29 March 2021
By Roger Jones
roger@TheCork.ie
The 2021 Grand National is set to take place at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool on Saturday 10th April. The event will be more eagerly anticipated by punters than past ones after the 2020 renewal was cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Some punters with flair for the Grand National competition will be keen on placing their bets on Irish grand national runners as they tend to be versatile. A quick check on the Grand National list shows that 12 Irish horses made the Grand National runners & riders list, but bookmakers believe that only a few are serious title contenders. Beyond the horses listed here, it’s best to go through the Grand National entry list to acquaint yourself with 2021 Grand National horses before placing your bet.
Any Second Now 10-1
The 9-year-old horse comes from the highly experienced Ted Walsh yard that won this event in 2000 when Ted and his son Ruby teamed up with the legendary Papillon. Ted Walsh yard also placed with Seabass in 2012, but haven’t had a Grand National representative since 2014. Any Second revived the yards’ hope of shooting into the limelight by landing the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham festival.
A major highlight of Any Second Now’s career happened last year when he took a Grade Three chase at nice in a distance of just two miles. Although his run since then has been disappointing, bookmakers believe that the experience of his owner and some of his past races suggests that he stands the best chance of an Irish horse winning the competition.
Burrows Saint 14-1
The Iris horse represents Willie Mullins’ best chance of being victorious in the Randox Grand National and it could be a perfect time to fulfil his long-awaited dream of getting a piece of the €1,000,000 grand prize.
Burrows saint was able to come out on top over hurdles on his last start at Punchestown. The entry list for that event has Stratum who won the last Cesarewitch on the flat and Sizing John, a former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner. A little peek at his last successes would convince even the most pessimistic fan of his versatility. With victories in trips between 2m3½f-3m5f, he’s definitely the most versatile and noteworthy Irish trained horse that fans will hope can grace the enviable Grand National title.
Minella Times 14-1
Minella Times is an 8-year-old horse from Ireland that’s sired by the stallion Oscar out of the dam Triptoshan. It’s trained by H De Bromhead, who resides in Waterford.
Minella Times has impressed bookmakers in his last two handicaps and he finished second in both keenly contested races. But he is set from a mark of 145 in the Grand National, so he’ll have to overcome a significant increase in his rating to come out victorious. However, he has a positive history of delivering this mind-blowing increase as he once finished second from a mark of 140 in a 67k handicap.
The big question in the mind of most punters has to be the runners’ ability to excel in races that are over three miles. The eight-year-old gelding has had 10 races over fences, and only two of those races surpassed three miles, which he had a disappointing performance in both. Punters will feel more comfortable being on the side of the gelding if Blackmore saddles him, but the distance will make some sceptical. Statistically, punters that have backed this horse across his career would have earned a 14% ROI.
Magic of Light 20-1
Magic of Light is a 10-year-old horse sired by the stallion Flemensfirth out of the dam Quest of Passion. Magic of Light has managed to win a total of 9 races in his career so far.
He has maintained a fair handicapper rating and has proven to be a profitable horse for punters. Punters that back this runner throughout his career would’ve received a 29% return on their investment.
