Five Grand National runners worth second look at chunky odds

Eight of the past 15 Randox Grand National winners have been 25-1 or much bigger with only one clear favourite, Tiger Roll, prevailing during this time.

Noble Yeats belied odds of 50-1 last year, with Mon Mome’s 100-1 success in 2009 still giving some sleepless nights. Aurora’s Encore (66-1) was similarly dismissed four years later, while Silver Birch (33-1), Neptune Collonges (33-1), Rule The World (33-1), Pineau De Re (25-1) and Many Clouds (25-1) also brought smiles to the faces of bookmakers.

Who are the runners under the radar heading into Saturday’s renewal at Aintree? Here are five to consider chalked up at chunky prices.

DIOL KER

Trainer: Noel Meade. General odds: 66-1

If you wanted to paint a horse to make a chaser, you'd paint him - he's the most gorgeous horse,” Noel Meade said after Diol Ker had won his first race over hurdles, at the expense of Monkfish no less, at Fairyhouse late in 2019. “He could be a real one over fences,” the trainer added.

It’s fair to assume that Diol Ker has not quite hit the heights that Meade imagined, but he did win the Leinster National at Naas last season, having previously finished a good fourth to Longhouse Poet in the Thyestes Chase.

And this season he ran a cracker on his penultimate start when narrowly failing to get up in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, only to subsequently run a stinker at Punchestown. As the old saying goes, you must always forgive a horse one bad run. And that dismal effort came just two days before the handicapper framed the Grand National weights, so every cloud has a silver lining and all that.

I recall jockey Sean Flanagan saying “he takes some riding” after Diol Ker’s Naas success, yet the nine-year-old has been ridden by conditional jockeys in his three races over fences this term. It will be interesting to see who gets the gig.

Apart from being a good looker, there is some Aintree blood in his pedigree. His sire’s prodigy include Snow Leopardess, winner of the Becher in 2021, and his grandad, Pistolet Bleu, was responsible for Katarino, an Aintree specialist, plus Cappa Bleu, twice placed in the big race.

DUNBOYNE

Trainer: Gordon Elliott. General odds: 50-1

Dunboyne goes close at Gowran

He’s been a bit of a rascal on occasions and couldn’t even be bothered to start in a race at Punchestown in November. Consequently, he’s got a Timeform squiggle; the preserve of horses who are temperamental.

Perhaps someone had tipped him off that the race was over less than three miles because, in keeping with his pedigree, he’s a thorough stayer who is always going to need a proper test of stamina to be seen to maximum advantage.

You cannot fault his past two efforts. He was touched off in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran on his penultimate start (the form has been franked by the subsequent wins of Coko Beach and Espanito Bello, who finished fourth and fifth) and on his latest start he was a staying-on fourth in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir at Cheltenham. Half of the eight big-priced National winners that I mentioned in my pre-amble were beaten at Cheltenham beforehand.

Dunboyne may dig his toes in the start, or possibly wave the white flag before they get to The Chair. Equally, he wouldn’t be the first “tricky” horse to be stimulated by Aintree’s unique challenges.

Stamina should be no issue as his sire, Yeats, the four-time Gold Cup winner at Royal Ascot, was responsible for last year’s winner, Noble Yeats, and his dam, Patsy Cline (not the one who sang Crazy) was a winner over 2m 6f, while his grand-dam’s offspring has included a winner at up to 3m 6f.

CAPODANNO

Trainer: Willie Mullins. General odds: 25-1

Capodanno wins again at Punchestown

We’ve only seen him once this season, and that was when fading to finish third in a four-runner renewal of the Red Mills Chase at Gowran in February.

He was up against it that day, conceding 9lb to three smart rivals who were almost certainly at a fitness advantage, and Willie Mullins went as far as saying afterwards that the Cheltenham Gold Cup was still in his thinking for him.

The master trainer shelved that idea – perhaps wisely given he had Galopin Des Champs up his sleeve – and as a con-sequence he has a fresh, unexposed seven-year-old to unleash in his quest to belatedly land this race for a second time (it’s been 18 years since Hedgehunter romped home for him).

Capodanno has had only six races over fences – the minimum needed to qualify for the race – but he seems a sound jumper and his wins at the Punchestown Festival for the past two years, both times over three miles when staying on stoutly, mark him down as a stayer of some potential.On the latter occasion, he thumped Lifetime Ambition and Fury Road. That gives us a decent gauge as to what he is capable of.

VANILLIER

Trainer: Gavin Cromwell. General odds: 20-1

The grey looked bound for the top when trouncing his rivals in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival two years ago.However, he’s been an underachiever over fences with his only success coming against one other finisher in a novice chase at Punchestown last season.

His jumping was hesitant for most of that campaign but he can perhaps be given a pass as he was treated for kissing spines at the end of it.

I’m still not sure his jumping will stand the Aintree test but his latest effort, when half a length second to Kemboy in the Bobbyo Chase at Fairyhouse, suggests his rating may well underestimate him. Perhaps, quite a lot. He would have won in a few more strides despite the fact he would have met Kemboy in 20lb better terms had the race been a handicap.

Before getting too carried away, keep in mind that third-placed Now Where Or When was beaten only a length and a half, when the ratings suggested he had zero chance. And Kemboy has since been retired.

But Gavin Cromwell is a great “target” trainer and if he has got Vanillier in the kind of form he was at Cheltenham a couple of years ago – plus somehow sharpened up his jumping technique – then the others could be in trouble.

LE MILOS

Trainer: Dan Skelton. General odds: 16-1

When I started penning this, he was 20-1. Honest. He's since been trimmed to 16-1, but he's staying in because he's still too big.

He looked like winning his prep race at Kelso last month with his head in his chest between the last two fences but he was a little undercooked – trainer Dan Skelton had said beforehand he would be better for his first run in more than three months – and he ended up getting collared in the closing stages.

It had to be fitness, rather than fragility, didn’t it? He had previously showed great resolution to land the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury after gliding home at Bangor.

He jumps well, stays well and has a decent cruising speed, plus had Corach Rambler nine lengths back in fourth when scoring at Newbury. That rival meets him on 7lb better terms but he doesn’t look such a straightforward ride and, in any case, is half his price.

Skelton also had the option of running Ashtown Lad, winner of the Becher Chase in December, but has opted to instead run him in Friday’s Topham. I’m not sure he would have done if he didn’t have Le Milos in his ranks.

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