Our full preview of the Grand National 2010 - runners and riders

Here's our rundown of the runners for Saturday's race - along with our rating and comments on each entrant. We'll be completing it as the week goes by - just like you, we're studying the form to try and find the horses most likely to get round - if the ground is as soft as they say it will be, then we're looking for stayers! There are free bets especially for the Grand National so if you open an account today, you'll get some extra money. Keep checking back all week for news on the National - with our tips and our 'final word' on Friday. In the meantime, it's still up to you to make your own choice! So here we go...

Horse	Odds	FBB Rating	FBB Comments	Bet
Big Fella Thanks	7/1	****	A fair favourite, well within the weights and loves the soft ground. Our only reservation is that he ran in early March, which doesn't leave him too much time to get fresh again. Also - Paul Nicholls doesn't win Nationals... well, not yet anyway!	Bet with Bodog
Mon Mome	12/1	***	Last year's winner zipped past everyone else - and why? Because he was carrying next to nothing on his back. This year he's way out of the weights and only the faithful will back.	Bet With Paddy Power
Black Apalachi	12/1	***	Tough to see anyone, especially Black Apalachi, carrying 11st6lb around Aintree. No one has done that in the last 20 years, and Black Apalachi's not special enough to do it in 2010.	Bet With Eurosport
The Package	14/1	***	Seven years old, and ran on 16th March - so, too young, and not fresh enough. We'd expect those odds to lengthen, and don't expect you to take them.	Bet with Boyle Sports
Arbor Supreme	14/1	***	Unsure on this one - he's got bags of stamina, and is progressive, yes. But he's never seen Aintree, and might be one for next year.	Bet With Coral
Niche Market	16/1	***	Tempting to back as an Irish National winner, but remember, he didn't even make last year's Grand National, and was a 33/1 shock for the Irish. Still - he won it. However, he'd have to carry around a record weight not carried since Red Rum, and he ain't Red Rum.	Bet With Paddy Power
Character Building	20/1	****	Not fresh (ran 16th March), and never been to Aintree - not his year, we would suspect.	Bet With Eurosport
Vic Venturi	14/1	***	The Becher is a key race for the National, and Vic Venturi has that in his locker room. However - carrying 11st6lb is going to be a tough task. Has had an odd to-and-fro with the handicapper, and he's not going to win this National.	Bet with Boyle Sports
Snowy Morning	16/1	*****	Ran brilliantly to finish third behind Comply or Die in 2008, and carried 17lb extra weight last year - and still got round in ninth. A good pick for soft ground, and the best value in this list so far. This could indeed be his year at 10 years old.	Bet With Paddy Power
State of Play	16/1	****	Goes off fresh, and would have been a top pick if the ground weren't so soft. A class horse with some great wins behind him, he'd be a very popular choice to win the National. Fourth last year shows that he can get round, and he's got the legs - another value pick.	Bet with Boyle Sports
Tricky Trickster	16/1	**	Seven years old, so to be excluded. Next year, however, is another issue.	Bet With Paddy Power
Whinstone Boy	16/1	***	Remember Monty's Pass? Same stable here - and they're up for this one with the popular mudlark and Thyestes winner. Whether his odds are reflective of the ground or his class is another question - he was 33/1 and might still not run.	Bet with Boyle Sports
Don't Push It	20/1	***	Can't really jump, despite a promising start to his career, and is carrying perhaps a few pounds too many, so Tony McCoy will probably have to wait another year to win the National.	Bet With Eurosport
Can't Buy Time	20/1	**	Hard to say whether he'll have the legs for this one, despite his pedigree. Fell last year, and 20/1 is too short to represent any real value.	Bet with Sporting Bet
Backstage	20/1	***	Likely to handle the ground better than most, but questions over stamina and quality hang over this horse that comes from the same stable as Silver Birch. Still, he's progressive, and despite being French, he might stand an outside chance.	Bet with Boyle Sports
