Grand National 2022: Tips, selections, odds, race card and runners-in-full for Aintree showpiece

This afternoon brings the world’s most famous horse race as 40 contenders set off in this year’s renewal of the Grand National at Aintree.

The race goes off at 5:15pm and will be shown live on both ITV and Racing TV.

Here, Johnny Ward picks out three selections for the showpiece…

Longhouse Poet 12/1

He may have reached pensionable age, but Martin Brassil’s hunger for the game is unsated and he can take the Randox Grand National with Longhouse Poet.

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It is 16 years since the County Clare native took the race with Numbersixvalverde and he reckons that his runner in 2022 has considerably more class — but there is also no doubt you need it in this era.

The National, perhaps the most iconic race in the world, has changed for the better in the past decade. High-profile equine deaths in 2011 and 2012 sparked public and media outcry, so wholesale changes were made, not least to the iconic fences.

As a somewhat unintended consequence, the race is now classier than ever, and Longhouse Poet ticks plenty of boxes. Back in the old days, an eight-year-old having had just six runs over fences would not seem a type for this race, but Longhouse Poet has the makings of a modern winner.

(Getty Images)

Though Brassil thought he wanted heavy ground, it was soft and pretty dry by winter standards when he landed a gamble in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran in January. Significantly, that was a race Numbersixvalverde won before his Aintree heroics, too.

And it is encouraging that perhaps his most striking victory was achieved in a bumper on good to yielding terrain around this time of year. That success involved a pretty comfortable victory over Monkfish, who progressed into a top-class novice chaser before injury prevented him from appearing this season.

Few of these can be guaranteed to go the distance — such is the nature of the race — and the Yeats-bred is one who has to prove his stamina. However, he looks likely to not only stay, but improve for it.

Moreover, he jumps well and should be able to stay out of trouble in the first dozen or so runners under crack youngster Darragh O’Keeffe. It might seem a little concerning that he was quiet over hurdles last time, but Brassil does not seem worried by this. At around 16-1, with some bookmakers paying up to seven places each-way, he is a nice proposition.

Eclair Surf - 16/1

(Getty Images)

Staggeringly, 10 of the first 11 home in the race last year were Irish-trained. Against that, Irish-trained handicap chasers tended to struggle at Cheltenham last month, and perhaps the hosts can reverse a trend, with four of the last five renewals going across the water.

If the National is to stay at home, surely the most likely winner is another eight-year-old, Eclair Surf, one of two runners for Emma Lavelle. Wiltshire is now home for the son of Califet, who started his career in a point-to-point in Ireland. He has emerged as a key fancy for this race by virtue of how well the form of his Eider effort at Newcastle in February is working out.

Not only did he lead most of the way and hammer everything but the winner of the race, Win My Wings, went on to demolish his rivals in the Scottish National last weekend, despite an 8lb rise.

A strong case can thus be made, and rider Tom Bellamy will know how to celebrate if he wins his share of the first prize of £500,000. By his own admission, Bellamy has left his playboy lifestyle behind, but you are immortalised if you win the Aintree National.

Delta Work - 14/1

(REUTERS)

Staggeringly, Gordon Elliott had not even trained a winner in his homeland when Silver Birch catapulted the little-known Irishman into the headlines a year after the success of Numbersixvalverde. Tiger Roll won the race twice for Elliott since and surely he should be here rather than retired, but perhaps Michael O’Leary will win the National with Delta Work instead.

Delta Work edged Tiger Roll over the banks at Cheltenham, having seemingly had enough of Grade 1 combat. It is never easy to judge cross-country form in the context of conventional chases, but Elliott is on the record as saying he likes it as a prep for the National.

Elliott, who was banned this time last year, would surely be the man to win the National if one wanted to write a script 12 months on. He runs seven, with Farclas scratched, and has even given long-shot Samcro a favourable mention. Once the hot prospect, could Samcro roll back the years?

Another to consider for place purposes is Burrows Saint, whose handler, Willie Mullins, has a chance of taking the British trainers’ title if he wins the National. He touched 6-5 in-running last year before his stamina gave up. He may cling on for a place.

*Odds correct as of 4pm on April 9.

Grand National runners in-full

1. Minella Times
2. Delta Work
3. School Boy Hours
4. Any Second Now
5. Run Wild Fred
6. Lostintranslation
7. Brahma Bull
8. Burrows Saint
9. Mount Ida
10. Longhouse Poet
11. Fiddlerontheroof
12. Two For Gold
13. Santini
14. Samcro
15. Escaria Ten
16. Good Boy Bobby
17. Romain De Senam
18. Coko Beach
19. De Rasher Counter
20. Kildisart
21. Discorama
22. Top Ville Ben
23. Enjoy D’allen
24. Anibale Fly
25. Dingo Dollar
26. Freewheelin Dylan
27. Class Conti
28. Noble Yeats
29. Mighty Thunder
30. Cloth Cap
31. Snow Leopardess
32. Agusta Gold
33. Commodore
34. Deise Aba
35. Blaklion
36. Poker Party
37. Death Duty
38. Domaine De L’Isle
39. Eclair Surf
40. Fortescue

Grand National day race card in full

1:45pm	EFT Construction Handicap Hurdle
2:25pm	Betway Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
3:00pm	Poundland Maghull Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
3:35pm	JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1)
4:15pm	Betway Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
5:15pm	Randox Grand National (Grade 3)
6:20pm	Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race