Betting
Grand National Trends | Age is just a number
No horse aged below 8 has won the Grand National since 1940
We’re a day closer to a first Grand National in over two years, and so it seems only fitting to provide you with another trend from recent renewals gone by.
Yesterday, we confirmed that future form in the wake of Merseyside glory was rather tepid. Not since 2003 has a National winner go onto pass the post first in their following outing.
But we’ll make this one slightly more relevant and aid your knowledge ahead of selecting your would-be Aintree winner for next Saturday.
In order to support your prediction, you may want to know that since 2005, only horses aged between 8 and 11 have been successful in the contest – and you’d have to go back all the way to 1940 to find the last seven-year-old to take home the gold.
Although still a few places out of the handicap, it’s not a statistic that bodes well for recent Welsh Grand National hero and seven-year-old, Secret Reprieve.
Single-figure aged victors have dominated the podium since 2015, with Many Clouds, One For Arthur and Tiger Roll all winning as eight-year-old’s, with the aforementioned Tiger and fellow Gigginstown House Stud owned Rule The World succeeding in the event at nine.
That halted three successive years of aged 11 contenders dominating their respective editions, with Neptune Collonges, Auroras Encore and Pineau De Re claiming their day in the soon between 2012 and 2014.
Current favourite Cloth Cap appears to fit the bill perfectly, aged 9.
