notnowcato

Good lord... you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink

In the last 50 runnings, taking into account the void race of 1993: - There has been no winner aged 7 or under - 34 out of 50 have been aged 8 to 10 - 7 aged 11 - Red Marauder won in bottomless ground in 2001 - 9 aged 12 - 2 of these were the magnificent Red Rum and impressive L'Escargot - No winner aged 13 or above - 41 out of the 50 winners carried 11 stone or less, again the mighty Red Rum bucked the trend twice and L'Escargot carried 11-3 to victory in 1975.

A few statistical pointers... As a rule: - winners are aged between 8 and 10 years of age - are in the handicap proper - carry less than 11 stone - have won any NH race, be it over the sticks or fences, distance less than 2m 5f - have won a class 3 hcap or better over 3m Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer SP 1999 Bobbyjo 9 10-00 Paul Carberry Tommy Carberry 10/1 2000 Papillon 9 10-12 Ruby Walsh Ted Walsh 10/1 2001 Red Marauder 11 10-11 Richard Guest Norman Mason 33/1 2002 Bindaree 8 10-04 Jim Culloty Nigel Twiston-Davies 20/1 2003 Monty's Pass 10 10-07 Barry Geraghty Jimmy Mangan 16/1 2004 Amberleigh House12 10-10 Graham Lee Ginger McCain 16/1 2005 Hedgehunter 9 11-01 Ruby Walsh Willie Mullins 7/1 F 2006 Numbersixvalverde10 10-08 Niall Madden Martin Brassil 11/1 2007 Silver Birch 10 10-06 Robbie Power Gordon Elliott 33/1 2008 Comply or Die 9 10-09 Timmy Murphy David Pipe 7/1JF

Two and a half weeks until the big day. I bloody love this race and now that Cheltenham is done and dusted for a year it's time to check the decs. Today was the final forfeit stage, big weights like Exotic Dancer and Star de Mohaison have been pulled. Madison De Berlais is still in but is huge on Betfair which suggests he is unlikely to run, therefore we should see a 7lb hike in the weights. If this is the case most of the runners for the Grand National will be in the handicap proper. A long range forecast on metcheck for Liverpool shows very little rain expected... so, taking this all into consideration where are the big priced e/w bets to be had??? I've had 3 cheeky each way bets on: Offshore Account 50/1 Brooklyn Brownie 66/1 Not guaranteed to run but every chance they will. Good luck to all.

You'll get your money back on Denman next year. The Queen's horse could be very interesting too. The race to be at for the next festival will be the Champion Hurdle... and the winner hasn't stepped hoof on these shores yet.

Jagermeister, in abundance, ice cold, do not mix with any other beverage.

Todays selections: Zaynar ****ney Trucker Pride of Dulcote Barbers Shop e/w Royal Auclair Best of luck to all getting involved today.

My banker has sunk... can't really grumble though. Come on Notable!

Get in Imperial!! Voy por doesn't jump Cheltenham.

A decent start indeed... ahh the winning feeling is back.

The balance was redressed yesterday. Today's selections: Chapoturgeon Scriptwriter Imperial Commander Kasbah Bliss Notable D'Estruval Best of luck to all

Some nice picks there. Nintieth Minute battled home nicely and great training performance to get Well Chief back.

Chances are that I wont get close to repeating yesterdays form but the Cato wedge is on: Cant Buy Time, Diamond Harry, Gone To Lunch, Briareus e/w, The Polomouche, Higgys Bay and Rite of Passage Good luck to all

Cheers. Days like yesterday are a rarity indeed so should be enjoyed, paying for it now.

All the way Ruby!!!

Get in Nina!!

Time to book the holiday!!! Ole ole ole!!

GET IN!!! Great ride by AP.

GET IN!! Oi oi Paddy!!

live streaming at... http://www.justin.tv/jungledragon1

Red Moloney, Forpadydeplasterer, Wicheta Lineman, Punjabi, Garde Champetre and Quevega all carry the weight of my expectation today. Good luck to all.

Plenty to do in Cape Town, 2 to 3 days is nowhere near enough time. - Robben Island - Cape Point - Green Market - Table mountain - Gordons Bay - Stellenbosch - the Waterfront I stayed outside Cape Town in Somerset West, we hired a cottage. Was lucky enough to know some locals - the parties were something else. Go, you'll love it.

Cheltenham in spring and Goodwood in the summer... it doesn't get any better. Hard to say how Denman is this year, he was awesome last year. Kasbah Bliss in the World Hurdle is my banker.

I love this time of year... spring is in the air, the sap is rising and the best horse racing is almost upon us. Has anyone had any cheeky antepost bets on? What are your bankers for the meeting? I've had a little interest today, e/w on Punjabi in the Champion Hurdle with Laddies. Binocular looks a machine.

If the market is anything to go by then expect Rafa Benitez to parting company with liverpool in the not too distant future