Do you think Tiger Roll will make it back-to-back wins at Aintree next month? The Irish thoroughbred is the current favourite ahead of next month’s Grand National 2019 (between 11/1 & 12/1) and is expected to challenge strongly ahead of the race on April 6th.
Other ante-post favourites include Rathvinden (14/1), Mall Dini (26/1), Anibale Fly (26/1) with Vintage Clouds and Rock The Kasbah coming in at the same price as well. However, racing fans will be more than aware the National is prone to producing a surprise winner, so let’s take a peek at some outside tips who could cause an upset come race day.
Pleasant Company 33/1
Last year’s runner-up hasn’t enjoyed the best season so far, but punters are expected to back heavily on Pleasant Company in the coming weeks. The 11-year-old had a couple of bad runs over three miles at Gowran Park and in the Pertemps Handicap at Leopardstown just before the turn of the New Year. Trainer Willie Mullins will no doubt be doing everything in his power to ensure Pleasant Company has a strong run at Aintree.
Give Me A Copper 35/1
The Paul Nicholls-trained Give Me A Copper will be making his debut in the National and it’ll be intriguing to see how he fares. In his first race this season, the nine-year-old finished fourth out of 16 runners in the Masters Handicap Chase. He took part in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham Festival but failed to threaten the leaders and fell at the last.
Ms Parfois 41/1
Another newbie to the National is Ms Parfois, an eight-year-old Irish thoroughbred who has plenty of experience running over three miles or more. The ante-post price of 41/1 gives backers huge potential to collect a tidy profit if a shock result did arise. Ms Parfois didn’t run too great in the Ladbrokes Trophy Chase at Newbury, but did have a strong 2017/18 season which saw three wins and three second-placed finishes.
Yala Enki 109/1
Now we come to the juicy outsiders which offer some real value to punters. Yala Enki, who always runs over long distances, has picked up a victory in the Anne Duchess Handicap Chase this season which is well worth noting for those seriously considering a punt. The nine-year-old is currently trained by Venetia Williams, who led Mon Mome to victory in 2009 at 100/1. Ten years on, could history repeat itself?
Go Conquer 149/1
Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies leads the way in terms of British entries, and none could provide a bigger trump card than Go Conquer. The ten-year-old has had a strong season to date and recently won the Sky Bet Handicap Chase at Doncaster by a full six furlongs from nearest challenger Monbeg River. Go Conquer regularly runs over three miles so he should be use to the rigours of Aintree, despite finishing 17th in the National two years ago. The huge price for Go Conquer clearly begs a lot of questions and racing fans understand that just because a horse isn’t fancied to win, there is nothing stopping it from going on to be victorious.