By Conor Allington
The 106 entries have been revealed for the Aintree showpiece on April 10th with two-time Grand National winning Tiger Roll heading the shortlist.
Tiger Roll, winner of the last two races, bids to claim a historic third triumph in the Aintree marathon. A third victory would mean Tiger Roll would match Red Rum’s record of three Grand National titles.
The 11-year-old isn’t the only racehorse entered for trainer Gordon Elliot as he is just one of sixteen entries including Grade 1 winners Delta Work and Presenting Percy.
HORSE RACING: Dual #GrandNational winner Tiger Roll is one of 106 entries for this years race, the horse who has won the last two runnings will equal Red Rums record of 3 wins in the race if he's successful at @AintreeRaces on 10th April. The weights will be published on Feb 16 pic.twitter.com/Qzcom9IesW
— BBC Merseyside Sport (@bbcmerseysport) February 3, 2021
Other Contenders
Champion British trainer Nicky Henderson has entered six Racehorses and has the most of any British trainer for the contest.
The 70-year-old has never won a national and speaking with RacingPost.com he said: “It’s the race isn’t it? It’s the biggest of the lot, we’ve been involved in it for years and there is something very special about it – it’s very historic and the whole meeting has a terrific atmosphere. My whole life has revolved around National Hunt racing so, not surprisingly, winning the Grand National would be very special”.
Henderson’s most likely entries to achieve success are Ok Corral and Beware The Bear. The pair are expected to lead the charge for Henderson’s first National victory. Henderson’s other entries include, Pym, Valtor, Santini and Gold Present.
Other contenders that have been announced are Welsh Grand National winner Secret Reprieve, three-time Betfair Chase winner Bristol De Mai and Ladbrokes Trophy winner Cloth Cap.
The Grand National returns
Fans will hope that the Grand National will go ahead after the cancellation of last years race due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time the race had not been run since World War 2.
There is still no answer to whether fans or owners will be able to attended this year’s race.
A virtual Grand National hosted by ITV was introduced as an alternative last year. Potters Corner won the event and will be entered in the real thing this time around.
This year’s Grand National winning price is a total of £750,000. This is an a £250,000 decrease from the £1 million previously on offer.
Weights will be published on February 16 before two scratching deadlines on March 2 and March 23 and the five-day confirmation stage following on April 5.
