Definitly Red handed top weight for Randox Health Grand National
Definitly Red, impressive winner of the BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham last month, heads the weights for the £1million Randox Health Grand National with 11st 10lb and a rating of 165.
The world’s greatest and richest chase is the highlight of Aintree’s three-day Randox Health Grand National Festival and takes places with a maximum of 40 runners at 5.15pm on Saturday April 14.
Definitly Red was one of the leading contenders for the 2017 renewal but pulled up on the first circuit with a tack problem when rated 149.
The nine-year-old has improved again this season, with Grade Two triumphs in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree in December and the Cotswold, in which he defeated American (11st 2lb) by eight lengths.
Blaklion has been allotted 11st 6lb following his 12-length victory in the Randox Health Becher Handicap Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree in December. His trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, who is the only current handler to have won the Grand National more than once, also has Betfair Chase hero Bristol De Mai (11st 9lb) and Aintree Grade One scorer Flying Angel (10st 7lb) among his five contenders, though he reported Bristol De Mai was likely to be aimed at the Grade One Bowl instead.
Ireland's champion trainer Willie Mullins lifted the spoils in 2005 with favourite Hedgehunter and has the leading Irish-trained contender this year in Total Recall (11st 1lb). He stayed on strongly to defeat Whisper by a neck in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury in December and took advantage of a lower handicap mark over hurdles at the Dublin Racing Festival earlier this month.
Mullins’ 10 entries also include promising novice Rathvinden (10st 9lb), Pleasant Company (10st 7lb) and Polidam (10st 5lb).
Multiple Grade One scorer Outlander (Gordon Elliott, 11st 8lb) has the most weight of the 11 Gigginstown House Stud-owned contenders. Others to note for Michael O'Leary’s operation include Valseur Lido (Henry de Bromhead, 11st 5lb) and National Hunt Chase hero Tiger Roll (Elliott, 10st 9lb).
Last year’s runner-up Cause Of Causes (10st 12lb), also trained by Elliott, is one of seven entries for owner J P McManus, who also feature recent Grade One Irish Gold Cup hero Edwulf (Joseph O’Brien, 11st 9lb), last year's Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup second Minella Rocco (Jonjo O'Neill, 11st 7lb) and Anibale Fly (Tony Martin, 11st 4lb).
Elliott's 10 entries also include the Chris Jones-owned pair of Mala Beach (11st 3lb), winner of the Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan in November, and Noble Endeavor (10st 13lb, 33/1).
Gold Present (11st), successful in competitive handicaps at Newbury and Ascot this season,headlines three contenders for Britain’s champion Jump handler Nicky Henderson. The Lambourn trainer could also run O O Seven (10st 11lb) and Vyta Du Roc (10st 6lb).
Paul Nicholls triumphed with Neptune Collonges in 2012 and his six entries are led by dual Scottish Grand National winner Vicente (10st 10lb), more likely to head back to Ayr, course scorer As De Mee (10st 8lb, 50/1) and Warriors Tale (10st 8lb), beaten narrowly on both his starts this season.
Irish handler Mouse Morris saddled the 2016 winner Rule The World. His three entries, all owned by Gigginstown House Stud, include Alpha Des Obeux (11st) and 2015 Irish Grand National scorer Thunder And Roses (10st 1lb).
Further down the weights, Welsh Grand National hero Raz De Maree (Gavin Cromwell), who at the age of 13 is the oldest winner of the Chepstow showpiece, has been handed 10st 5lb, while impressive Classic Handicap Chase victor Milansbar (Neil King1) is 69th on the list on 10st 2lb. One For Arthur took the Classic Handicap Chase prior to this Randox Health Grand National success last season.
Trainer Dr Richard Newland and owner John Provan combined with 2014 winner Pineau de Re. They have another interesting contender in Abolitionist (10st 4lb), who finished third in last season's Irish Grand National.
