Why The Druids Nephew can win the 2016 Grand National

-
On Saturday, 40 of the best horses in the business will compete in the 2016 Grand National at Aintree racecourse. With over 60 million spectators from all over the world, this truly is one of the highlights of the year and there are plenty of top thoroughbreds with excellent chances in what is widely regarded as the most prestigious race in the sport.

Last year, Many Clouds romped home to finish ahead of Saint Are as Leighton Aspell claimed his second consecutive triumph in the race. And now, Many Clouds has the opportunity to emulate the legendary Red Rum and win back-to-back Nationals. For Aspell, he could write himself into the record books if he wins the famous race for the third year in a row.

And in all honesty, the top weight for Saturday’s race has a great chance. However, it might be The Druids Nephew’s time to shine – twelve months on from his fall at the 26th fence. On that day, he was given a great ride by Aidan Coleman and was travelling brilliantly before getting too close to the fence and crashing out of the race. It’s that time again when punters begin to scour the odds but The Druids Nephew at 16/1 with Coral might be the one to back.

The Druids Nephew ticks all the right boxes and must be regarded as a serious rival to the likes of Many Clouds and The Last Samuri. While the latter beat The Druids Nephew fairly comfortably at Doncaster earlier this year, trainer Neil Mulholland admitted that he wasn’t at his best on that day and they’ve been gearing him up for another shot at the big one.

If he gets around, he’ll stand a great chance. The Druids Nephew stays on really well and he will have Denis O’Regan, one of the best jockeys in the business, leading him around the National circuit. Back in 2010, he came within a whisker of winning the Grand National but fell short as Tony McCoy picked up his first victory in the event on Don’t Push It.

This year, O’Regan will be looking to go one better and The Druids Nephew will prosper from the expected rainfall over the coming days. With softer conditions, he may well find enough to exploit the weights but Many Clouds remains the clear market leader. The Oliver Sherwood-trained mount is currently 7/1 with Coral to defend his crown but Mulholland will be quietly confident that The Druids Nephew can get the job done.

Ultimately, the Grand National is a lottery. Anything can – and usually does – happen but one thing’s for sure. The Druids Nephew is a talented thoroughbred and if he stays out of trouble, he will be there or thereabouts. With a bit of luck and a bit of rain, there’s no reason why he cannot give O’Regan a first victory in the greatest horse race on the planet.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seaside Special - Skye is the limit: west Highland

-
Image
  I’m surrounded by a jigsaw of blurry photo prints, OS maps and website screen-shots spread out across the office desk. It looks like an evidence board for a murder drama. I’m trying to piece together a youth hostel trip to Scotland from the late 80's/early 90's. None of the prints are dated or annotated. I recognise the faces of our group and some of the buildings. And even some of the landscapes. But not all of them. They were chucked in an album with pics of the Peak District and the Norfolk Broads from 1991. So that’s the year. But wait. The photos were in the wrong album. After a bit of checking, it’s definitely 1989, the year after I graduated.  Geographically, the trip fits well in the blog series at this point as we go clockwise round the UK, but the recollections are going to be as patchy as a politicians autobiography. Picking out a few highlights and strong memories, whilst skating over the rest. The trip was a big deal at the time. Our most ambitious youth host
Read more

Seaside Special - NC500 part 2: north and north-west Highland

-
Image
Day four was a dog-leg day: north from Staxigoe to Duncansby Head in the far top right of mainland Scotland before swinging west along the top of the world as far as Bettyhill. We passed close to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe again before skirting the bay beyond with its pristine yellow-white beach which we had glimpsed from the castle’s ramparts yesterday.   First stop was Duncansby Lighthouse, where we were lucky to find a park. For the first time, we had hit a populist bit of the NC500 tourist trail. Camper vans of all shapes, sizes and nationalities packed onto the verge parking. The lighthouse held a prominent view (as you would hope, to be fair) towards the Orkneys, Dunnet Head – Scotland’s most northerly point - and in the near distance John O’Groats where the sunshine glinted back from rows of yet more camper vans docked by the famous sign post. Their number was a shock at first, but we soon got used to the idea and it was really only at the most popular stops where they grouped i
Read more

Seaside Special - NC500 part 1: North Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Stirling, Perth & Kinross, east Highland

-
Image
Bucket lists. Do you love ‘em or hate ‘em? I’m firmly in the first camp. But then I love lists full-stop. I’ve got a gig list going back to my first concert at Hammersmith Odeon in 1984. I’ve got a list of all my Cheltenham Festival winners since 2000 (that’s a micro-list to be fair). Maybe I should have a list of lists? And yes, I have a travel bucket list. The NC500 is on it. Tick. A circular tour around the top of Scotland, beginning and ending at Inverness, the NC500 was only officially launched and hawked as a tourist route in 2010. It had existed long before that of course, as a loose, undefined journey along deserted, barely serviced coastal highways and byways known best by crusty camper-vanners and belligerent bikers. The success of the marketing has changed all that. The journey is now venerated as an ‘epic road trip’ up there with Route 66, South Africa’s Garden Route and the Iceland Ring Road. Rightly so. Jumping on trends is something I rarely do, but when it came to t
Read more