2008 Grand National Runners

Handicaps for the Grand National are established in late February, and the odds quoted below are subject to change. For all your Grand National odds visit William Hill.

Simon

Trained and owned by the wife of the late, great Fred Rimell, this 8 year old put in a good performance at the 2007 Grand National at Aintree before falling at the 25th fence. Simon tends to do well on a soft turf, and won the Racing Post Chase in 2007. Jockey Andrew Thornton seems to be able to get the best out of Simon and has ridden him in 3 of his 5 wins. With 13 starts and 8 top three finishes, Simon is a good bet at 33/1 odds.

Silver BirchLiverpool, UNITED KINGDOM: Grand National winner Silver Birch ridden by jockey Robbie Power clears the last fence during the Grand National Steeplechase at the Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, north-west England , 14 April 2007. More than 70,000 fans watched Irish horse Silver Birch, ridden by Robbie Power, romp home to victory. AFP PHOTO/ANDREW YATES (Photo credit should read ANDREW YATES/AFP/Getty Images)

Silver Birch looks to be a Grand National legend in the making. The Irish born bay was a 33/1 outsider at the 2007 Grand National, but managed to pull ahead of an excellent field and hand Gordon Elliot a Grand National title at his first attempt. Silver Birch has big race pedigree, also having won the Welsh National in 2004. Will he be the first Grand National runner since Red Rum to make it two Grand Nationals in a row? With 5 wins from 14 starts, he’s been given 25/1 odds.

Butlers Cabin

One of the early favourites to take the 2008 Grand National at Aintree. Butlers Cabin comes highly rated after winning the 2007 Irish National. The French born Butlers Cabin boasts an excellent record in his short National Hunt career, taking 5 wins from 9 starts. Questions about his stamina over longer courses were answered by a win over 4 miles at the 2007 Cheltenham Festival. Bookies favour Butlers Cabin at 20/1 odds and trainer Jonjo O’Neill agrees – tipping his horse to win the 2008 Grand National.

McKelvey

Irish-born McKelvey had an unlucky Grand National in 2007. The horse was doing well on the firm Aintree turf when he pulled a tendon close to the end of the race and finished the race within a length of winner Silver Birch. If McKelvey recovers from his injury in time for the big race he has all the qualities needed to win the Grand National, including excellent stamina. This 2008 Grand National runner has a race record of 6 wins from 20 races and early odds were a respectable 25-1.

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