Randox Health Grand National – Sky Bet prices (Non-Runner No Bet and Best Odds Guaranteed): 10 Blaklion 12 Total Recall 16 Definitely Red 20 Cause Of Causes, Gold Present, Minella Rocco, The Last Samuri, Vincente 25 Bristol De Mai, Gas Line Boy, Noble Endeavour, Vyta Du Roc, Wild West Wind (EW ¼ 1-2-3-4-5)
Randox Health Grand National weights
Horse Age Wgt Rating Owner Trainer
1) DEFINITLY RED (IRE) 9 11-10 165 Phil & Julie Martin Brian Ellison
2) BRISTOL DE MAI (FR) 7 11-09 164 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Nigel Twiston-Davies
3) EDWULF 9 11-09 164 J P McManus Joseph O'Brien IRE
4) OUTLANDER (IRE) 10 11-08 163 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE
5) MINELLA ROCCO (IRE) 8 11-07 162 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill
6) BLAKLION 9 11-06 161 Simon Such & Gino Paletta Nigel Twiston-Davies
7) SUB LIEUTENANT (IRE) 9 11-05 160 Gigginstown House Stud Henry de Bromhead IRE
8) ANIBALE FLY (FR) 8 11-04 159 J P McManus Tony Martin IRE
9) THE LAST SAMURI (IRE) 10 11-04 159 Paul & Clare Rooney Kim Bailey
10) MALA BEACH (IRE) 10 11-03 158 Chris Jones Gordon Elliott IRE
11) VALSEUR LIDO (FR) 9 11-03 158 Gigginstown House Stud Henry de Bromhead IRE
12) AMERICAN (FR) 8 11-02 157 The Jago Family Partnership Harry Fry
13) TOTAL RECALL (IRE) 9 11-01 156 Slaneyville Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
14) ALPHA DES OBEAUX (FR) 8 11-00 155 Gigginstown House Stud Mouse Morris IRE
15) GOLD PRESENT (IRE) 8 11-00 155 John & Barbara Cotton Nicky Henderson
16) NOBLE ENDEAVOR (IRE) 9 10-13 154 Chris Jones Gordon Elliott IRE
17) PERFECT CANDIDATE (IRE) 11 10-13 154 ISL Recruitment Fergal O'Brien
18) SIZING CODELCO (IRE) 9 10-13 154 Ann & Alan Potts Limited Colin Tizzard
19) CAUSE OF CAUSES (USA) 10 10-12 153 J P McManus Gordon Elliott IRE
20) SHANTOU FLYER (IRE) 8 10-12 153 Carl Hinchy Richard Hobson
21) CARLINGFORD LOUGH (IRE) 12 10-11 152 J P McManus John Kiely IRE
22) O O SEVEN (IRE) 8 10-11 152 Christopher Hanbury Nicky Henderson
23) TENOR NIVERNAIS (FR) 11 10-11 152 Boultbee Brooks Ltd Venetia Williams
24) GO CONQUER (IRE) 9 10-10 151 Paul & Clare Rooney Jonjo O'Neill
25) TRAFFIC FLUIDE (FR) 8 10-10 151 Galloping On The South Downs Partnership Gary Moore
26) VICENTE (FR) 9 10-10 151 Trevor Hemmings Paul Nicholls
27) ACAPELLA BOURGEOIS (FR) 8 10-09 150 Slaneyville Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
28) RATHVINDEN (IRE) 10 10-09 150 Ronnie Bartlett Willie Mullins IRE
29) REGAL ENCORE (IRE) 10 10-09 150 J P McManus Anthony Honeyball
30) TIGER ROLL (IRE) 8 10-09 150 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE
31) VIEUX LION ROUGE (FR) 9 10-09 150 Prof Caroline Tisdall & John Gent David Pipe
