Big pointers for Grand National at Aintree on Saturday

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The meeting on Saturday produced some pointers for the Grand National, and the horses to focus on are and . The betting for the famous steeplechase revolves around , which is priced around --100 with online bookmakers to become the first horse to win three Nationals in a row. Native River jumped like a stag in winning over the park course at Aintree, while Walk In The Mill won the Becher Chase over the National fences for the second successive year.

The Grand National is a handicap, which means horses are allocated a weight that, in theory, gives each runner the same chance to win. In opening declarations, the handicapper gives each horse a weight based on past form. The top weight in the National carries 11 stones and 10 pounds. The relative weight allocations for Tiger Roll and Native River will be key to running plans and the betting. At the time of writing, Native River is three times the price of Tiger Roll.

The handicapper for the National considers the Aintree factor and takes into account previous form over the unique fences. The weights are often contracted in favour of the better horses. The objective is to attract -class horses by giving them a manageable weight. Tiger Roll has not run in the Gold Cup, but Native River won the race in 2018. Both horses would be close to top weight for the National and the handicapper will want to give them winnable marks.

The fly in the National ointment could be , whose Gigginstown Stud enterprise are the owners of Tiger Roll. O'Leary has another persona as a founder and major shareholder of the budget airline Ryanair. When it comes to business, sentiment is not one of the main factors in his decision making process. O'Leary's business principles will be put to the test by Tiger Roll and the 2020 Grand National.

Would he the horse, connections and the public the chance of three Nationals in three years because a run does not make sense? Tiger Roll's weight allocation in comparison to Native River's mark will play on his mind. The gut feeling among many in the racing community is that Tiger Roll goes for sporting immortality at Aintree next April. It is still debatable whether Native River is also in the field, but the horse looks tailormade for the National fences and the race conditions at this stage of his career.

The gloss was taken off Native River's Aintree win because did not get beyond the fourth fence. Even so, Native River ran a great trial for the Gold Cup and National. The owner has ruled out the National in the past, but the tone this time is different. The word ‘might' has replaced ‘not' in the context of Native River trying to join an elite group of horses to have won the two biggest chases in racing.

Walk In The Mill will also have a say at Aintree in the spring. The horse is now the first to win back-to-back Becher Chases and was fourth in this year's National so clearly relishes the track and different fences. Walk In The Mill comes from a small yard, so having a live chance in the chase that means most is huge for the trainer. Walk In the Mill is a better horse over the National fences than conventional fences, and the handicapper will take that into account. Connections of Walk In The Mill, Tiger Roll and Native River will have much to ponder when the weights for the Grand National are announced next February.

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