The Grand National 2017 runners have been revealed, with 40 horses and 4 reserves announced for Saturday’s race at Aintree. The race, which has a whopping £1 million prize for the winner, will boast talented horses from England, Ireland, France and the USA lining up to overcome the course’s 30 fences and take home the trophy.
The race is known for its unpredictability, with last year’s winner coming in at 33/1, and it’s this that makes it such a tempting yet risky prospect for punters. While there are no certainties with the Grand National, there are still a few horses who are favoured more than their rivals heading into Saturday.
Grand National 2017 Tips
A strong tip at a decent price is Cause of Causes, a US horse from the McManus stable who won a similar race at Cheltenham and has the legs to go the distance. Arguably the strongest horse on the field in terms of form, he’s a solid jumper with great stamina, though Barry Geraghty’s decision to instead ride stablemate More of That is a little off-putting. At 12/1 he’s not the biggest potential money-maker, but is the most reliable option.
Vieux Lion Rouge has been on good form having won two main trials this season, and sits just behind Definitly Red as the race’s second favourite. Vicente is another to keep an eye on, though has suffered a dip in form this season. The horse won the Scottish National last season, a solid indicator of how well it could perform on Saturday, and was recently purchased by three-time Grand National winner Trevor Hemmings. At 20/1, Vicente’s well worth a look.
Elsewhere on the field Perfect Candidate is a solid each-way tip at 50/1, with the horse leading from the front last time round and potentially earning himself a spot up front this year, too. The horse is reportedly in great shape, and with an improvement to his staying power he is in position to place this year.
Take a look at the full list of runners below:
Runners
1) THE LAST SAMURI (IRE) 9 11-10 Kim Bailey
2) MORE OF THAT (IRE) 9 11-06 Jonjo O’Neill
3) SHANTOU FLYER (IRE) 7 11-05 Rebecca Curtis
4) PERFECT CANDIDATE (IRE) 10 11-05 Fergal O’Brien
5) SAPHIR DU RHEU (FR) 8 11-05 Paul Nicholls
6) ROI DES FRANCS (FR) 8 11-03 Gordon Elliott IRE
7) WOUNDED WARRIOR (IRE) 8 11-02 Noel Meade IRE
8) WONDERFUL CHARM (FR) 9 11-02 Paul Nicholls
9) TENOR NIVERNAIS (FR) 10 11-01 Venetia Williams
10) BLAKLION 8 11-01 Nigel Twiston-Davies
11) DROP OUT JOE 9 11-01 Charlie Longsdon
12) LE MERCUREY (FR) 7 11-00 Paul Nicholls
13) THE YOUNG MASTER 8 10-13 Neil Mulholland
14) CAUSE OF CAUSES (USA) 9 10-13 Gordon Elliott IRE
15) REGAL ENCORE (IRE) 9 10-13 Anthony Honeyball
16) VIEUX LION ROUGE (FR) 8 10-12 David Pipe
17) DEFINITLY RED (IRE) 8 10-12 Brian Ellison
18) UCELLO CONTI (FR) 9 10-12 Gordon Elliott IRE
19) DOUBLE SHUFFLE (IRE) 7 10-12 Tom George
20) HOUBLON DES OBEAUX (FR) 10 10-12 Venetia Williams
21) PLEASANT COMPANY (IRE) 9 10-12 Willie Mullins IRE
22) ONE FOR ARTHUR (IRE) 8 10-11 Lucinda Russell
23) BALLYNAGOUR (IRE) 11 10-11 David Pipe
24) O’FAOLAINS BOY (IRE) 10 10-11 Rebecca Curtis
25) HIGHLAND LODGE (IRE) 11 10-11 James Moffatt
26) BISHOPS ROAD (IRE) 9 10-10 Kerry Lee
27) LORD WINDERMERE (IRE) 11 10-10 Jim Culloty IRE
28) SAINT ARE (FR) 11 10-10 Tom George
29) VICENTE (FR) 8 10-10 Paul Nicholls
30) JUST A PAR (IRE) 10 10-09 Paul Nicholls
31) MEASUREOFMYDREAMS (IRE) 9 10-09 Noel Meade IRE
32) RAZ DE MAREE (FR) 12 10-09 Gavin Cromwell IRE
33) STELLAR NOTION (IRE) 9 10-09 Henry de Bromhead IRE
34) ROGUE ANGEL (IRE) 9 10-08 Mouse Morris IRE
35) COCKTAILS AT DAWN 9 10-08 Nicky Henderson
36) THUNDER AND ROSES (IRE) 910-07 Mouse Morris IRE
37) GAS LINE BOY (IRE) 11 10-07 Ian Williams
38) GOODTOKNOW 9 10-07 Kerry Lee
39) LA VATICANE (FR) 8 10-06 David Pipe
40) DOCTOR HARPER (IRE) 9 10-06 David Pipe
Reserves
41) BLESS THE WINGS (IRE) 12 10-05 Gordon Elliott IRE
42) KNOCK HOUSE (IRE) 8 10-04 Donald McCain
43) SAMBREMONT (FR) 7 10-02 Willie Mullins IRE
44) VIVA STEVE (IRE) 9 10-02 Fergal O’Brien
