Conflicting weather forecasts are giving Aintree clerk of the course Sulekha Varma a Randox Grand National headache.
Her opposite number at Cheltenham, Jon Pullin, came under fire for watering the track before persistent rain turned the going heavy at last month’s National Hunt festival. And Varma is anxious to avoid a similar fate when the three-day fixture starts on Thursday.
“We are, unfortunately, not able to plan too far ahead,” said Varma, who yesterday changed the ground on the Grand National course to ‘good to soft, good in places. Basically, the forecasters are telling us they don’t know beyond Tuesday and Wednesday – some think it is going to be dry, some think it is going to be wet.”
Aintree’s policy is to tailor the National going to the easy side of good, but heavy rainfall on top of watered ground would leave the track facing flak from trainers.
“We are having to take it day by day but we’ve got the ability to irrigate the Grand National course at the press of a button,” added Varma.
Emma Lavelle is backing outsider De Rasher Counter to take to the unique test this weekend. “He absolutely loves jumping,” the Wiltshire trainer said of the 10-year-old, winner of Newbury’s Ladbrokes Trophy in 2019.
“We’ve spruced up our own fences at home and he schooled over them the other day. He doesn’t bat an eyelid at things like that and he’s got that touch of class about him.”
Delta Work has joined Any Second Now as the 8-1 Grand National joint-favourite after support for Gordon Elliott’s Cheltenham Festival winner. Last year's winner, Minella Times, who will again be ridden by Rachael Blackmore, is a 16-1 chance.