Comply or Die	25/1	***	One win, and one second-place - can he do it again? He has been primed for the National only to find himself carrying 11st5lb, which might prove a stiff task. A definite each-way bet, though, based solely on his proven quality.	Bet With Paddy Power
Chief Dan George	25/1	***	Won't be going off fresh, having run on 16th March - but each-way chances for a horse carrying very little weight, and those odds will have to go out...	Bet With Eurosport
Ballyholland	25/1	**	Unlikely to stay this trip, and would have benefited from more leniency from the handicapper.	Bet with the Tote
Irish Raptor	33/1	***	His trainer knows what it takes, and having won the Topham last year, has a horse that finally won over Aintree fences. So - why 33/1? Stamina's a question, and quality races have often seen him lagging behind. Worth an each-way bet if the odds remain above 30s.	Bet With Paddy Power
Dream Alliance	40/1	***	40/1 is a long shot for a Welsh National winner. Why so? Well - he'd have to carry 11st3lb, and he's far from consistent. Remember, only Hedgehunter has carried more than 11st over the last 20 years, so this one is to be taken only on the trainer's assertion that he knows how to win Nationals.	Bet with the Tote
Maljimar	33/1	**	I think the handicapper has got him here - 10st8lb is probably just too heavy for him - questions remain over his stamina, so not the greatest pick here.	Bet with Bodog
My Will	33/1	***	Always there or thereabouts, but the handicapper has woken up to him - 11st2lb is too heavy for a win, but last year's 2nd-placed horse has a fine chance to repeat that feat. Again, Paul Nicholls doesn't win Nationals... yet!	Bet with Boyle Sports
Hello Bud	40/1	***	Well hello! A stayer who loves soft ground, and he's won the Scottish Grand National. He's not fresh - he ran on 18th March at Cheltenham, but this race could turn out to be a mud-fest if the rain continues. 40/1 is great, and you can get 50s in some places at the start of the week. Well worth an each-way punt.	Bet With Paddy Power
Cloudy Lane	50/1	*	A decent each-way bet here - as Cloudy Lane knows his way around, despite pulling up last year. Again, a little less fresh than he'd like to be, but 50/1 is good value for an Aintree professional.	Bet with Bodog
King John's Castle	50/1	***	Came second behind Comply or Die in 2008 and then got injured - only now coming back, so fragile and takes faith to back, but the quality was there in the first place - why not now?	Bet with the Tote
Eric's Charm	50/1	**	Well in on the weights (i.e. his weight here is lower than what it should be), and has been a decent jumper in the past. Might not favour the left-hand turns, though, and is rightly priced as an outsider - each-ways only.	Bet with Boyle Sports
Ballyfitz	50/1	*	Can't jump for toffee. Would be a huge upset if he got round, never mind if he won it.	Bet With Paddy Power
Palypso De Creek	50/1	***	Seven years old, but there's bags of promise. Faded in the Becher so stamina might not be up to a National - one to watch, maybe for next year.	Bet with Boyle Sports
Cerium	66/1	***	He finished fifth last year, and it turns out he had a broken skull too. He's running off the same mark again this year, and an each way bet with bookies that offer 1-2-3-4-5-6 is a great option.	Bet with the Tote
Abbeybraney	40/1	**	Likes the soft ground, and he can run - quality and experience are against him, but we said that about Mon Mome. If this one goes the distance in the mud, he could be in the mix-up.	Bet with Betfair
Madison du Berlais	40/1	*	Unlikely to run in the National - and if he does, carrying far too much weight to be considered.	Bet With Paddy Power
Offshore Account	50/1	***	Faded last year, but remember that he was on the return from injury, so 15th - i.e. just getting round the course, was a bonus. He's now carrying next to nothing in 10st1lb, and is perhaps the best of the outsiders. We'd expect his odds to tumble on the day, especially with such a topical name - take him each way now if you can.	Bet with Boyle Sports
Silver Birch	50/1	**		Bet with Betfair
Ballytrim	50/1	**		Bet With Paddy Power
Joe Lively	50/1	*		Bet with Boyle Sports
Nozic	50/1	*
Mr Pointment	66/1	*		Bet With Paddy Power
Flintoff	50/1	*		Bet with Betfair
Faasel	66/1	*		Bet with Boyle Sports
Ellerslie George	50/1	*		Bet with Betfair

published: 5th April 2010 by Free Bet Bookmaker

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