Category: Horses

The 2022 Grand National is scheduled for 5.15pm on Saturday, April 9 and, as usual, the weights for the celebrated steeplechase will not be revealed until mid-February. However, at the time of writing, it is no surprise to see the 2021 winner, Minella Times, disputing favouritism.

Sent off 11/1 fourth-favourite last year, Minella Times put in a flawless round of jumping to beat stable companion Balko Des Flos by 6½ lengths and, in so doing, made Rachael Blackmore the first female jockey to win the Grand National. Of course, the handicapper will have his say but, at the time of writing, the 8-year-old is a top-priced 20/1 joint-favourite to repeat his Aintree triumph.

At this early stage, the other 20/1 joint-favourite is Any Second Now who, like Minella Times, is owned by J.P. McManus and carried his first colours in the 2021 Grand National. Indeed, he was sent off 15/2 second favourite, behind only the well-handicapped Cloth Cap, last year. He was badly hampered by a faller on the first circuit but, ultimately, the concession of 6lb to Minella Times proved beyond him and he had to settle for third, beaten 8¼ lengths. Again, much depends on how the handicapper reacts, but he has a touch of class and deserves his position at the head of the ante-post market for the 2022 Grand National.

Verifying exactly which horse has won the Grand National by the widest margin is not as a straightforward as it might appear. The ‘length’ has been the standard measure of winning distances since time immemorial but, in modern horse racing, distances are determined by reference to a computerised lengths-per-second (LPS) table, which takes into account the prevailing going and other variables. Nowadays, racecourse judges can record meaningful distances up to, and including, 200 lengths.

However, until just over a decade ago, any distance beyond 30 lengths was simply recorded as ‘a distance’. As far as the Grand National is concerned, six horses – Cloister (1893), Covertcoat (1913), Shaun Splash (1921), Tipperary Tim (1928), Mr What (1958) and Red Marauder (2001) – are credited with having won by a distance. Several reputable sources state that Cloister, who was also the first horse to defy 12st 7lb in the Grand National, won by 40 lengths and therefore holds the record for the widest margin win in history. However, none of them reveal how the figure of 40 lengths was arrived at.

Certainly, the most attritional renewal of the Grand National in recent times occurred in 2001. On nigh on bottomless ground, Red Marauder beat Smarty – who was the only other horse to complete the National Course unscathed – by a distance, with a further distance back to the remounted pair Blowing Wind and Papillon, who were also separated by a distance.

In 2021, despite lacking experience over the Grand National fences, Cloth Cap was sent off one of the shortest-priced favourites in recent history, at 11/2. When the weights for the National were framed, in February, Cloth Cap was officially rated 148, but subsequently won the bet365 Premier Chase at Kelso with plenty in hand, earning himself a 14lb rise in the weights. However, because the Grand National is an early closing race, he could run off his ‘old’ handicap mark and carry just 10st 5lb, giving him a significant weight advantage over his rivals.

Extraordinarily well-handicapped he may have been but, having travelled well within himself for most of the way, Cloth Cap weakened quickly after stumbling at the fourth-last fence and was pulled up by jockey Tom Scudamore. Scudamore reported that Cloth Cap started ‘gurgling’ or, in other words, made a respiratory noise and connections suggested afterwards that a wind infirmity may have been the cause of his poor performance.

Of course, Cloth Cap is owned by Trevor Hemmings, who is already, jointly, the most successful owner in the history of the Grand National. Hemmings will, no doubt, be keen to record a fourth win and Cloth Cap appears to be a ‘dyed-in-the-wool’ National type, who jumps well and has stamina in abundance. Of course, he’ll have to race off his revised mark in 2022 but, at 50/1 in the ante-post market, could yet make his mark at Aintree.