Grand National
Gavin Cromwell’s William Hill blog: Aintree Grand National Day preview
William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell previews his runners on Grand National day at Aintree, where he has three live chances in the big one.
Saturday, Aintree
We have four runners at Aintree on Saturday, three of which are in the Grand National (4.00pm). I really can’t split them. It’s going to be all about who shows up on the day and gets the luck in-running. I haven’t thought about how it might feel to win it with one of them this year, and I’m not going to just yet! We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing, hope they all run well and one of them wins.
It’s a massive race and everybody would love to win it. We came so close to winning it with Vanillier in 2023 and, to be honest, I thought that was our chance of ever winning the National gone, but hopefully that’s not the case. We look to have three live chances this year and hopefully one of them can come up trumps.
With Stumptown, it’s all about trying to get off to a nice start and get in a good position – that goes for all three of our runners really. He should line up well and he jumps off good and sharp, so hopefully he can get a good position early on.
As long as he can keep his position in the race I think he’ll travel within himself, in his comfort zone, and should stay on well. The pace of the race could catch him out and you don’t want to be trying to stay on from too far back. It’s all fine making up ground and staying on well, but if you’ve to try and stay on from too far back then it almost becomes an impossible task.
We’re very happy with Vanillier at the moment, he’s in good form and seems to have come out of Cheltenham well. His run in the Cross Country was a big positive with him coming home so strong hitting the line really well.
A bit like Stumptown, he could just be lacking a gear when the race quickens. That said, hopefully he can be in a good enough position to make a challenge when the time comes. You always want to get a nice position and you don’t want to be too far back.
Unlike the other two, Perceval Legallois comes into the race fresh after the Dublin Racing Festival. He’s really well, in great form, he looks great – we’re really happy with him. He goes well fresh so the longer layoff will have suited him.
I don’t see any problems with him being able to see out the trip, especially on nice ground. Actually, I think he’ll appreciate the better ground the most of our three. He should be well able to travel on that ground.
We finish off with Only By Night in the two-mile Grade One Novices’ Chase (5.00pm). She ran a big rice in the Arkle at Cheltenham but she’s come out of eat really well and we’re very happy with her. She’s in good form and looks to have a big chance here.
L’Eau Du Sud is going to take a fair bit of beating but she finished ahead of him at Cheltenham and hopefully she can put it up to him again here. The Cheltenham run was no fluke and she’s on people’s radar a bit more now after that. I think she’s a live player here.
