We’ve all got our own way of choosing which Grand National horse to back. Some might go with one of Willie Mullins’ horses after he dominated March’s Cheltenham Festival while others might prefer to side with Nassalam as the most recent winner of the Welsh National.
But surely one of the most popular ways that once-a-year punters decide who to back is by following grey horses, and this may well be the year that this tactic proves the best way to go.
Probably the main reason grey horses have historically been so popular is because they’re so easy to spot and follow in the midst of a huge runner field where carnage often ensues. And betting on the greys in the 2023 Grand National would have certainly paid dividends as Vanillier came home in second place, with Gaillard Du Mesnil not far behind in third.
The most recent grey to win the famous race was Neptune Collonges in 2012 but Vanillier’s impending return to Aintree could well end the long wait for a popular grey victor.
While Corach Rambler heads a reduced field of 34 Grand National runners that will take part in this year’s Aintree showpiece, Vanillier will be saddled with a far more manageable weight to carry round the energy sapping course, and his trainer Gavin Cromwell was certainly confident enough when speaking recently.
“I’d have to be happy enough with that (rating). It’s a lovely racing weight and having been second last year it’s got to be expected.”
“He’s been trained for this race really and it’s a case of him coming in the spring – he is a spring horse.
And should you want to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket, you could do much worse than looking at Panda Boy, who is the other prominent grey in the betting.
Despite having never raced over the famous fences before, Panda Boy has many positives in his favour, most notably the low weight he’ll carry and multiple impressive results over longer race distances.
Trainer Martin Brassil certainly made no attempts to dampen expectations when quoted as saying, “He loves nice, spring ground and he’s a much stronger horse now. He’s taking a lot more work and racing now so we probably haven’t seen the best of him.”
So if there’s one year you shouldn’t be scoffing at your mum for picking her Grand National horse based on its colour, 2024 could well be that year.
