News and STORIES

Cloth Cap Leads The Betting For The 2021 Grand National

Author: Ryan Knuppel
Published: Thursday April 08, 2021
The world’s most famous horse race takes place this weekend, as the 2021 Grand National takes place at Aintree. Unfortunately, there will be no shot at history for two-time winner Tiger Roll, who many had hoped would be aiming to emulate the great Red Rum and win three Grand Nationals.
 
Instead, the dual winner heads for a fascinating contest in the Betway Bowl on the opening day of the Aintree Festival. Tiger Roll’s omission means that there will be a first-time winner of the race in 2021, and the betting is currently headed by Jonjo O’Neill trained Cloth Cap.

Is Cloth Cap The One To Beat?

Cloth Cap was listed as the favorite for the National after winning by seven and a half lengths at Aso in his prep run. O’Neill last trained the winner of the featured race back in 2011, as A P McCoy rode Don’t Push It to National success. It could be argued that Cloth Cap is his best chance of a winner in the race since that success. Judging by his form at Kelso, experts believe that the nine-year-old is a stone well-in on the handicap.
 
Owner Trevor Hemmings will be looking for a record-breaking fourth win in the race. Cloth Cap certainly ticks a lot of boxes for punters, as he has proven experience over the distance, and two nine-year-olds have won the race in the past four renewals. However, the National is never as simple as it makes out, which means that there will be money elsewhere in the market. 

Irish Challengers For The National

The Irish will come to Aintree in good confidence after a dominant Cheltenham Festival. Many of the leading chances in the betting are Irish-trained, with Burrows Saint and Any Second Now among those. Burrows Saint could be the pick of the Irish contenders, as the eight-year-old comes into the race having won the Irish National in 2019.
 
Aintree’s experience may be a slight negative, but his form over distances of more than three miles and five furlongs is strong. He is also trained by the renowned Willie Mullins, who will be looking for a second win in the Grand National.
 
Minella Times will be the ride for Rachel Blackmore in the Grand National. Blackmore became the first female to end the Cheltenham Festival as the leading jockey and will be looking for more history on Saturday. Success for Blackmore would make her the first woman to ride the winner in the National. Many will be hoping that lady luck will be shining on Magic Of Light, as she will be looking to become the first mare to win the race since 1951. The ten-year-old has good form over the National fences after finishing second to Tiger Roll in 2019.

Outsiders For The Grand National

The betting markets for the Grand National are ultra-competitive, which means that money will be coming in for some of the outsiders before Saturday. One of the biggest market movers over the last seven days has been Discorama for trainer Paul Nolan. The eight-year-old has finished second three times in his last seven starts.
 
Mister Malarky will be another with each-way claims for trainer Colin Tizzard. The eight-year-old has already won once over three miles this season and stayed well when finishing third in the Grade 3 Close Brothers Handicap Chase at Kempton in February. Potters Corner could also have an each-way chance. The eleven-year-old won the Welsh Grand National in December 2019 and finished third over three miles and six furlongs in the Cheltenham Cross Country in November last year.

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