Grand National tips & hints: Which horses are bred to stay the distance at Aintree?

ANY SECOND NOW 8/1

Oscar – Pretty Neat (Topanoora)

There’s no need to worry about Any Second Now’s suitability for the Grand National test after his third place, around eight lengths behind Minella Times, 12 months ago. With more luck in running he’d likely have finished closer still.

While Any Second Now warmed up for last year’s Grand National over two miles, he’s had a more orthodox prep this time by winning the Bobbyjo Chase over almost three and a quarter miles.

His sire Oscar hasn’t sired a Grand National winner, but Any Second Now is the third horse by his sire to be placed in the race after 2011 runner-up Oscar Time and Teaforthree who was third in 2013 when Oscar Time again made the frame.

Any Second Now is out of a half-sister to the fairly useful staying chaser Rate of Knots who finished third in the Kent National at Folkestone over nearly four miles.

DELTA WORK 8/1

Network – Robbe (Video Rock)

Delta Work’s sire Network was a smart middle-distance performer on the Flat in Germany best known as the sire of outstanding two-mile chaser Sprinter Sacre. But the dual Champion Chase winner was a far speedier type than his sire’s typical jumpers.

Delta Work himself boasts top-class form at around three miles in the past and showed further reserves of stamina over the three and three-quarter miles of Cheltenham’s cross-country course when beating stablemate and dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll last month.

Encouragingly too, Network was also the sire of Aintree regular Saint Are whose Grand National record included a fine second to Many Clouds in 2015 and a third to One For Arthur two years later. Like Saint Are, Delta Work is also out of a mare by Video Rock.

ESCARIA TEN 11/1

Maresca Sorrento – Spartes Eria (Ballingarry)

Maresca Sorrento must be the least well-known name among the sires of this year’s leading candidates but he had his ten minutes or so of fame in 2014 when his son Pineau de Re won that year’s Grand National.

Better known is Maresca Sorrento’s own sire Cadoudal, responsible for the likes of Big Buck’s and Long Run. Like a number of French jumping sires, Maresca Sorrento ran over jumps himself, winning two of his three starts over hurdles at Auteuil as a three-year-old.

Touched off by Any Second Now in the Bobbyjo last time, Escaria Ten showed he stays well when third in last season’s National Hunt Novices’ Chase.

Escaria Ten’s French family includes some well-known names in Britain, including Stayers’ Hurdle winner Lisnagar Oscar and dual Liverpool Hurdle winner Whisper, who went close to winning the RSA and Ladbrokes Trophy as a top-class chaser.

ENJOY D’ALLEN 11/1

Network – Triple Star (Dom Alco)

Enjoy D’allen’s third place in last year’s Irish Grand National is good proof that staying’s his game and that’s certainly backed up by his pedigree.

He’s another son of Network like Delta Work, while his dam is by strong stamina influence Dom Alco, responsible for the likes of 2012 Aintree hero Neptune Collonges as well as the Scottish National winners Al Co and Vicente.

Enjoy D’allen comes from the same family as Elfile, a smart mare over hurdles for Willie Mullins, but more relevant to the Grand National, his dam is out of a half-sister to the smart Martin Pipe-trained staying chaser Eudipe, who finished runner-up in the 1998 Scottish National and was a leading fancy when falling at Aintree a year later.

SNOW LEOPARDESS 7/1

Martaline – Queen Soraya (Persian Bold)

Snow Leopardess showed the Grand National fences hold no fear for her when she won the Becher Chase at Aintree in December, and while she has a mile further to run in the Grand National, she ran well enough when fourth in last season’s National Hunt Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham to suggest she stays at least three and three quarter miles.

Her sire Martaline’s stoutest stayer is probably Ramses de Teillee, though he was pulled up with a tack problem in his Grand National attempt after finishing second in that season’s Welsh National and Grand National Trial at Haydock.

Snow Leopardess doesn’t have that much stamina to draw on from the dam’s side of her pedigree; Queen Soraya’s two wins over hurdles came at just short of two and a half miles, while grandam Fairlead was just a modest mile winner on the Flat.

FIDDLERONTHEROOF 14/1

Stowaway – Inquisitive Look (Montjeu)

Although yet to win beyond two and a half miles, Fiddlerontheroof showed he stays at least three and a quarter when keeping on well for second in this season’s Ladbrokes Trophy.

While his sire Stowaway is responsible for Champion Chase winner Put The Kettle On, Stowaway is better known for staying types such as the latest National Hunt Novices’ Chase winner Stattler, this season’s smart novice hurdler Hillcrest, and dual Cheltenham Festival winner Monkfish.

It will be that side of his pedigree that Fiddlerontheroof is mainly relying on for Grand National stamina as his dam was a mile and a quarter winner on the Flat who did all her racing over hurdles (without winning) at around two miles.

The other jumpers in the family include Grand Annual winner Bellvano, but the family’s mainly a Flat one going back to great grandam Bright Crocus, a Kentucky Oaks runner-up.

BURROWS SAINT 20/1

Saint des Saints – La Bombonera (Mansonnien)

The strong-travelling Burrows Saint’s fourth place in last year’s Grand National raises questions about his stamina as he jumped and travelled as well as anything for a long way before faltering markedly on the long run-in.

Even so, Burrows Saint has stayed well enough to win an Irish Grand National in the past and he’d be among the stronger stayers by Saint des Saints along with last season’s Grand National Trial winner Lord du Mesnil who didn’t have soft enough conditions when pulled up subsequently at Aintree.

Burrows Saint’s dam La Bombonera, who ended up with Venetia Williams, won twice over hurdles in France early in her career and was a sister to Lagunak who was a winner of one of the top chases at Auteuil, the Prix La Haye Jousselin over nearly three and a half miles.

LONGHOUSE POET 16/1

Yeats – Moscow Madame (Moscow Society)

Thyestes winner Longhouse Poet is among several good winners for his sire Yeats this season, along with the likes of Irish Gold Cup winner Conflated, Stayers’ Hurdle winner Flooring Porter, Cotswold Chase winner Chantry House and Rehearsal Chase winner Aye Right.

They’re all effective over three miles at least, as might be expected of their sire who was such a strong stayer on the Flat, and Longhouse Poet has the appeal of being unexposed over such trips with the promise of staying further still for Martin Brassil whose Grand National winner Numbersixvalverde was a former Thyestes winner.

Longhouse Poet’s dam Moscow Madame has produced two other winners over at least three miles, and she was a half-sister to useful chaser Well Presented who was effective around that trip himself.

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