Most of us like to pick out a horse as our selection for the iconic £1 million race or draw one in the workplace sweep. And it's that time of the year again on Saturday when the latest edition of the National, first run way back in 1839, graces the Merseyside turf.
Sponsored by Randox, the tapes for the race, over the marathon 4m2f distance, will rise at 4 pm, and you can follow the action live on ITV and Racing TV. To help you find your fancy, I have compiled this easy-to-follow pinstickers' guide to all of the runners, in racecard order, complete with their best odds at the time of writing. Comments on each horse are based on the assumption that the going will be Soft.
Those horses include the last two winners of the race, Corach Rambler and Noble Yeats but, amazingly, no fewer than 16 of the contenders are trained in Ireland by either Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott. Only eight are trained in the UK.
It's exactly 40 years since I made my first trip to Aintree when Hallo Dandy landed the spoils, beating Greasepaint and Corbiere into second and third. Things have changed dramatically since those days, with the course's stands and facilities now among the best in the country and the track's famous 30 fences, such as Becher's Brook and The Chair, far less demanding and daunting in the interests of safety.
Animal welfare is now of paramount importance, and more new safety measures have been introduced for Saturday's race. The number of runners has been cut from 40 to 34 to reduce the risk of falls and accidents, while the start has been moved to prevent a headlong charge to the first fence that can result in the horses setting off too fast.
Hopefully, the measures will contribute to an entertaining, thrilling spectacle, from which all horses and riders return home safe and sound. Good luck!
MY 1-2-3-4-5 PREDICTION
1 MEETINGOFTHEWATERS
2 PANDA BOY
3 MR INCREDIBLE
4 MAHLER MISSION
5 CORACH RAMBLER
Best Outsider: CHAMBARD
29. Glengouly (80/1)
It's not often a horse trained by Willie Mullins trades at such big odds, but it really would be a shock if this 8yo landed the £500,000 first prize, even though he produced a career best when stepped up to 3m in a big race in Ireland at the end of January. Most of his form has been over shorter distances, and he flopped at the Cheltenham Festival last month. Photo: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
30. Galia Des Liteaux (28/1)
The Skelton brothers, trainer Dan and jockey Harry, took the fight to the Irish at the Cheltenham Festival with four winners. Can he also upset the applecart with this 8yo mare, who looked a top-class prospect when bolting up in a Grade Two chase at Warwick last season. She hasn't really built on that since, but will relish both the 4m2f trip and the probable Soft going at Aintree. Photo: Alan Crowhurst
31. Panda Boy (12/1)
Only one grey horse has won the National in its 185-year history, but canny Irish trainer Martin Brassill, who saddled Numbersixvalverde to Aintree glory in 2006, has primed this 8yo specifically for the race. He's not won for more than two years and might not want the ground too testing, but has performed consistently well in decent staying contests, including when fifth in last year's Irish National. Photo: Submitted
32. Eklat de Rire (100/1)
Three years ago, this French-bred Irish raider was a talented novice chaser. But he's been plagued by injuries and setbacks ever since and Henry De Bromhead will need to summon all his skills as one of the sport's best trainers to rekindle the 10yo's best, especially after he faded tamely in a major handicap at the Cheltenham Festival last month. Photo: Submitted