Most of us like to pick out a horse as our selection for the iconic £1 million race or draw one in the workplace sweep. And it's that time of the year again on Saturday when the latest edition of the National, first run way back in 1839, graces the Merseyside turf.
Sponsored by Randox, the tapes for the race, over the marathon 4m2f distance, will rise at 4 pm, and you can follow the action live on ITV and Racing TV. To help you find your fancy, I have compiled this easy-to-follow pinstickers' guide to all of the runners, in racecard order, complete with their best odds at the time of writing. Comments on each horse are based on the assumption that the going will be Soft.
Those horses include the last two winners of the race, Corach Rambler and Noble Yeats but, amazingly, no fewer than 16 of the contenders are trained in Ireland by either Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott. Only eight are trained in the UK.
It's exactly 40 years since I made my first trip to Aintree when Hallo Dandy landed the spoils, beating Greasepaint and Corbiere into second and third. Things have changed dramatically since those days, with the course's stands and facilities now among the best in the country and the track's famous 30 fences, such as Becher's Brook and The Chair, far less demanding and daunting in the interests of safety.
Animal welfare is now of paramount importance, and more new safety measures have been introduced for Saturday's race. The number of runners has been cut from 40 to 34 to reduce the risk of falls and accidents, while the start has been moved to prevent a headlong charge to the first fence that can result in the horses setting off too fast.
Hopefully, the measures will contribute to an entertaining, thrilling spectacle, from which all horses and riders return home safe and sound. Good luck!
MY 1-2-3-4-5 PREDICTION
1 MEETINGOFTHEWATERS
2 PANDA BOY
3 MR INCREDIBLE
4 MAHLER MISSION
5 CORACH RAMBLER
Best Outsider: CHAMBARD
Those horses include the last two winners of the race, Corach Rambler and Noble Yeats but, amazingly, no fewer than 16 of the contenders are trained in Ireland by either Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott. Only eight are trained in the UK.
![One of two runners in the race for Scottish owner, potato magnate Ronnie Bartlett, and of all the Gordon Elliott contenders, this is the one the trainer fancies most. He's very well-handicapped on his best form, which includes fourth place in the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup, but he much prefers decent ground, so it needs to dry out, and he unseated at the first fence last year.](https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmVmOTdmZGFlLTMyYmQtNGUzYi04ZmRjLTEzYTc4NjQ3NzU1NDplNGZlYTE3MS0yNzBmLTQ2MzQtYTc5MS01YjRmNmFhOWM3ZmI=.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=640)
13. Galvin (33/1)
One of two runners in the race for Scottish owner, potato magnate Ronnie Bartlett, and of all the Gordon Elliott contenders, this is the one the trainer fancies most. He's very well-handicapped on his best form, which includes fourth place in the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup, but he much prefers decent ground, so it needs to dry out, and he unseated at the first fence last year.Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images
![Through his Gigginstown House Stud, owner Michael O'Leary, of Ryanair fame, is responsible for four of Saturday's runners, having won the race three times in the last eight years. This 9yo French-bred was an exciting prospect as a novice chaser but hasn't really recovered his form since a costly fall in a big race at the Cheltenham Festival of 2022.](https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjY2ZTM1MWQ4LWRkODYtNDQxNi1iZmYxLTRiMmNmMmNiM2I2Yzo3NTAyMjE3My0wYjIzLTRmZDEtYTg4YS1jZmE1MTgyZDU4NDc=.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=640)
14. Farouk D'Alene (100/1)
Through his Gigginstown House Stud, owner Michael O'Leary, of Ryanair fame, is responsible for four of Saturday's runners, having won the race three times in the last eight years. This 9yo French-bred was an exciting prospect as a novice chaser but hasn't really recovered his form since a costly fall in a big race at the Cheltenham Festival of 2022.Photo: Getty Images
![An admirable, consistent servant for the Tizzard family over the years, plying his trade in some of the top Jumps races. The handicapper has finally given him some slack, dropping him to an acceptable mark, but he hasn't won a race for two years and only one grey (Neptune Collonges in 20212) has landed the National spoils in the last 62 years.](https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjZiOTMzNmIxLTg1NTMtNDM1Zi1hMTk0LTQ1ZDU0ZjA2NDZkODoxZjEyODVlNC1kMDBjLTRlYzQtYTE3MC0wMjhlNjQ5M2FjZjU=.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=640)
15. Eldorado Allen (100/1)
An admirable, consistent servant for the Tizzard family over the years, plying his trade in some of the top Jumps races. The handicapper has finally given him some slack, dropping him to an acceptable mark, but he hasn't won a race for two years and only one grey (Neptune Collonges in 20212) has landed the National spoils in the last 62 years.Photo: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
![With Rachael Blackmore, the only woman to ride a National winner, in the plate, he emerged as a leading fancy for last year's race, but was a major disappointment, never landing a blow. Now to be ridden by his new owner, enthusiastic amateur David Maxwell, but he's lightly-raced for his age and won a big race, the Thyestes Chase, in Ireland last time out.](https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjQwZGU4NzQ5LTYwZjktNGY5Yy04NmQ3LTJhNzg2NWQ1Mzc2ZDpjNGQ1OWJhNC01NzMyLTQ2MjYtODY3OS0yMTQ0NzNhZTAyNjY=.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=640)
16. Ain't That A Shame (66/1)
With Rachael Blackmore, the only woman to ride a National winner, in the plate, he emerged as a leading fancy for last year's race, but was a major disappointment, never landing a blow. Now to be ridden by his new owner, enthusiastic amateur David Maxwell, but he's lightly-raced for his age and won a big race, the Thyestes Chase, in Ireland last time out.Photo: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images