32) A GENIE IN ABOTTLE (IRE) 7 10-08 149 Gigginstown House Stud Noel Meade IRE
33) AS DE MEE (FR) 8 10-08 149 The Stewart Family & Judi Dench Paul Nicholls
34) CHASE THE SPUD 10 10-08 149 Christine Banks Fergal O'Brien
35) ROCK THE KASBAH (IRE) 8 10-08 149 Diana Whateley Philip Hobbs
36) SEEYOUATMIDNIGHT 10 10-08 149 Quona Thomson Sandy Thomson
37) WARRIORS TALE 9 10-08 149 Michelle & Dan Macdonald Paul Nicholls
38) BELLSHILL (IRE) 8 10-07 148 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE
39) FLYING ANGEL (IRE) 7 10-07 148 Rob Rexton Nigel Twiston-Davies
40) GAS LINE BOY (IRE) 12 10-07 148 The Three Graces Ian Williams
41) PLEASANT COMPANY (IRE) 10 10-07 148 Malcolm C Denmark Willie Mullins IRE
42) THE DUTCHMAN (IRE) 8 10-07 148 SprayClad UK Colin Tizzard
43) BEEVES (IRE) 11 10-06 147 Paul & Clare Rooney Jennie Candlish
44) SAINT ARE (FR) 12 10-06 147 David Fox Tom George
45) UCELLO CONTI (FR) 10 10-06 147 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Gordon Elliott IRE
46) VYTA DU ROC (FR) 9 10-06 147 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Nicky Henderson
47) CAROLE'S DESTRIER 10 10-05 146 Carole Skipworth Neil Mulholland
48) LONG HOUSE HALL (IRE) 10 10-05 146 Carl Hinchy Dan Skelton
49) POLIDAM (FR) 9 10-05 146 Simon Munir & Isaac Souede Willie Mullins IRE
50) RAZ DE MAREE (FR) 13 10-05 146 James Swan Gavin Cromwell IRE
51) ABOLITIONIST (IRE) 10 10-04 145 Mark Albon, John Provan & Chris Stedman Dr Richard Newland
52) BAIE DES ILES (FR) 7 10-04 145 Zorka Wentworth Ross O'Sullivan IRE
53) BUYWISE (IRE) 11 10-04 145 T Hywel Jones Evan Williams
54) CHILDRENS LIST (IRE) 8 10-04 145 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE
55) I JUST KNOW (IRE) 8 10-04 145 M B Scholey & the late R H Scholey Sue Smith
56) MAGGIO (FR) 13 10-04 145 Douglas Pryde/James Beaumont Patrick Griffin IRE
57) PENDRA (IRE) 10 10-04 145 J P McManus Charlie Longsdon
58) VIRGILIO (FR) 9 10-04 145 C J Edwards, D Futter, A H Rushworth Dan Skelton
59) CAPTAIN REDBEARD (IRE) 9 10-03 144 Stuart Coltherd Stuart Coltherd
60) HOUBLON DES OBEAUX (FR) 11 10-03 144 Mrs Julian Blackwell Venetia Williams
61) LORD WINDERMERE (IRE) 12 10-03 144 Dr Ronan Lambe Jim Culloty IRE
62) SILSOL (GER) 9 10-03 144 Michelle & Dan Macdonald Paul Nicholls
63) THIRD INTENTION (IRE) 11 10-03 144 Robert & Sarah Tizzard Colin Tizzard
64) THREE FACES WEST (IRE) 10 10-03 144 Paul & Clare Rooney Philip Hobbs
65) WILD WEST WIND (IRE) 9 10-03 144 Simon Clarke Tom George
66) BLESS THE WINGS (IRE) 13 10-02 143 Adrian Butler & S P O'Connor Gordon Elliott IRE
67) DOUBLE ROSS (IRE) 12 10-02 143 Options O Syndicate Nigel Twiston-Davies
