***The Crabbie's Grand National Steeple Chase > Saturday April 11th @ 4:15pm***

[Aidymac]

:ok

[ExpectTheUnexpected]

Re: ***The Crabbie's Grand National Steeple Chase > Saturday April 11th @ 4:15pm*** A rather quiet thread given how close we are, bit of a shame really :( As we all know, it's the day the nation goes racing, and is Tony McCoy's last tilt before the silver bullet finally catches him and puts his career to bed. As such, Shutthefrontdoor is favourite and I reckon will continue to shorten all week, barring some cringeworthy bookie promos. However, not to be horrible, horse racing's never really been a game for too much sentiment. And as such, being my cold, crass and calculating self, i'm opposing him. Granted, neither of my selections is exactly inspiring, but Balthazar King and Rocky Creek have to rank as chief contenders. At 10/1 the pair with WH BOG NRMB(Better elsewhere now), i've taken them on. Balthazar King's target all year has been this one, and to side-step his much loved Cross-Country at Cheltenham is a major signal of intent from connections that their boy has a chance here. Ran well last year albeit perhaps just too prominently, though i'm seldom a fan of hold-up horses in this type of race - even with safety changes, there's still more possibility of being hampered or brought down in the pack. We all know he stays, and last year's winner has been fairly shocking this season. A good fresh horse that crucially "gets" Aintree could be the magic ticket. Next up is the increasingly yearly contender Rocky Creek, given a rest for a tilt at the big prize. Has ran well in the race before, and looks an improved sort this year. General consensus is that he's well in, and now a 9 year old, fits the trends for those inclined to use them. Nice profile, and I'd be expecting a big run. To the outsiders, one that I think has a major chance if getting in on the weights(looking unlikely), is Midlands winner Goonyella, who looked very impressive and would be carrying a feather-weight round the course. The talk from connections appears to be that if not getting in, he'll be directed to the Scottish, which may suit him well. Stays for days, and should the British summer turn sour in the next couple of days, he could be a very lively contender and a much shorter price.