Virtual Grand National 2020: best odds and digital bets
Tiger Roll – 5/1
The real Tiger Roll is a legend of the sport, winning the last two Grand Nationals, while the virtual Tiger Roll has one Virtual Grand National to his name. Can the virtual Tiger do it again off top weight? He’s the 5/1 favourite.
Bristol De Mai – 20/1
A bit of a surprise connections have chosen this route, but with no virtual Bowl to aim for, perhaps their hand was forced. The real Bristol De Mai is a Grade One winner and a top-class horse, but there are stamina question marks over him and the virtual BDM.
Aso – 66/1
The real Aso has never won over further than 2m5f and he was last seen finishing 59 lengths off the winner in the Ryanair Chase over that distance. They used to say you needed a two-and-a-half miler to win the VGN, but even Ed Chamberlin doesn’t fancy him for this.
Elegant Escape – 20/1
A former Welsh Grand National who has bags of stamina. Such an asset will likely be programmed into the virtual Elegant Escape, but so will his lack of pace – will we hear him mentioned after the first mile?
Anibale Fly – 20/1
The real thing was placed in two Gold Cups and has finished fourth and fifth in two Grand Nationals. That will hold the virtual AF in good stead, but, while he’s likely to be in the top ten, he doesn’t look well-handicapped enough to win it.
Top Ville Ben – 45/1
A random choice of odds, which suggests anything could happen here. The real TVB likes left-handed and flat tracks, so he should be right at home at virtual Liverpool and his bold jumping could well have taken him a long way in the real thing.
Beware The Bear – 33/1
Nicky Henderson has yet to win a Grand National, virtual or otherwise, but, in Beware The Bear, he finally has the right type of horse. The one problem is he just looks a little high in the weights, in both real and virtual worlds.
Peregrine Run – 66/1
Would need to sprout the wings of a peregrine falcon to win this, and, while that’s more likely in the Virtual Grand National than the real thing, he’s readily dismissed as a no hoper.
Jett – 50/1
Would need to sprout the wings of a jet plane to win this… No, we won’t go there again. Actually looked quite an interesting outsider in the real thing, as he brings recent Grade One form to the table and looked reasonably handicapped.
Alpha Des Obeaux – 25/1
Fell in the 2018 Grand National, shaped like a non-stayer in the Irish equivalent one year and stamina would be a real worry in real life. Ran third in the Becher, though, so he does have fences form for the computer generator to factor in.
Total Recall – 40/1
The surprise choice of the virtual Paul Townend, so must be impressing virtual Willie Mullins at virtual Closutton. The real thing won the Thyestes Chase last time out, but that looked to have scuppered his chances from a handicap viewpoint.