68) FINAL NUDGE (IRE) 9 10-02 143 Corbett Stud David Dennis
69) MILANSBAR (IRE) 11 10-02 143 Robert Bothway Neil King
70) MORNING ASSEMBLY (IRE) 11 10-02 143 Clipper Logistics Group Ltd Pat Fahy IRE
71) DELUSIONOFGRANDEUR (IRE) 8 10-01 142 McGoldrick Racing 3 Sue Smith
72) ROAD TO RICHES (IRE) 11 10-01 142 Gigginstown House Stud Noel Meade IRE
73) THUNDER AND ROSES (IRE) 10 10-01 142 Gigginstown House Stud Mouse Morris IRE
74) SAMETEGAL (FR) 9 10-00 141 John & Barbara Cotton Paul Nicholls
75) VINTAGE CLOUDS (IRE) 8 10-00 141 Trevor Hemmings Sue Smith
76) WALK IN THE MILL (FR) 8 10-00 141 Baroness Harding Robert Walford
77) GENERAL PRINCIPLE (IRE) 9 9-12 139 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE
78) VIC DE TOUZAINE (FR) 9 9-12 139 Andrew Brooks & G Moore Venetia Williams
79) VIEUX MORVAN (FR) 9 9-12 139 M L Bloodstock Joseph O'Brien IRE
80) WOUNDED WARRIOR (IRE) 9 9-12 139 Gigginstown House Stud Noel Meade IRE
81) ARBRE DE VIE (FR) 8 9-11 138 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE
82) BALLYALTON (IRE) 11 9-11 138 John Westwood Ian Williams
83) BONNY KATE (IRE) 8 9-11 138 Patricia Hunt Noel Meade IRE
84) COGRY 9 9-11 138 Graham & Alison Jelley Nigel Twiston-Davies
85) MISSED APPROACH (IRE) 8 9-11 138 Alan & Andrew Turner Warren Greatrex
86) MYSTEREE (IRE) 10 9-11 138 Mrs Lynne Maclennan Michael Scudamore
87) SIR MANGAN (IRE) 10 9-11 138 Frank McAleavy Dan Skelton
88) SPLASH OF GINGE 10 9-11 138 John Neild Nigel Twiston-Davies
89) BRAQUEUR D'OR (FR) 7 9-10 137 Corsellis & Seyfried Paul Nicholls
90) MINELLA DADDY (IRE) 8 9-10 137 Roddy Owen & Paul Fullagar Peter Bowen
91) PAIROFBROWNEYES (IRE) 9 9-10 137 Fibbage Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
92) RELENTLESS DREAMER (IRE) 9 9-10 137 Nigel Morris Rebecca Curtis
93) KNOCK HOUSE (IRE) 9 9-09 136 Tim Leslie Donald McCain
94) THE YOUNG MASTER 9 9-08 135 Mike Burbidge & The Old Masters Neil Mulholland
95) ALFIE SPINNER (IRE) 13 9-06 133 Alan Beard & Brian Beard Kerry Lee
96) HENRI PARRY MORGAN 10 9-06 133 Ednyfed & Elizabeth Morgan Peter Bowen
97) PHIL'S MAGIC (IRE) 8 9-06 133 Lyreen Syndicate Tony Martin IRE
98) BRAVISSIMO (FR) 7 9-05 132 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE
99) DANCING SHADOW (IRE) 9 9-05 132 The Dancing Shadows Victor Dartnall
100) ROGUE ANGEL (IRE) 10 9-05 132 Gigginstown House Stud Mouse Morris IRE
101) THEBARROWMAN (IRE) 8 9-04 131 D Keys Adrian Keatley IRE
102) OUT SAM 9 9-03 130 D Charlesworth Gordon Elliott IRE
103) KRACKATOA KING 10 9-00 127 JC Harrison Lee & T Howard Partnership Kerry Lee
104) GOODTOKNOW 10 8-13 126 Burling Lee MacEchern Nolan Potter Kerry Lee
105) POORMANS HILL (IRE) 7 NQ 120 V Caldwell/Mrs K Caldwell Gordon Elliott IRE