Three 2023 Grand National Runners That May Outrun Their Odds
Author:
Roy Brindley
With 40 runners, 30 obstacles, and forecast soft going, it is impossible to make a 2023 Grand National prediction with any degree of confidence. Bookmakers are uncertain who to make their market principal ahead of the race. Only the weight of public money – not the opinion of odds compilers – will determine which horse will start as the big race favorite.
Corach Rambler (pictured leading en route to Cheltenham Festival success in March) will carry the hopes of Scotland in Saturday’s Grand National. ?GettyImages
Corach Rambler and Hill Sixteen will carry the hopes of Scotland. There has only been one previous Grand National winner trained in Wales – Kirkland in 1905. Our Power and Francky Du Berlais could set that record straight.
Le Milos is the only English-trained horse in the top 10 of the betting, and there are 26 Irish horses in the 40-runner field. Ireland has monopolized the Grand National in recent times. During the last four years, not a single British runner has finished in the first three places. The most recent Grand National winner trained in England was Many Clouds in 2015.
Who Will Win the 2023 Grand National?
And so, the big question, who will win the famous steeplechase due off at 5.15 pm on Saturday and broadcast live on ITV Racing? Below are three horses that might just outrun their odds.
Any Second Now 14/1
Owner JP McManus will be hoping Any Second Now can make it third time lucky in the Aintree marathon. As a nine-year-old, this Ted Walsh-trained horse finished third in the 2021 Grand National. He may have won the race if not for being badly hampered by a faller during the first circuit of the contest.
Twelve months ago, carrying 11-stone eight-pounds, Any Second Now led at the last fence but failed to fend off the eventual winner, Noble Yeats who was in receipt of 12 pounds. The pair pulled 20 lengths clear of the third-placed finisher and 12 other rivals that completed the Grand National course.
On both occasions, Any Second Now had been specifically trained with the Grand National as his season-long target. That is also the case in 2023 but this year he will arrive in Liverpool rated, by the handicapper, in better shape than ever before. His last start was a winning one in a Grade-2 chase.
Previous Grand National results are considered the best form for this contest. And should a well-weighted relatively unexposed rival not be lurking in the field – as was the case with Noble Yeats last year – Any Second Now can put his Aintree experience to good use and potentially win the race in 2023. At 14/1 online betting sites certainly make him a viable each-way proposition.
Our Power 20/1
South Glamorgan-based Sam Thomas has excelled with chasers during his short training career. Our Power has won four chases from eight starts for the former jockey and his most recent outing represented a career-best effort.
Our Power (nearside) in winning action on his most recent start at Kempton Park. ?GettyImages
That effort came after the National weights were published so Our Power, who has got into the Grand National with the minimum weight allocation of 10-stone, is technically six pounds well in.
Yet to race beyond three miles and a furlong, Our Power is a winner on Saturday’s forecast soft ground. It means he could be a fly in the ointment. As for a back-story – something the National is famous for – both Thomas and Our Power’s owner, Dai Walters, narrowly escaped death in a helicopter crash last November.
Cloudy Glen 80/1
His recent form contains more letters than figures, but this enigmatic 10-year-old popped up at 33/1 to win the Grade-3 Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury last season. There are reasons to believe he could pull off another shock this Saturday.
Running in the colors of the late Trevor Hemmings – who won the Grand National with Hedgehunter (2005), Ballabrigs (2011), and Many Clouds (2015) – Cloudy Glen is trained by Venetia Williams who shocked the world when her Mon Mome won the 2009 Grand National at odds of 100/1.
10-year-old Cloudy Glen has to overcome a pulled-up effort on his most recent start. But that is something Mon Mome successfully did in 2009. Classy enough to finish second in the 2021 Kim Muir chase at the Cheltenham Festival (again at 33/1), Cloudy Glen might just deliver a big run should he find the unique Grand National course to his liking.
If you are backing this one, the suggestion is to comb through the best horse racing betting sites to secure attractive each-way betting terms. Many firms will offer place positions 1-2-3-4-5 and some will even pay down to the sixth position.
