Grand National preview: Horses in place after Cheltenham Gold Cup

Grand National Preview: Horses in Place After Cheltenham Gold Cup

Image by Paolo Camera

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious National Hunt meetings around the world and the 2022 edition didn’t disappoint. Four days of top class jumping ended with the Cheltenham Gold Cup where the favourite, A Plus Tard, came home ahead of the chasing pack.

The Gold Cup often provides pointers to the Grand National which comes along in the following month. The race at Aintree will generally contain horses who have competed in both events but is that the case in 2022?

Gold Cup Results

A short-odds favourite for many months ahead of the race, A Plus Tard came home by the huge margin of 15 lengths. It was a historic occasion as the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup result saw Rachael Blackmore become the first female jockey to win this race and the Grand National.

Overall, there were few surprises: A Plus Tard was the third winning favourite in the last four years and the second and third place horses also went off at shorter prices. The winner was followed home by Minella Indo and Protektorat at 7/1 and 10/1 respectively.

Further down the field, Al Boum Photo was aiming for a third win in four years. Unfortunately for the horse and his stable, the 2019 and 2020 Gold Cup winner failed to make history as he trailed home in sixth place.

It was a fitting end to four top class days of jumping which were run in glorious weather, but can the Cheltenham Gold Cup offer any pointers for the Grand National?

Runners and riders for the 2022 Grand National

The 2022 Grand National will be run on Saturday April 9th. Aintree is the iconic venue for this historic event which offers a grueling test of jumping and stamina. This year, there are very few runners confirmed from the Gold Cup declaration which is rare.

One exception is Galvin who came home in fourth place at Cheltenham but this horse is very much an outsider for Aintree. The current favourite, according to the best horse racing betting sites, is Any Second Now but it’s very tightly bunched at the top of the market.

Those odds are sourced by bookmakers linked to Sbo.net and there are a number of joint second favourites. Enjoy D’allen, Snow Leopardess, Delta Work and Escaria Ten are all available at the same odds in places.

Along with Galvin, some of the interesting outside bets include Run Wild Fred, Longhouse Poet, Minella Times and Mount Ida. With a few weeks left until the off, those odds have scope to change and Sbo.net will report on any updates as they come in.

While assessing the Grand National market, visitors to the website can also take in news updates and opinion articles that appear. With lots of information to hand, it’s also possible to get involved in the horse racing markets.

Sports bookmakers that are mentioned here are all set up to accept new customers and many have welcome promotions in place for those that finish sign up. When that registration is complete, a set of deposit options can provide a conduit for adding funds while effective customer service helps to smooth the process.

With the option to access ongoing promotions and other sports, it’s a useful site to follow but have the sportsbooks called it right in terms of the Grand National winner?

The verdict

It takes an exceptional horse to win the Grand National. This is the most grueling test of technique and endurance with a four mile, two-and-a-half-furlong course containing no fewer than 30 fences.

It’s a day when the serious bettor meets the casual punter and the general public can have a big influence on the market. In terms of a winner for 2022, there is a lot of interest in Any Second Now who finished in third place in 2021.

As a horse with good knowledge of these conditions, Any Second Now knows what it takes to get round the fiendish Aintree Course and he may well have the quality to step up this year. Further down the field, Snow Leopardess could be the horse to watch after winning the Becher Chase at Aintree back in December.

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