The 2021 Grand National

"Get it right up him," says I.

I suspect Martin Greenwood will be quietly relieved the Tiger Roll circus has left town.
 
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Desert Orchid said:
.Could it be an exercise in deflection?
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Without a doubt an attempt to draw attention from the other news!

It was released to all and sunder last night, but the Main racing sites haven't released anything because they don't want to deflect from the juicy story that running at the moment...typical media...I hate them.
 
Today's scratchings

Presenting Percy
Tiger Roll
Battleoverdoyen
Aso
Al Roc
Champagne Classic
Robin Des Foret
Rocky's Treasure
Cap Du Nord
A Toi Phil
Mayhenna
Delta Work
Yorkhill
Saint Xavier
 
The Storyteller would be an ironic ending to the final chapter....

Gordon Elliot the rise and fall....best-seller

Presenting Percy obviously hasn't recovered from the leg infection...

No news statements forthcoming now that the stable is up in arms...bugger
 
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48 hr decs for the Grimthorpe

Beware The Bear
Canelo
Just A Sting
Chidswell
Red Infantry
Special Prep
Chef d'Oeuvre
 
Copied from the Longshot thread:

Grand National - Definitly Red 100/1 - hampered out of the 2017 National when just 10/1 (10lbs well in off 149) but took in the Gold Cup the following season by which time his mark had gone up 167. In 2019 he went for the Gold Cup again followed by the Punchestown Gold Cup. He was targeting last year's National again off 156 (4lbs well in) having hacked up in Saturday's Kelso race after the weights came out. Two poor runs this season require forgiving and I've no idea if he's even targeting the race this season but he's proved he isn't up to winning a Gold Cup so I don't see why not if he's in off 158. If he wins again on Saturday - or even just shows he's as good as he was this time last season - he'll be 20/1.
 
Fair play to Cloth Cap.

Aso and Two For Gold 2nd and 3rd, so as an Admirals Secret fan, (he was in a blanket finish with these two the last day over 2M4F), I'd say the form is stacking up well.

Roll on Admirals Secret over 3M in the Ultima...
 
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Impressive stuff from Cloth Cap. I would have taken 8/1 NRNB after that but it was gone.

He was seriously disadvantaged at the weights today but has toyed with them. It's possible they underperformed (Aso maybe ridden to conserve dubious stamina, Def Red maybe not fit, 2FG maybe not liking the track and not jumping as well as he can, LVL never put in it) but the form will still read v ery well and he'll have to go up a good bit, perhaps 12lbs, so will be that much officially well in on the day, all being well.

A very worthy favourite.
 
Got to be very disappointed with Beware The Bear there.

Looked like he'd been training over the puissance early in the race but never really looking to going well after. They'd be wasting their time taking him to Aintree on the back of that. I'd rather they took in something like the Ultima and hope today just got the freshness out of him.

But today was poor,
 
Desert Orchid said:
Got to be very disappointed with Beware The Bear there.

Looked like he'd been training over the puissance early in the race but never really looking to going well after. They'd be wasting their time taking him to Aintree on the back of that. I'd rather they took in something like the Ultima and hope today just got the freshness out of him.

But today was poor,
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Mm, didn’t quite square with Henderson’s comments that he was the best horse there and expected him to do well. Mind you, he did add that Beware The Bear got on so well with the injured Jerry McGrath and that the main objective was to bring him back safe and sound for when they could renew their partnership.
 
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Cloth Cap up to 162. Officially now a stone well-in for the Nash.

Front runs, jumps great, and family is full of thorough stayers. Has to have a massive chance.
 
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Yes, absolutely.

Deep down, I suspect I haven't forgiven him for not winning the Scottish National off 134 having backed him at 20/1 on the Tuesday.

I'll wait until the day now and probably only use him for cover for my other bets. If it were an ordinary Saturday handicap he'd be a 6/4 shot.
 
Desert Orchid said:
The one I actually backed and meant to post is Any Second Now 25/1. Hacked up at the Festival and was heavily backed for the National subsequently, if memory serves, from 33/1 into single figures or near enough. 33/1 wasn't available yesterday and it seems to be shortening today.
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In to 14s tops and 12s generally now after an 'impressive' (haven't seen it) win today.

Another it's nice to be on the right side of.
 
I've total respect for Cloth Cap.

Although I'm drawn to trying to find a big priced horse who may out run its odds.

I reckon Pym actually fits the profile nicely. He's lightly raced over fences, so not the battle hardened handicapper that some may want for this race of attrition.

However, in those eight races over fences, he won three of those. His first two wins at the start of the 2019/20 season were very interesting ones.

He won first time out at Ascot, noted as "jumping really well" by the racing post, then next time he hammered Imperial Aura eight lengths off level weights, when again he was noted as jumping very well.

Maybe these small details on his excellent jumping are helpful for a race like the Grand National.

He lost his form a bit subsequently, being pulled up twice, but came back to some fair form in the intermediate chase at Sandown this season, first time out, when again he was noted as jumping really well.

He finished down the field recently in the Ultima, but overall, I think he's good on his day, fairly enough handicapped on 153, and having never fallen over fences, I like his profile for each way betting purposes.

What is he now? 50s or 66s in a place, some forms NRNB. I'll be having a go at those odds in the not to distance future.
 
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Yes, I've been presuming Pym was being trained for the National but I would have expected more in the Ultima, which was a disappointing run. I wonder if they'll actually keep him in it now.
 
I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, DO.

If he'd been pulled up I'd view it differently, but at least he got round.

He's lightly raced enough and young enough to turn things around.

As you say, there must be a doubt about his participation though, so we'll see what Nicky Henderson says nearer the time.
 
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