Two Nationals dominate the racing week - the Irish National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday and the Grand National at Aintree next Saturday.
At Fairyhouse Noel Chance's Distant Thunder appears to have decent prospects, having been beaten two short heads into third place on his last run in the William Hill Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival. Prior to that effort, the horse hadn't seen a racecourse for 125 days so you could assume there's perhaps some improvement to come. Richard Johnson takes the ride; he'll be keen to keep in with his future father-in-law by winning this valuable race.
The top class Aintree meeting starts on Thursday, hosts Ladies' Day on Friday and builds up to the Grand National itself on Saturday. Most bookmakers will offer a free bet of some sort provided you are a new customer and are prepared to open an account with them. For example, for those interested, Ladbrokes will give new customers a free £5 bet on the National provided they bet £5 on the race before next Friday; the promotional code TXTGN has to be quoted. The Online Betting Guide gives a comprehensive listing of free bets available together with a preview of the race, a winner finding tool and all the latest news.
For the Grand National, I tend to favour a horse that has jumped the fences previously, can handle the ground and can stay. I've already mentioned McKelvey who looks worth an each way interest at this stage provided your bookmaker is offering 'no run no bet'. Two others I will consider seriously in the coming days are Liberthine and Bewleys Berry.
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10/1 shot Distant Thunder finished eighth of the twenty nine starters, having been handily placed throughout but fading out of contention after the last. Butler's Cabin won at 14/1.
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