Black Grand National Horses

Nick Rockett heads to Aintree on the back of two fine wins: the 50k Thyestes Chase and then the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse, which has often been the stepping stone to Grand National victories. A Grade Two winner over hurdles, much was expected of his first year over fences but this son of Walk In The Park only managed to get his head in front once last season. Willie Mullins’ charge did record some good performances in top handicaps, most notably when third behind stablemate Minella Cocooner in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown. Nick Rockett appeared to need the run when a promising fourth at 25/1 in the valuable Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas but his form has stepped up considerably since then. In the Bobbyjo he was receiving three pounds from Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles but the conditions of the Fairyhouse greatly favoured him and that same horse will be a huge fifteen pounds better off if they both line-up at Aintree.  If Nick Rockett does line-up in the Grand National he will face a tough task as he will only have two horses above him the weights at most and would run from a mark eleven pounds higher than his last handicap run, the victory in the Thyestes.

Three Card Brag could be the main hope of the Gordon Elliott stable that has won the Grand National on three previous occasions. However, the eight-year-old gelding will need a number of withdrawals to make the final field but if he does make it into the race he could be a dark horse to be on the right side of. Three Card Brag finished fourth in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival two seasons ago and that run outlined him as a possible improver when tried over fences.  Three Card Brag started favourite for his first two outings over fences but bumped into the likes of Corbetts Cross and Monty’s Star finishing second on both occasions. It actually took the son of Jet Away till his sixth run over fences to record his first victory which means he remains relatively inexperienced but he could potentially still be well handicapped off a mark of 146. If Three Card Brag does make the Grand National he is sure to be well-supported given the great record in the race of his trainer. 

One of the few races Nicky Henderson has failed to win in his long career is the Grand National but, in truth, he hasn’t had many strong chances in the last few years. This year he has a very interesting challenger in Hyland who has already won three chases this season. The eight-year-old gelding is still a novice but has already had six races over the bigger obstacles. The highlight of his chasing career so far was probably when running top novice The Jukebox Man to two-and-a-half lengths in a Grade One race at Kempton.  Hyland is undoubtedly a progressive novice but he is very ground dependant and tends to reserve his very best form for genuinely good ground which he may not get at Aintree as the course will ensure watering takes place to provide ground that is at least good to soft.  If the track is not overwatered then Hyland looks set to give Nicky Henderson his best chance of winning the Grand National for a very long time.