How To Bet £20 ante-post on the 2020 Randox Health Grand National

I’m pretty sure Rod Stewart did not have an ante-post bet on the Randox Health Grand National in mind when he sang Tonight’s The Night (It’s Gonna Be Alright) but tonight is the night to have a play on the great race with the weights for the great race being revealed tomorrow (Tuesday).

Tiger Roll is a best-priced 6-1 to make history and win the world’s greatest race for a third successive time but I’m not convinced he will get the green light to run if he’s allotted top weight, which itself must be a shade of odds-on.

The market will be in for a big shake-up if he is ruled out and, if he isn't, we can take a view about backing him much nearer the day because his present odds cannot get much shorter between now and April 4, can they?

You do not need a crystal ball to know roughly what weight the 105 entries are going to get and at this stage I’m happy to split my stakes on four 33-1 chances who each have the potential to get a lot shorter in the betting and, of course, have the ability to hit the jackpot – with or without Tiger Roll in the line-up.

Top of my shortlist are Any Second Now and One For Arthur. I expect the former to be allotted between 10st 4lb and 10st 7lb, with the latter perhaps something between 10st 2lb and 10st 5lb.

Any Second Now, trained by Ted Walsh and owned by JP McManus, rubbed shoulders with some top novices in his first season over fences and looked every inch an Aintree contender when humping 11st 11lb to a fluent victory in the Kim Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase at Cheltenham last term.

The Oscar gelding has not added to that success, but he might have done had he not been badly hampered and unseated his rider four out in the richly endowed Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Any Second Now was moving strongly at the time and, while it was too far out to be certain, he looked certain to play a hand in the finish. The upside is that the handicapper has not been give any cause to elevate his rating of 150.

Thankfully, he showed no ill effects when third over an inadequate 2m5f in another competive handicap at the Dublin Racing Festival back at Leopardstown this month.

You need speed, as well as stamina, to win a National and it is encouraging that he has the pace to make his presence felt over shorter. Walsh’s previous National winner, Papillon in 2000, also had plenty of racing over shorter distances and, for what it is worth, ran over 2m5f at Leopardstown in his final chase before Aintree.

Oscar has yet to sire a National winner, but he is a strong influence for stamina and two of his offspring – Oscar Time and Teaforethree – have come close to glory at Aintree in the past.

Any Second Now’s dam, Pretty Neat, raced only twice, finishing runner-up in a bumper on the first occasion. Her sire’s other progeny included The Kop End, so there is a Liverpool connection if you dig deep enough!

McManus has seven other entries in the race but Any Second Now has the right profile and I’d be surprised if he is aimed elsewhere. Ground-wise, he seems versatile and three of the past five winners have been eight-year-olds.

One For Arthur needs less of an introduction, having won the National in fine style three years ago.

He was unable to defend his crown 12 months later because of injury but he ran a fine race to be sixth last year after a far from ideal preparation. That effort should also be marked up, too, because he was held up well in rear for a long way, only to get within eight lengths of the leader two out and at the last before the effort of closing the gap in the second half of the contest told on him.

This term his return at Kelso was not devoid of promise, and neither was his staying-on fifth in the Becher Chase given that the exaggerated hold-up tactics deployed on him were again far from ideal.

Lucinda Russell’s flagbearer is entered at Kelso and Haydock this week, and either race should help add an edge. He’s still relatively lightly-raced over fences – just 16 runs under Rules – and he has slipped back to the mark he won off in 2017.

He seems likely to get a lovely racing weight and I just hope that, come the big day, regular rider Derek Fox tries to get a better position in the early stages.

My other two bets, at this stage, are going to be on two more 33-1 chances in Pleasant Company and Anibale Fly.

I’d imagine a few will immediately put a line through Pleasant Company’s name because, at 12, he is something of a veteran, but he has got very few miles on the clock – just 22 runs under Rules – and his trainer has a happy knack of keeping his older horses in prime condition, as illustrated by such as Faugheen and Un De Sceaux this season.

Pleasant Company ran a screamer in the Grand National two years ago when rallying to be beaten a head by Tiger Roll, when in receipt of 2lb, having run much better than the bare form suggests when ninth in 2017.

Last year, when getting 4lb from Tiger Roll, he was up with the leaders and still looked to have plenty to offer when parting company with Paul Townend four out.

Pleasant Company made little impact on his return over hurdles in December and I’m not expecting many fireworks when he runs in the Grand National Trial at Punchestown on Tuesday, either, even though rescheduling the race means that those who put up good performances will escape the attention of the assessor.

I’m sure his whole season has again been geared around one day in Merseyside, and he will head there fresher than most and much better off at the weights with Tiger Roll.

Anibale Fly has run three stinkers this year, each time in Grade One company, and there is a chance he has a physical issue or has simply gone at the game. However, there is also a possibility that Tony Martin is training him with one day in mind for the McManus camp and at the general 33-1 on offer I’m prepared to risk him.

He finished a fine fourth in the National two years ago (off a rating of 159), having been third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup the previous month. And last year he was fifth at Aintree (off 164) after beating all bar Al Boum Photo in the Gold Cup.

Not many horses placed in the Gold Cup two years in succession are not even entered for chasing’s blue riband the following year – but that is the case with Anibale Fly. If nothing else, he is not going to leave his race up the Cheltenham hill on this occasion.

I fancy the next time we see him will be at Aintree, perhaps with some form of headgear on. And keep your ears open for his wind or perhaps some other minor ailment being remedied in the interim.

The handicapper has dropped him in the ratings and he could be a stone or more better off with Tiger Roll. If anywhere near back to his best, he must be a player.

How To Bet £20 ante-post on the 2020 Randox Health Grand National:

Any Second Now £4 win and £1.50 each-way at a general 33-1

One For Arthur £3.50 win and £1.50 each-way at a general 33-1

Pleasant Company £2 each-way at a general 33-1

Anibale Fly £1.25 each-way at a general 33-1