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Ed Chamberlin Randox Grand National preview Aintree
Check out what makes our columnist's wishlist for the Randox Grand National - and his two fancies for the race too.
1. Rachael to be centre stage
I think any sportsman or sportswoman has made it when they are known by only one name.
This week just say the word Rachael and everyone will know who you’re talking about. She’s transcended our sport and I need to wrap her in cotton wool and get her to the start in one piece on Saturday.
12 months ago, she and Minella Times made headlines everywhere from Southport to Tokyo and the eyes of the sporting world will be on them again at 5.15 on Saturday.
They’ll have their work cut out to win it again from a 15lbs higher mark but I’ll be at pains this weekend to give trainer Henry De Bromhead some credit. He’s been re-writing the history books over the last two seasons and received very little of the spotlight.
But Rachael is huge for the sport. She’s the global superstar jumps racing has been craving for some time and has reached a level even Ruby and AP admit they never quite got to.
2. A feelgood story
We attract a totally different television audience for the Grand National broadcast than for any other day of the year. We’ll have five times the number of people tuning in than we had for Gold Cup day at Cheltenham, for example.
What I’d love to have is a fairytale story to tell them – and I think the best of the lot this year is Snow Leopardess.
The Plunketts and Fox-Pitts will be there in force, three generations of each family likely to be in attendance, and what about the horse herself?
She could easily go off favourite, she has a name that will be popular, so will the fact she’s a mare, grey and remarkably a mother too.
Throw in those popular connections, Alice of course part of the ITV team and William Fox-Pitt a household name in equestrian circles, and she has a lot going for her.
Just imagine Alice’s victory speech if she was to win following her Gwyneth Paltrow-esque reaction to the Becher Chase success in December, even before the judge had called the result of the photo-finish!
We’ve also got another runner for the ITV team in Two For Gold and Oli Bell, a man with a rich history when it comes to ownership in this race. Good luck to him and the rest of the May We Never Be Found Out Partnership.
3. And the winner is…
All I ever want to find on Randox Grand National day is the winner.
This year there’s the ITV7 sweepstake trying to get as many people involved in the great race as possible – and someone will win £50,000 from that.
Bizarrely, the National is just about the one race on the whole calendar I have a decent record in and this year the shortlist is down to two.
I’m going for Longhouse Poet and Fiddlerontheroof. Graham Cunningham made a good case for the former in his excellent Aintree File and he’s long been on my radar too.
Trainer Martin Brassil of course won the race with Numbersixvalverde and when his representative this year won the Thyestes I thought he looked a potential National winner.
So did Fiddlerontheroof at Ascot in February. He wasn’t even on my radar for this race going there but he very much was afterwards. Uncharacteristically, he didn’t jump particularly well at a crucial stage but was still in there fighting at the last under a massive weight, only going down to Fortescue in the closing stages.
He would be a wonderful story in terms of winners too, the owners have had tragedy in their lives and no one would begrudge them a special moment at Aintree, and what a way for Colin Tizzard to mark his final season with the name on the training licence.
Victory for Fiddlerontheroof would be a real tear-jerker.
4. Let it rain
I know this won’t make me popular but I’m looking at the weather forecast on an hourly basis and hope to see rain in it for Saturday.
Four times we’ve broadcast the race and each year there’s been a heatwave. In 2018 Tesco even sold out of barbecue coals on Grand National day. Trust me, that’s bad news for TV audience figures.
So I want rain, snow, hailstones, anything to keep those not at the racecourse indoors and watching in their front rooms. I’m the one person in the country who will be celebrating if it’s bad weather on Saturday – and I’ll be glued to the forecasts all week.
5. Good luck to all
The main hope for Saturday is everyone comes back safe and sound. It’s racing's day in the spotlight, the Grand National still captures the attention of the nation.
Aintree have done a sensational job in terms of safety and the race and course are both in superb shape at the moment. Let’s hope on Saturday evening we are celebrating our wonderful sport and the bravery of our participants after they are all home safely.
National day means we are in the homes of millions of people and we’ll look to entertain them with a special feature involving Ruby and Rachael in a cinema in Ireland. There’s family fun and games throughout the afternoon and if I’ve made one good decision since switching from football to front the racing coverage, it’s bringing back the haunting 'Champions' film theme music for National day.
Here's to another memorable Aintree afternoon.