Grand National stage looks set for Delta to Work his magic

By Ed Culham

THERE’s nothing quite like the Randox Grand National (Saturday, 5:15pm) it’s a race that inspires dreams and writes its own script.

It can change the careers of trainers and jockeys in an instant, or the approximate nine minutes that it takes to negotiate 30 formidable fences and four-miles two-furlongs around Aintree’s famous track.

In recent years it has woven narratives that would have been dismissed pre-race as almost too fanciful to be imagined.

Tiger Roll became only the second horse – after Red Rum – to win consecutive Nationals in 2019, and two years later, Minella Times made history when expertly steered to success by Rachael Blackmore, who became the first female jockey to win the National.

Last year it was Noble Yeats, the Emmet Mullins-trained seven-year-old, that gave amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen the greatest possible send off, as he won the National on his final ride before hanging up his boots.

This time around, NOBLE YEATS will attempt to match Tiger Roll by winning back-to-back Nationals, and his claims are clear for all to see.

Only an eight-year-old, this season has shown he’s improved further, with a win in Grade 2 company at Aintree in the autumn, followed by excellent runs in both the Cotswold Chase and most recently the Gold Cup.

That performance, when a staying-on fourth over an inadequate trip at Cheltenham was a high-class effort and entitles him to plenty of respect, despite the fact he is 19lbs higher in the weights than last year.

His trainer will have him primed for this and we know he’ll relish both the test of stamina and jumping challenge that Aintree presents, so he holds rock solid claims at 8/1 with Star Sports.

Star Sports are offering 50 percent of your money back as a free bet if your horse finishes second in any race at the Aintree Festival, so even if your National fancy finds something too good, Star Sports’ offer provides a nice bit of insurance.

Irish-trained runners have won the last four renewals of the National, with the Gordon Elliott-trained Tiger Roll accounting for two of those.

Before both those wins ‘The Tiger’ warmed up for this race by strolling to victory in the Cross Country at Cheltenham, and once again Elliott has used that 3m6f contest as a prep for his contender DELTA WORK.

It was Delta Work that became – for a few moments at least – one of the most unpopular horses in training when he foiled Tiger Roll’s bid for a fourth win in the 2022 Cheltenham Cross Country, before he went on to run third in the National itself.

He made several early jumping errors last year, but still managed to work back into contention, and held a share of the lead jumping the second last.

However, those early mistakes caught up with him, as he couldn’t go with Noble Yeats and Any Second Now after the last, ultimately finishing 22 lengths behind the winner in third.

He’s long been trained with this race in mind, and once again warmed up with a win in this year’s Cross Country but, this time around, Gordon Elliott’s 10-year-old should be more streetwise.

It’s likely he would have finished much closer to Noble Yeats last time if it wasn’t for some sticky jumping and, now with a big pull in the weights, he could prove the one to foil his younger rival’s bid for history.

Considering Delta Work returned at 10/1 last year, a price of 9/1 with Star Sports looks more than fair and he’d be my main selection.

Gordon Elliott could have as many as eight runners in the race this year, and the Cullentra handler also looks to have sound claims with GALVIN.

The story here would be jockey Davy Russell, who knows his way around Aintree better than anyone, and has the chance to sign off his brilliant career with a third win in the race, after triumphing on Tiger Roll in 2018 and 2019.

The Ronnie Bartlett-owned nine-year-old is not without a chance too, and, while he’s set to make his first appearance in the National, he has always looked the type of horse that would relish this stamina test.

His recent form ties in with Delta Work, after finishing two lengths behind him in the Cross Country last month and his trainer remarked that he was less race-fit at Cheltenham than his stablemate, so they could be more closely matched than the market suggests. I wouldn’t put anyone off taking 20/1 each-way with Star Sports.

There are few more astute trainers than Martin Brassil, who will always be associated with this race after masterminding success with Numbersixvalverde in 2006.

His runner LONGHOUSE POET has long been touted as a National horse, and ran a sound race here last year when finishing sixth.

The trouble was he refused to settle early on, and that keenness took its toil near the finish.

Now a year wiser, he comes here in good form after winning at Down Royal last month, and off the same handicap mark of 155, he can get involved in the finish at 14/1.

The Bobbyjo Chase, run at Fairyhouse in February, has often been used as a Grand National prep for Irish horses, and Gavin Cromwell’s VANILLIER caught the eye there when finishing a close second.

A strong-staying grey, he can produce the odd heart-stopping jump at his fences, and that would be a worry on his first run here.

Despite that he should relish the stamina test and looks fairly weighted, so I’d be happy to chance him each-way at Star Sports’ price of 20/1.

Bill Esdaile’s Grand National 1-2-3-4-5

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