The Off The Fence team look at the Irish Grand National and share their main bets for the big race.
Host Vanessa Ryle is joined by regular guest Barry Geraghty and Tony Keenan as they look for some each-way value this bank holiday Monday.
Geraghty and Keenan share an opinion as they both side with Good Time Jonny and Any Second Now.
Geraghty said: “Good Time Jonny won the Pertemps last year off a mark of 142 but he’s now rated 132 over fences. After the Dublin Racing Festival, I flagged him up as a tracker horse as he was fifth.
“His jumping was average to begin with and he’s developed a technique, but he does need to improve a lot on his last run. He has a tendency if you look at his form leading up to the Pertemps of having average form up to the winter and finding his good form in the spring for the big races. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go a similar route this year.
“He’d be one of interest and the other one who has taken a big drop is Any Second Now – he’s down 20lb since when he won the Webster cup in Navan at this time last year.
“He has good National form in England and disappointed in this race last year. He has struggled in the winter but with that 20lb drop… he is a 12-year-old but in what looks an open race, he could go well.”
Keenan has a shortlist of four for this 30-runner contest, including the two also identified by Geraghty, and he said: “The second horse on my shortlist is Willie Mullins’ We’llhavewan, he didn’t really get the Grand National Trial. I’ll give him another chance to get home here.
“He over-raced there, and they rode him quiet forward, I think they’ll change tactics here as that’s the type of thing that Mullins figures out.
“I think they’re going to cover him up and maybe ride him a bit later than they did. Maybe it is a stamina thing. He’s certainly well handicapped.”
He added: “The next in my list is Favori De Champdou, I think he’s a right-handed horse, his record right-handed is excellent.
“He was dominant winner of the Florida Pearl at Punchestown back in November and his jumping is good that way round. He wouldn’t be the first Gigginstown horse to bounce back in this race.”
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