IT IS of course the biggest racing Saturday in the whole year with the Grand National holding centre stage at Aintree. Now, it has been said before that the race is not what it used to be and there are positives and negatives to put out there.

Of course, public perception of the race is very important and big changes needed to be made, but changing the state of the fences has gone too far the wrong way, for me.

For those of you who don’t know, the fences are naturally rooted into the ground and in the old days they were enhanced by a further mix of spruce and bush which were tied solid to that base.

However, nowadays, that solid connection has gone and just a loose amount of spruce is added to the natural rooted wood. That means horses, by and large, can brush through the top of fences and take the loose additions with them resulting in the fences being even lower on the second circuit.

Lower fences mean the horses are able to run quicker and take the smaller obstacles at speed which for me is as big a danger, and worse than having bigger and stronger fences that horse and jockey would treat with a lot more respect and jump at a significantly slower speed.

However, those in charge have made their decision and there is very little chance of a change back to a bigger, bolder, and in my view, better jumping test.

The change in the shape of the race, along with a great wad of prize money, means that the classier staying chasers have been attracted to the race and that you simply do not need a solid jumper to be involved at the sharp end — let alone complete the course, which was always the ultimate challenge for man and horse.

Think about the winner two years ago, I Am Maximus, certainly not the most fluent of jumpers, and he has now completed two nationals finishing first and second and is back for more and who is to say he won’t reach at least the frame yet again.

The runner-up last year, Grangeclare West, nearly took the last fence by the roots, yet still got up to finish a closing second. His victory in the go too trial, the Bobbyjo Chase, is well worth watching again, because his jumping early on was as sticky as a creamy Devon toffee, and in the olden days he wouldn’t have negotiated the big open ditch which is third in line down the first rush of fences. Yet now he is bordering on favouritism for this year’s event despite being 3lbs higher in the weights.

The obvious ones, both at the top of the weights and those that ran well last year, you simply don’t want me to dissect as you know about them and can work out their strengths and weaknesses. They are the likes of Iroko, who probably needs plenty of rain to win this, Panic Attack, Gerri Colombe, and Welsh National winner Haiti Coleurs, who had a hard race in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

So my two against the field will be OSCARS BROTHER and big outsider HIGH CLASS HERO.

The former is one of the least exposed younger chasers in the field, and ran a lovely trial for this when coming from off the pace to finish a never nearer fourth in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

A sure-footed jumper for a novice, he now looks ready for this significant step up in distance and has a lovely racing weight of just 10-13 under the talented Daniel King.

High Class Hero needs a bit more explaining. A wonderful staying novice hurdler, he has often run below form when coming up against really testing ground, which includes his last two runs in the Thyestes Chase and the Leinster National at Naas.

But the key to his chance here is his running on third in last year’s Bet365 Gold Cup, when he fired home up the Esher hill, a race in which last year’s hero Nick Rockett was a strong finishing third in the previous year before going on the National victory here 12 months ago.

All he needs is for the ground to stay genuinely good, and he should readily outrun his current odds of around 80/1. Even to reach the frame would nab us a substantial win, so look around various bookmakers for the very different each-way terms they are likely to off.

Of the remainder, and of course there are plenty of them, former Scottish National winner Captain Cody would have solid each-way claims if staying on his feet, and he too would relish genuinely good ground, while it is worth having a word on Perceval Legallois. 

He was very well backed last year, and going comfortably in mid-division when he fell at the ninth. It seems that his season has been centred around a return to Aintree, and he could well be the plunge horse in the marketplace here late on with Harry Cobden; surely the perfect booking for this talented, but enigmatic charge.

While a possible dark horse is the Joseph O’Brien trained Jordans, who has been built up steadily for this event. 

The seven-year-old may well be coming here a year too early, but he jumps soundly and on a couple of occasions he has looked as though going beyond three miles would suit his style of racing as he can be switched off in midfield before gradually making his ground. 

His partner Ben Jones is riding at the very top of his form after a fabulous season in Britain.

GRAND NATIONAL VERDICT:-

1/   OSCARS BROTHER
2/   Jordans
3/   Captain Cody
4/   Iroko
5/   Perceval Legallois
 
Best Outsider — High Class Hero