Testing Ground For The Grandest Occasion

Watching the rain fall at Aintree and the way horses have finished there over the first two days you really get the impression that the Grand National is going to take some getting on Saturday afternoon but what a race it promises to be.

Footage from ITV Racing even showed an ambulance getting stuck at the side of the track so there can be no doubt that it is very testing and the job now is to find horses that will suit.

Irish trainers may have two such horses that will interest punters.

Could history be made?
Baie Des Iles has been one of the big market movers with BoyleSports in recent weeks as people really got behind the seven-year-old grey mare trained in Kill by Ross O’Sullivan and set to be ridden by Katie Walsh.

Baie Des Iles was undoubtedly value at 66/1 and she’s getting very short in the betting now at 14/1..

..but with the ground likely to suit, this might not be far off a fair price for the grey.

Baie Des Iles has been very well handled by O’Sullivan this year and her last run in prep for Aintree was a fine third in the Grand National Trial which she had won before and this season finished behind Folsom Blue and Ilseofhopendreams, the form of which worked out well at Fairyhouse earlier in the month.

O’Sullivan would have prayed for rain but probably didn’t really dream of getting it as soft as it is this weekend and while Baie Des Iles may not have the class of some of the horses near the top of the handicap, she does have a stone less and an ability to stay well on testing ground. There are some vital boxes ticked there.

Powerful Puppy
Aintree has been very good to BoyleSports ambassador Robbie Power and the jockey is back to try and win this race for a second time following the memorable success of Silver Birch and Raz De Maree is another horse will relish the ground.

It’s so unusual to see three horses come out of such a valuable race when the ground was gone against them..

..but that is a sign of just how testing it must be on the National course and the heavier the better for Gavin Cromwell’s 13-year-old.

Teenagers don’t have a great record in the race but Raz De Maree showed no signs of ageing earlier this year when bolting up in the Welsh National, a race he previously ran well in before behind Gold Cup winner Native River. He goes on the ground, he’s been around here before, he stays well, he has strong claims for a 33/1 shot.

Valuable Gas
Gas Line Boy is a horse that looked to have a chance of getting in the place money. BoyleSports will be paying out on the first SIX home and Gas Line Boy finished fifth last year and there’s every chance that he may well do so again or even nick a place or more closer.

The fact that he has experience of the race and handles the ground is a big plus..

..and he’s nicely weighted for this type of race. In December he won the Grand Sefton over the National course on testing ground so that could help him even more than last year’s normal nice ground and for a 40/1 shot he could be worth keeping on side.

Recommmended Bets:
Baie Des Iles 14/1
Raz De Maree 22/1
Gas Line Boy 28/1

*Prices correct at the time of publication.