Main Players Stand Firm In The 2019 Grand National 5 Day Declarations

@rte.ie

Not much has changed in the 2019 Randox Health Grand National betting market at the 5-day stage, with most of the leading fancies standing their ground.
The 81 runners have come down to 69 with only 12 horses falling by the wayside.

Main Grand National Runners 2019

Last year’s winner – Tiger Roll, who will be looking to become the first horse since Red Rum in 1974 to win back-to-back Grand Nationals remains the short and clear favourite in the betting.

He’s around 7/2* in the betting for the 2019 Aintree Grand National, and will be looking to become the shortest-priced Grand National-winning favourite since 1919.

With the previous top-weight Bristol De Mai now not running then, don’t forget all the weights have gone up 4lbs from the original allocations. Last year’s fourth – Anibale Fly – is now the new top-weight with 11st 10lbs, with all the other horses working back from him.

Ms Parfois Out – The Anthony Honeyball-trained 8 year-old was hoping to become the fourteenth winning Grand National mare, but she’ll now miss the race too.

She’s sustained a foot problem in the build-up to the race, while the drying ground was also looking against her. She’s still got age on her side and will be back to fight another day.

“It’s a combination of factors,” said Honeyball on Monday. “She’s had an infection in her foot and I thought by now she’d be A1. That might come right but with the drying ground and dry forecast, we’re not going to confirm her today.”

“Her foot is going the right way and we might be okay on that score but I wanted to take her up to Lambourn with Regal Encore on Saturday to jump the National fences and, when we missed that, I just thought we were getting on the back foot.

“We’re not as disappointed as we should be because we feel the ground will not be right for her anyway and that cushions the blow.”

Her trainer added: “She’ll be entered in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown but it would have to be wet. If it ended up wet at Perth at the end of April there is a Listed race for mares, so that would be a possible too.” Racing Post

Elliot has 13 in the top 40 Grand National Runners

Elliott Has 13 Of The Top 40 Left – Yes, last year’s winning trainer – Gordon Elliott – who has also won the Grand National twice before, has 13 of the top 40 runners left in at the five-day forfeit stage. Along with last year’s winner – Tiger Roll – he also has the 14-year-old Bless The Wings, allotted the final slot on 10st 3lb and will be looking to become the oldest Grand National winner since 1853!

On the domestic front, trainer Paul Nicholls, who won the race in 2012, has kept in Warriors Tale, although there is every chance the Trevor Hemmings-owned runner could head for the Topham Chase on Friday.

Yala Enki, who had been around 40/1* in the Grand National betting, and trained by the 2009 winning trainer -Venetia Williams – has also been taken out, along with the Henry de Bromhead-trained Sub Lieutenant.

Walk In The Mill, who was pulled out on the morning of the race in 2018, is now a certain runner for trainer Robert Walford as he’s now 38th on the list.
Captain Redbeard, Joe Farrell, Just A Par and The Young Master are the four horses that sit immediately below the cut-off (40 runners) so will need others to drop out between now and the final declaration stage on Thursday 4th April in order to run.

Anibale Fly, last year’s second, carries top weight of 11st 10lb, above Valtor on 11st 6lb and favourite Tiger Roll, who carries 11st 5lb.

Grand National Departures

Amongst the names taken out at this stage are – Abolitionist, Shattered Love, The Storyteller, Vieux Morvan, Yala Enki, Polidam, Sub Lieutenant and Ms Parfois.

*All odds subject to change.
All quotes via Racing Post

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