge Mala Beach Ultragold Umplusive Star Tea For Two Monbeg Notorious Blow by Blow A Toi Phil Sanymount Duke Outlander Don Poli MORE : Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary buys plane passengers a drink after Grand National win MORE : Millionaire’s son hired ‘Romanian servant’ to ‘buy his beer and hold his fags’ at Cheltenham<doc-sep>
British jockey Richard Dunwoody won the 1994 Grand National on Miinnehoma (Picture: Getty) The Grand National is the one race that sets the pulses racing and the adrenaline flowing. I’ve enjoyed such good fortune at Aintree, having won the big one twice – with West Tip in 1986 and Miinnehoma in 1994 – and been in the money on seven other occasions. It still really is the ‘world’s greatest race’. There have been changes over the years to the fences because of understandable concerns about horse welfare, but I don’t believe the race has altered much. It is the lenient handicapping of high-class horses that have attracted a better standard of runner in recent years – and that’s one reason why there are more finishers these days. Looking at the stats, only two horses have won with an official rating of below 148 in the last 10 years (Pineau De Re rated 143 in 2014, and Auroras Encore rated 137 in 2013), but only four horses – Many Clouds (2015), Neptune Collonges (2012), Don’t Push It (2010) and Hedgehunter (in 2005) – have carried more than 11st to victory in the last 20 years. With no repeat winner since Red Rum’s 1974 victory, the trends are very much against nine-year-old TIGER ROLL, although he has to be given a major chance of running another huge race, despite having been raised 9lb since his 2018 triumph off an official mark of 150, and he will carry 11st 5lb. He was in tremendous form in winning the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, the same race he took en route to winning at Aintree last year. It does help if your horse loves the unique track. Tiger Roll seems to relish the fences, much like West Tip, who fell at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit in 1985, finished fourth in 1987 and 1988, second in 1989, and tenth in 1990. You need a horse that will stay the 4m4f trip and Tiger Roll has obviously proved he relishes a stamina test – after all, he also won the 4m National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2017, and let’s not forget what a versatile character he is, having also had the pace to win the 2m1f Triumph Hurdle five years ago! I’d go as far as saying there is no more popular horse in training – and he will certainly be a popular winner, as plenty have backed him already. He is currently as short as 4/1 with GentingBet and is almost certain to go off the clear favourite. ewrewrwere Age is not necessarily a factor when looking for the National winner. Miinehoma was a high-class chaser who had justified favouritism in the Sun Alliance Chase (now known as the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase) in a then-record time under Peter Scudamore, and finished third in the Welsh National.Yet injuries and age had made him a bit of an afterthought in many minds when he arrived at Aintree at the age of 11. Like Tiger Roll, he wasn’t very big, but was intelligent, possessed a touch of class and he had guts aplenty. Grey horses are always popular and Neptune Collonges was the last grey to win the Grand National in 2012. There are a few greys in the line-up this time, including Lake View Lad and Ramses De Teilles, who bids to become the first seven-year-old since 1940 to win. Both are fairly prominent in the betting, too. Another grey is VINTAGE CLOUDS. He will be near the foot of the handicap, but has already shown he relishes a stamina test, having finished fourth in the Welsh National last year and third in the Scottish equivalent at Ayr last April. While he seemed to resent a frantic pace and was pulled up before four out after making a mistake in January’s renewal of the Welsh National, following a wind operation he bounced back at the Cheltenham Festival to run Beware The Bear close in the Ultima Chase. The Sue Smith-trained nine-year-old enjoyed his last trip to Aintree, winning a novices’ handicap chase on the Mildway course 18 months ago, and could go well off a mark of 144, carrying 10st 4lb. He is currently a 14/1 shot to give owner Trevor Hemmings a fourth National success. Tiger Roll won last year’s race at Aintree (Picture: Getty) It would be great to see my old boss Philip Hobbs and champion jockey Richard Johnson win a National.