Rachael Blackmore and Minella Times will recommence their historic partnership at the 2022 Grand National, with the full field of 40 now confirmed.
The Irish jockey, fresh from being crowned the champion jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021, went on to create even more history at Aintree just a few weeks later, winning the National aboard the Henry de Bromhead trained horse.
Minella Times will be looking to replicate the achievements of Tiger Roll in triumphing back-to-back in the steeplechase. The latter will not be running at Aintree after his handicap was judged to be too harsh by his Gigginstown Stud owners, although a bevy of his stablemates – including Cross Country Chase champion Delta Work and Run Wild Fred – have been declared.
“Tiger Roll did it back to back so you never know what can happen!”
Rachael Blackmore spoke to @BBCBreakfast before Saturday’s Grand National, where she will reunite with Minella Times.
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— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 7, 2022
However, one horse representing the famous burgundy silks that won’t contest the Grand National is former Triumph Hurdle champion Farclas, who has been withdrawn. Nicky Henderson’s Caribean Boy, meanwhile, is injured and also misses out.
Alongside Blackmore’s date with destiny on Minella Times, the most eye-catching story of the weekend is likely to be that of Snow Leopardess – the 8/1 joint favourite who could become the first mother to win the Grand National and overcome a 700-day absence from racing.
The Full List of Grand National Runners in 2022
Before we look into the stats and trends to pick through, here is the full list of runners for this year’s race.
| Horse (Number) | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | Age | Guide Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any Second Now (4) | Mark Walsh | Ted Walsh | 11st 8lb | 10 | 8/1 |
| Minella Times (1) | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead | 11st 10lb | 9 | 8/1 |
| Snow Leopardess (31) | Aidan Coleman | Charlie Longsdon | 10st 9lb | 10 | 8/1 |
| Delta Work (2) | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott | 11st 9lb | 9 | 10/1 |
| Eclair Surf (39) | Tom Bellamy | Emma Lavelle | 10st 6lb | 8 | 14/1 |
| Enjoy D’allen (23) | Conor Orr | Ciaran Murphy | 10st 11lb | 8 | 14/1 |
| Escaria Ten (15) | Adrian Heskin | Gordon Elliott | 11st 1lb | 8 | 14/1 |
| Longhouse Poet (10) | Darragh O’Keeffe | Martin Brassil | 11st 4lb | 8 | 14/1 |
| Run Wild Fred (5) | Davy Russell | Gordon Elliott | 11st 7lb | 8 | 14/1 |
| Fiddlerontheroof (11) | Brendan Powell | Colin Tizzard | 11st 4lb | 8 | 16/1 |
| Good Boy Bobby (16) | Daryl Jacob | Nigel Twiston-Davies | 10st 13lb | 9 | 16/1 |
| School Boy Hours | Sean Flanagan | Noel Meade | 10st 5lb | 8 | 20/1 |
| Burrows Saint (8) | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 11st 5lb | 9 | 25/1 |
| Cloth Cap (30) | Tom Scudamore | Jonjo O’Neill | 10st 10lb | 10 | 25/1 |
| Commodore (33) | Charlie Deutsch | Venetia Williams | 10st 5lb | 9 | 25/1 |
| Mount Ida (9) | Denis O’Regan | Gordon Elliott | 11st 5lb | 8 | 28/1 |
| Freewheelin Dylan (26) | Ricky Doyle | Dermot McLoughlin | 10st 10lb | 10 | 33/1 |
| Kildisart (20) | James Bowen | Ben Pauling | 10st 11lb | 10 | 33/1 |
| Santini (13) | Nick Scholfield | Polly Gundry | 11st 2lb | 10 | 33/1 |
| Blaklion (35) | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton | 10st 8lb | 13 | 40/1 |
| De Rasher Counter (19) | Adam Wedge | Emma Lavelle | 10st 12lb | 10 | 40/1 |
