Road To the Grand National 2012

J

Justin Redman

At the Start
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
Messages
208
So, 82 horses have been declared for the Grand National of 2012. A low number in my opinion compared to previous years, possibly down to the new entry requirements for the race. Entries are below in alphabetical order:
Abbeybraney
According To Pete
Alfa Beat
Always Right
Always Waining
Another Palm
Any Currency
Apt Approach
Arbor Supreme
Backstage
Ballabriggs
Ballyvesey
Becauseicouldntsee
Black Apalachi
Blazing Tempo
Burton Port
Calgary Bay
Cappa Bleu
Chicago Grey
Cooldine
Crescent Island
Deep Purple
Fair Along
Giles Cross
Hector's Choice
Hello Bud
Hold On Julio
In Compliance
Junior
Killyglen
King Fontaine
Le Beau Bai
Little Josh
Massini's Maguire
Midnight Chase
Midnight Haze
Minella Theatre
Mon Mome
Neptune Collonges
Neptune Equester
Niche Market
Northern Alliance
On His Own
Organisedconfusion
Our Island
Pearlysteps
Planet Of Sound
Postmaster
Prince De Beauchene
Psycho
Qhilimar
Quantitativeeasing
Quel Esprit
Quiscover Fontaine
Rare Bob
Roberto Goldback
Roulez Cool
Saddler's Storm
Schindler's Gold
Scotsirish
Seabass
Shakalakaboomboom
Shakervilz
Smoking Aces
Some Target
State Of Play
Stewarts House
Sunnyhillboy
Swing Bill
Synchronised
Tartek
Tatenen
Tharawaat
The Midnight Club
The Package
Treacle
Uncle Junior
Vic Venturi
Viking Blond
Weird Al
West End Rocker
Wymott

Any thoughts on the original entries. Obviously its very early and the weights don't get revealed until the 14th February but from the original entries, which ones stand out?
 
I backed Chicago Grey for this a long time ago, and I'm delighted to see Elliot go to work on his handicap mark this season. Gives him a fighting chance.
 
The National seems to be a lucky race for me, I only ever have a few quid on for fun but have managed to back the winner of 3 of the last 4 all at odds of 40/1 or more.

I've dipped my toes in early this year, with a couple of quid on Deep Purple, Neptune Collonges, Killyglen and Chicago Grey, the first two at some particularly attractive odds. Still reasonably happy with all those.

Sunnyhillboy is another I quite fancy despite his questionable jumping but I'll wait until he runs again as the last day put me off somewhat.
 
Last edited:
Weights are out:

SYNCHRONISED 9-11st-10lb; BALLABRIGGS 11-11-09; MIDNIGHT CHASE 10-11-08; WEIRD AL 9-11-08; BURTON PORT 8-11-07; QUEL ESPRIT 8-11-07; CALGARY BAY 9-11-06; NEPTUNE COLLONGES 11-11-06; ALFA BEAT 8-11-05; PLANET OF SOUND 10-11-05.

BLAZING TEMPO 8-11-04; ROBERTO GOLDBACK 10-11-04; BLACK APALACHI 13-11-03; DEEP PURPLE 11-11-03; JUNIOR 9-11-02; QUANTITATIVEEASING 7-11-02; SCOTSIRISH 11-11-02; TARTAK 9-11-02; APT APPROACH 9-11-01; LITTLE JOSH 10-11-01; PSYCHO (IRE) 11-11-00.

CHICAGO GREY 9-10-13; TATENEN 8-10-13; ACCORDING TO PETE 11-10-12; SEABASS 9-10-12; SHAKALAKABOOMBOOM 8-10-12; WEST END ROCKER 10-10-12; HECTOR'S CHOICE 8-10-11; MASSINI'S MAGUIRE 11-10-11; ON HIS OWN 8-10-11; ALWAYS RIGHT 10-10-10; CAPPA BLEU 10-10-10; CRESCENT ISLAND 9-10-09; RARE BOB 10-10-09; MON MOME 12-10-08; ORGANISEDCONFUSION 7-10-08; THE MIDNIGHT CLUB 11-10-08; TREACLE 11-10-08; ARBOR SUPREME 10-10-07; COOLDINE 10-10-07; HOLD ON JULIO 9-10-07; PEARLYSTEPS 9-10-06; PRINCE DE BEAUCHENE 9-10-06.

NICHE MARKET 11-10-05; ROULEZ COOL 9-10-05; STEWARTS HOUSE 10-10-05; SUNNYHILLBOY 9-10-05; UNCLE JUNIOR 11-10-05; FAIR ALONG 10-10-04; KILLYGLEN 10-10-04; QUISCOVER FONTAINE 8-10-04; THARAWAAT 7-10-04; ALWAYS WAINING 11-10-03; BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE 9-10-03; LE BEAU BAI 9-10-03; STATE OF PLAY 12-10-03; SWING BILL 11-10-03; POSTMASTER 10-10-02; SHAKERVILZ 9-10-02; THE PACKAGE 9-10-02; WYMOTT 8-10-02; BACKSTAGE 10-10-01; GILES CROSS 10-10-01.

