Which horse has carried the most weight to victory in the Grand National?

In recent years, the maximum weight that any horse can carry in the Grand National is 11st

10lb. Indeed, since the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) lowered the maximum weight carried from 11st 12lb to 11st 10lb in 2009, the highest weight carried to victory in the Grand National is 11st 9lb, by Many Clouds in 2015. However, looking further back in the history of the Grand National, certain horses have been encumbered with eye-watering amounts of weight.

The first ‘official’ running of the Grand National, as the Grand Liverpool Steeplechase, took place in 1839 and was won by Lottery, trained by George Dockeray, carrying 12st 0lb. However, when Lottery returned to Aintree for the 1841 Grand National such was his perceived superiority over the opposition that the racecourse authority decreed that he must carry a penalty, of 18lb, which increased his weight to a staggering 13st 4lb. Remarkably, Lottery still started favourite, at 5/2, but was pulled up at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit. An even more astonishing weight-carrying performance was recorded in 1900, when Manifesto – who had already won his second Grand National, under 12st 7lb the previous year – humped 12st 13lb into third place. Manifesto aside, three other horses, namely Cloister (1893), Jerry M (1912) and Poethyln (1919) carried 12st 7lb to victory in the Grand National.

What is Shadwell Racing?

Shadwell Racing is the horse racing business of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy tuler of Dubai and brother of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and founder of Godolpin. Sheikh Hamdan developed an interest in horse racing while studying at the Bell School of Languages in Cambridge in the late Sixties and his now familiar blue and white colours were first carried on a British racecourse in 1980.

Four years later, in 1984, Sheikh Hamdan purchased the 6,000-acre Shadwell Estate in Thetford, Norfolk which, following the construction of the Nunnery Stud, in 1987, would become the British base for one of the most highly regarded horse racing and bloodstock operations in the world. In the intervening three decades or so, Sheikh Hamdan has invested heavily in both aspects of the business and the Nunnery Stud has been home to illustrious racehorses and stallions alike.

Indeed, even in the face of formidable competition from the likes of Coolmore and Godolphin, to name but two, Sheikh Hamdan has been Champion Owner in Britain six times, most recently in 2014. Notable runners over the years have included 2000 Guineas, Derby, Coral-Eclipse Stakes and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1989 and Dayjur, dubbed ‘the world’s fastest horse after winning the King’s Stand Stakes’, Nunthorpe Stakes, Ladbroke Sprint Cup and Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp in 1990. Much more recently, Baataash has continued to fly the flag for Sheikh Hamdan, winning the Prixe de l’Abbaye de Longchamp in 2017, Numthorpe Stakes in 2019 and King’s Stand Stakes in 2020, among other high-profile races.

2021 Grand National: Our Guide to Aintree’s Most Interesting Runners

The Grand National horse racing competition is an annual event. And just like Christmas, it’s an event that puts participants and fans in a mood of excitement. The Aintree event is one that bookmakers and punters in the UK look forward to.

The unpredictability of the event makes it difficult for punters to make Grand National Predictions without seeking horse racing tips from professionals, even when they’re familiar with runners on the Grand National list. This is primarily because Grand National Runners and Riders are usually the most talented in the sport, and placing a bet without getting horseracing tips from experts will most likely result in a loss. We recommend that you check out this list of runners to watch out for those not covered in the racing tips below.

One of these runners will likely grace the winners’ enclosure:

1. Cloth Cap 6-1

Cloth Cap became a strong favourite after a wonderful warm-up victory at Kelso. After the comfortable victory in the Listed bet365 Premier Chase, the 9-year-old’s chaser had his odds moved from 12/1 to 8/1, and it’s now 6/1 for the 2021 Grand National in Aintree. The Trevor Hemmings-owned chaser became the talk of the town when he made all the running in the 2m7.5f competition despite jinking left occasionally and losing steam in the final 100 yards.

The chance of Cloth Cap winning has been further enhanced due to Gigginstown’s decision not to allow Tiger Roll to participate because of perceived “unfair handicapping.” Although Cloth Cap has never participated in the Aintree’s event, punters and bookmakers consider him a noteworthy runner on the entry list.

