Attention turns to Aintree

With the rain and wind of the Cheltenham Festival now a thing of the past, and the massive Gold Cup showdown settled in Denman’s favour as two million punters watched on Channel 4, national hunt racing fans will be looking to the forthcoming 2008 Grand National races.

With the second cut scheduled for Tuesday many of the leading contenders for participation in the 2008 Grand National race have been quiet of late, reluctant to allow a botched performance in a small rural racetrack affect their chances of running at Aintree racecourse in April.

Instead, a host of new entries for the other races at the 2008 Grand National meeting have flowed in as trainers have taken stock of their charges performances at the 2008 Cheltenham Festival. Amongst the successful runners who will look to turn success at Prestbury Park into more of the same at Aintree are Donald McCain’s surprise David Nicholson Mares Hurdle winner, Whiteoak, and World Hurdle winner Inglis Drever.

Plans are also afoot to have Denman run in the 2009 Grand National race, as owner Harry Findlay believes his powerful Gold Cup champion is more than capable of carrying weight. Trainer Paul Nicholls remains skeptical but could easily be swayed by the prospect of a first Grand National title.

We recommend William Hill for the best horse race betting experience.