| Death Duty (37) | Jordan Gainford | Gordon Elliott | 10st 7lb | 11 | 40/1 |
| Discorama (21) | Bryan Cooper | Paul Nolan | 10st 11lb | 9 | 40/1 |
| Mighty Thunder (29) | Derek Fox | Lucinda Russell | 10st 10lb | 9 | 40/1 |
| Noble Yeats (28) | Sam Waley-Cohen | Emmet Mullins | 10st 10lb | 7 | 40/1 |
| Two For Gold (12) | David Bass | Kim Bailey | 11st 3lb | 9 | 40/1 |
| Dingo Dollar (25) | Ryan Mania | Sandy Thomson | 10st 11lb | 10 | 50/1 |
| Lostintranslation (6) | Harry Cobden | Colin Tizzard | 11st 6lb | 10 | 50/1 |
| Agusta Gold (32) | Danny Mullins | Willie Mullins | 10st 9lb | 9 | 66/1 |
| Anibale Fly (24) | Luke Dempsey | Tony Martin | 10st 11lb | 12 | 66/1 |
| Coko Beach (18) | Sean Flanagan | Gordon Elliott | 10st 13lb | 7 | 66/1 |
| Top Ville Ben (22) | Thomas Dowson | Philip Kirby | 10st 11lb | 10 | 66/1 |
| Brahma Bull (7) | Brian Hayes | Willie Mullins | 11st 6lb | 11 | 80/1 |
| Class Conti (27) | Sam Twiston-Davies | Willie Mullins | 10st 10lb | 10 | 80/1 |
| Deise Aba (34) | Tom O’Brien | Philip Hobbs | 10st 8lb | 9 | 80/1 |
| Poker Party (36) | Robbie Power | Henry de Bromhead | 10st 8lb | 10 | 80/1 |
| Samcro (14) | Sean Bowen | Gordon Elliott | 11st 1lb | 10 | 80/1 |
| Domaine De L’Isle (38) | Harry Bannister | Sean Curran | 10st 7lb | 9 | 100/1 |
| Romain De Senam (17) | Philip Armson | David Pipe | 10st 5lb | 9 | 100/1 |
| Fortescue (40) | Hugh Nugent | Henry Daly | 10st 6lb | 8 | 28/1 |
Who Do the Trends Say Will Win the Grand National?
With well over a century of Grand National history to call upon, there’s plenty of trends that can be used to narrow down the field of runners.
It’s been 18 years since a 12-year-old won the Grand National, and a staggering 82 years since a horse seven or younger prevailed.
So punters can zero their analysis in on those aged 8-11, which immediately discounts the likes of Noble Yeats, Anibale Fly, Coko Beach and Blaklion.
In the 77 years since the Second World War, only seven Grand National winners have carried more than 11st 5lb – intriguingly, that discounts some of the betting market principles like Any Second Now (11st 7lb), Delta Work (11st 8lb) and Run Wild Fred (11st 6lb)….as well as defending champ Minella Times (11st 9lb).
As you would expect, current form and experience of success over the Aintree fences is important. Eight of the last nine Grand National winners had finished in the top three in any of their prior starts, while more than half in the past decade had performed well in one of the Nationals on UK soil.
Snow Leopardess has won three races on the spin and has triumphed over the Aintree fences, and her age and weight profile also ticks the boxes already outlined. Escaria Ten, meanwhile, finished a close second to Any Second Now last time out, but was pulled up in the Irish National.
Enjoy D’allen placed in the Irish National but is yet to make his Aintree debut, while Fiddlerontheroof placed in the Mildmay Novices Chase at the course last year (albeit 50-odd lengths behind winner Chantry House) and has a formline of 2-2-1.
Mighty Thunder and Dingo Dollar were 1-2 in the Scottish Grand National in 2021, although the former has been pulled up in his two most recent starts. The latter, meanwhile, was pulled up on his sole outing at Aintree.
And so preference is given to Burrows Saint. Nine years old and carrying 11st 4lb, the Willie Mullins horse has finished second or third in his last trio of starts, was fourth in the Grand National last year and seems to have been handicapped very kindly.