2. Any Second Now 12-1

The Irish-trained runner hails from the Ted Walsh yard that won the 2000 version of the Grand National. Although, his runs have been somewhat disappointing as he was defeated in handicap hurdles and he pilled earlier at Gowran Park’s Thyestes Chase. When Trainer Ted Walsh was interviewed shortly after the release of the Grand National weights, he appeared confident in the capacity of the horse to come victorious at the Aintree’s contest. Also, bookmakers are confident that the winning connections of JP McManus and Ted Walsh may result in a victorious outing.

3. Kimberlite Candy 16-1

The 9-year-old horse will make it to Aintree for his first Grand National race this year, but some recent performances have made the public overlook his inexperience and consider him as a noteworthy challenger. Overall, he had a great outing last year and it seems that this great outing is set to continue in the Grand National. He came close to winning the Becher Chase event to come up as the competition’s runner-up.

His victory at Warwick gave him an increase from 140 to 153 pounds in the handicap—this equates to a National weight of under eleven stone. Kimberlite fans will hope for that bit of juice in the ground since he tends to perform best on soft underfoot conditions.

4. Burrows Saint 16-1

With three wins from only six starts over fences for the Mullins yard, Burrows saint has proven that he has the stamina to be a serious title challenger in the 2021 Grand National. The height of his career came when he cruised to victory in the Irish Grand National two seasons ago. Since then, he has maintained the status of a serious title challenger in all contests. He will definitely be a fascinating runner to watch in the 2021 Grand National at Aintree.

5. Secret Reprieve 16-1

Secret Reprieve had an astounding performance in the last Welsh Grand National, and the runner has been growing ominously well with recent events. He has proven to be a strong horse but his jumping was noticeably low at several fences at Chepstow. Secret Reprieve owners have experienced noteworthy successes in the Grand National and their experience might come to play in training the horse for the Grand National in Aintree.

Will Honeysuckle ride again in Champion Hurdle?

Honeysuckle won the Champion Hurdle by a dominant margin at 2021 Cheltenham Festival. Henry de Bromhead’s charge was the leading contender for the crown, but delivered on expectations with a brilliant performance, defeating the 2020 champion Epatante in the process. The thoroughbred has been imperious in her career to date, winning all 11 of her races.

The question now looms will she be able to retain his crown at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival. You can already find horse racing bets that have established De Bromhead’s charge as the favourite for the 2022 Champion Hurdle.

However, Honeysuckle not only has to remain at the peak of her powers over the next year, but the bay mare must also fend off challenges from rising starlets. Appreciate It was marked in the Cheltenham race card as a winner in the first event of the 2021 Festival in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. It was an impressive run by Willie Mullins’ charge and the odds are already in place for Appreciate It to challenge Honeysuckle for the Champion Hurdle in 2022.

It’s clear to see why Honeysuckle has already been earmarked for successive triumphs, although similar musings came about last season when Epatante cruised to victory at Cheltenham. Nicky Henderson’s charge won by three lengths in the event ahead of Sharjah. However, in the three races since, the French thoroughbred has mustered only one triumph. At Newcastle, the seven-year-old was on form to win the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

However, Epatante took a dramatic step back at the Christmas Hurdle when she was beaten by her old adversary Silver Streak at Kempton Park, finishing behind her rival by six-and-a-half lengths. Therefore, she lacked momentum to take into the Festival and it was evident that Honeysuckle was the superior horse on the day, easing down the stretch to canter over the line.

Epatante had to settle for third place as Sharjah claimed second place for the second year in a row in the Champion Hurdle. The decline of Epatante is a warning for Honeysuckle and highlights the difficulty in securing back-to-back crowns at Cheltenham, Buveur d’Air was the last horse to achieve the feat in the Champion Hurdle in 2017 and 2018.

What Does the Future hold for Appreciate It?

There’s no guarantee that Appreciate It will take the road into the Champion Hurdle as there are many avenues that he could travel, including the Arkle Chase, Marsh Novices’ Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and Triumph Hurdle. The 2020 winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Shishkin made a seamless transition to become a chase horse, winning the 2021 Arkle in the process. Should Appreciate It take that road, it would lead him out of the potential pathway of Honeysuckle. However, there could be other challengers that are more than capable of winning the event.

When the National Hunt season resumes in the autumn it will be curious to see how De Bromhead deploys Honeysuckle during the early stages of the campaign. Honeysuckle herself could be shifted away from hurdling. It would be unlikely and considering her dominance in the Champion Hurdle, De Bromhead will be keen to maintain his hold on the event considering that Honeysuckle’s victory was his first in the prestigious race.

1 … 102 103 104 105 106 … 173