HELLO BUD 14-10-00; IN COMPLIANCE 12-10-00; MIDNIGHT HAZE 10-10-00; NORTHERN ALLIANCE 11-10-00; VIC VENTURI 12-10-00; VIKING BLOND 7-10-00; QHILIMAR 8-9-13; SOME TARGET 8-9-10; NEPTUNE EQUESTER 9-9-09; ANY CURRENCY 9-9-08; OUR ISLAND 7-9-07; SCHINDLER'S GOLD (IRE) 10-9-07.

ABBEYBRANEY 11-9-05; SADDLERS STORM 10-9-05: SMOKING ACES 8-9-05; KING FONTAINE 9-9-04; ANOTHER PALM 7-9-03; BALLYVESEY 7-9-02; MINELLA THEATRE 9-9-00
 
Quel Esprit surely won't run i'd have thought

Have a feeling Chicago Grey has been lined up for this one. I like Wymott at the lower end of the weights
 
Synchronised has no chance would be my first impression. He's too small to carry that weight, he doesn't have the scope to jump the fences and he won't have recovered in time after his Gold Cup exertions.

I won't have a proper look until after Cheltenham though. Get the proper racing out of the way first! :ninja:
 
Bar The Bull has backed Sunnyhillboy at a big price. I'd like to see a price for him now. I'd imagine Seabaas and Organisedconfusion will be cut with the weights they received.
 
I certainly have. Live blog on the guardian.co.uk has disappointed me, as I thought I was guaranteed a McCoy ridden gamble:

O'Neill's third entry is Sunnyhillboy on 11-5 (sic). "He ran a blinder in the Irish National last year to be third. It's whether we go there or go here, we'll decide nearer the time.

"He's not the biggest and it took him an awful long time to get his jumping right. He took a nasty old fall at Cheltenham [last March] but he seems to have got over it and he seems in good form."

Sunnyhillboy was last seen flopping when favourite for a valuable handicap at Cheltenham in December and I asked O'Neill if he had an explanation for the poor showing. "Don't know, to be honest with you. Just one of those things, he didn't fire at all and he can't have been right. But he seems in great shape at home now and I'm looking forward to his next couple of runs. He's in this weekend at Haydock over hurdles and we'll see where we go from there."
Click to expand...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/feb/14/grand-national-2012-weights?newsfeed=true
 
I would always take what Jonjo says with a healthy handful of sodium choloride. But I would prefer to have heard him say:

Sunnyhillboy is in excellent form, is at least a stone well-in over extended distances and Tony McCoy has a raging hard-on about the prospect of the armchair ride the horse is sure to give him in April. We are just worried that the handicapper doesn't crucify him in the 2013 weights for an easy victory this year, as Don't Push It showed how hard it is to follow up the following year.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Sunnyhillboy is in excellent form, is at least a stone well-in over extended distances and Tony McCoy has a raging hard-on about the prospect of the armchair ride the horse is sure to give him in April. We are just worried that the handicapper doesn't crucify him in the 2013 weights for an easy victory this year, as Don't Push It showed how hard it is to follow up the following year.

You're getting him confused with Henderson :)
 
Bar the Bull said:
I would always take what Jonjo says with a healthy handful of sodium choloride. But I would prefer to have heard him say:
Click to expand...

You have to bare in my mind that Sunnyhillboy was punted from a midweek price of 10/1 into 7/2 so he can't make an excuse for the horse. He is still a stone well in at the very least. McCoy is odds on to ride in my mind.

.
 
Last edited:
SlimChance said:
You have to bare in my mind that Sunnyhillboy was punted from a midweek price of 10/1 into 7/2 so he can't make an excuse for the horse. He is still a stone well in at the very least. McCoy is odds on to ride in my mind.

.
Click to expand...

Your infatuation with this horse never ceases to amaze me........
 
Sunnyhillboy is like a black hole when it comes to money, and I've never even backed him.

He's one of those yokes that are routinely punted as handicap snips, yet almost always shows his handicap mark to be about right - and possibly even a shade punitive, given certain circumstances.

McCoy won't have a hard-on, but layers might once this misguided gamble gathers momentum.

All that said: pure class, Bar. :lol:
 
Just been looking at this race. I've narrowed it down to three. Cappa Bleu, Treacle and Killyglen. All fit the right type of horse to do well, have nice weights, go on good ground, are rated about right, look to have had a decent prep, have run between 3 and 6 times this season and all ran last time in February or March. They all trade around 20-25/1 at present.
 
Back
Top