Grand National RunnersThere is normally a maximum field of 40 Grand National runners each year which will combine classier horses near the top of the weights and more lightly raced sorts at the bottom of the weights.Grand National EntriesIn the early stages of the Grand National betting there is often over a hundred horses entered and a variety of Grand National odds available. Throughout the jumps racing season horses will be withdrawn because of injury or to be re-routed to other races.At the final declaration stage there are often many more runners still entered than the maximum field size of 40 will allow. The top rated 40 horses are allowed into the race whilst those that did not make the cut are often run in the Topham Chase at Aintree the day before the Grand National, which is also run over the unique Grand National fences. Grand National Runners and TrialsOne of the best trials for the Grand National is the Becher Chase which takes place over the Grand National fences at Aintree in November. This is considered a good trial as it tests a horse’s stamina as well as its ability to jump the Grand National fences.Grand National Runners and Tips on What To Look forWhilst plenty of Grand National bets will have been placed all season long most of the Grand National betting activity will take place in the week leading up to the big race and on the day of the Grand National. In order to select your Grand National tips you will need to know a little bit about which Grand National runners are the most likely winners.The Grand National fences are very tough to negotiate. Not only are they extremely big, there are also 30 of them to jump. You want a horse with a good record of jumping fences so look in its form for a note of F (Fell) or U (Unseated Rider). More than one or two of these and it probably won’t finish the race. Another thing you need is stamina so look for horses who have won over at least three miles. That is 24 furlongs which is how most form guides show race records so be careful not to back a non stayer. Grand National WeightsFinally, don’t forget that the Grand National is a handicap race. This means that different horses carry different weights based on the ability they have shown on the racecourse to date. Although most weights are earned in this race, you need to have something in hand to win the Grand National so the horses near the top of the weights (those that have the low race card numbers) are likely to have been over penalised. Look for Grand National Runners that carry under 11 stone. In the weights column of your race card this means you are looking for 10-13 or less. For detailed anaylises for each of the 2008 Grand National runners take a look at our Grand National Preview |
| (c) 2008 Grand National World |
