Video Form Guide to Randox Health Grand National

Coral Scottish Grand National Handicap Chase (Ayr, Apr 16 2016)

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1st Vicente
PU Highland Lodge
PU Cause Of Causes

Analysis: Paul Nicholls aimed Vicente towards last year's Scottish National right from the start of his novice campaign and, after a pleasing fifth behind Minella Rocco and Native River in the four-miler at Cheltenham, he delivered in good style here. Despite fiddling his way over a few fences early on, Sam Twiston-Davies got him into a nice rhythm close to the pace and his stamina really came to the fore up the long home straight. He won ears pricked in the end and gets to run at Aintree from just a 1lb higher handicap mark having failed to trouble the judge in four starts this season. Vicente has been bought by Trevor Hemmings - owner of Hedgehunter, Ballabriggs and Many Clouds - in the run up to the race and conditions should be ideal with a dry week forecast in Liverpool. Highland Lodge has developed into an Aintree specialist and did not enjoy this first visit to Ayr, while for Cause Of Causes it appeared to be a case of 'after the Lord Mayor's show' having absolutely dotted up by 12 lengths in the Kim Muir at Cheltenham four weeks previously.

Boylesports Irish Grand National Chase (Fairyhouse, Mar 23 2016)

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1st Rogue Angel

Analysis: Gigginstown House dominated the field for the Irish National, numerically at least, and it was the blue cap of Rogue Angel who was given a bold sight of the fences. The son of Presenting jumped with aplomb up front under Ger Fox and appeared to relish the heat of the battle when tackled by Bless The Wings at the last. The runner-up edged in front but Rogue Angel toughed it out on the far rail and was finding plenty more for pressure as they went past the line. He has all the attributes to win a gruelling Grand National but whether or not he has the ability to stay with the classier types on decent ground has to be called into question.  

Betfred Becher Handicap Chase (Aintree, Dec 3 2016)

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1st Vieux Lion Rouge
2nd Highland Lodge
3rd The Last Samuri
4th Ucello Conti
5th One For Arthur
10th Rogue Angel
FELL The Young Master

Analysis: Not just a strong trial from a numbers perspective, but strong form all round with five separate subsequent winners to have emerged from this season's Becher. Vieux Lion Rouge, a weakening seventh in the big one last spring, has returned a much stronger animal this season and took full advantage of a slight ease in the weights to score. He did so by the skin of his teeth, benefiting from Highland Lodge drifting off the rail close home and allowing Tom Scudamore up the inside for a short-head verdict. His jumping was excellent in last year's National and he barely put a foot wrong here either, cutting around the inside at Canal Turn like an old hand. Highland Lodge did everything right bar the final few strides. This was much more like it after disappointing at Ayr on his final start last season and he has to go down a slightly unlucky loser. Having been in front for so long, he just started to doss after The Elbow and allowed the winner to nail him, but he wasn't out on his feet and another mile in Saturday's race shouldn't pose many problems. Some eyecatching performances in behind, none more so than The Last Samuri, last year's National second who probably produced a career best here off a 10lb higher mark. A safer conveyance cannot be found in the National field, but he's now been left with top weight and one suspects 2016 was his biggest chance for glory. Ucello Conti remains a bit of a frustrating horse to follow and once again put up a very promising performance without ever quite looking like he'd take top spot. Sixth in last year's National, he's held his form well since the Becher and a similar outcome would come as no surprise. One For Arthur made a lovely debut over the big fences and has since won impressively at Warwick, while Rogue Angel ran well for a long way but looked a little short of fitness here despite having his third outing of the season. The Young Master was well beaten when departing two out and it's hard to take too many positives from his first sight at the famous birch. 

Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase (Thurles, Jan 26 2017)

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2nd Ucello Conti
4th Pleasant Company
5th Rogue Angel

Analysis: Another excellent effort in defeat from Ucello Conti and no disgrace whatsoever in finishing second to a horse who went on to contest the Cheltenham Gold Cup (albeit well beaten). Gordon Elliott's charge has yet to win a race since moving from France but has clearly been building up towards a return to Aintree since his sixth last April and he's bound to prove an extremely popular each-way selection as firms offer six and seven places. Remarkably for a horse trained by Willie Mullins and set to be ridden by Ruby Walsh, Pleasant Company heads to Aintree slightly under the radar. Formerly with David Pipe, he's only really failed to run his race once in nine starts for Mullins and it was encouraging to see him doing his best work after the last fence. He's since landed the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse and looks a potential gamble on the day. Rogue Angel showed up for the first time this season with an encouraging effort in fifth. He was unable to match the classy Champagne West in front but didn't sulk for being taken on and stuck to his task despite losing a place late on. He was filling the same spot in the Thyestes as stablemate Rule The World last year, before he went on to Aintree victory. 

Betfred Grand National Trial Handicap Chase (Haydock, Feb 18 2017)

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1st Vieux Lion Rouge
2nd Blaklion
9th Vicente

Analysis: Again hugging the inside rail just about all the way around, Vieux Lion Rouge dealt with a generous-looking 4lb rise for his Becher win with an even more taking success. He looked to be running out of petrol coming to the last but responded well to a couple of flicks of the whip to get rolling again on the run-in. He still has something to prove over four and a quarter miles but the ground was soft for last year's National and he's clearly a far more mature horse this time around. The handicapper hasn't gone mad with another small hike (3lb this time) and victory back at Aintree would complete a pretty remarkable hat-trick for the campaign. Blaklion remains a potential blot on the handicap having only run five times since winning the RSA Chase in 2016. He's run three solid races in defeat since being sent down the handicap route and this was right up there with his Cheltenham best. He's an economical jumper and while taking a chance on a horse who has yet to be seen tackling the Aintree fences in public can be a big risk, one suspects he could seriously take to the place. Connections moved early to book Noel Fehily, who can be relied upon to get the best out of any horse, and he can reverse the placings with Vieux Lion Rouge on 3lb better terms. This was Vicente's second run at Haydock and the second time he's flopped. He proved easy to back and wouldn't have enjoyed the cut in the ground. 

BetBright Grimthorpe Handicap Chase (Doncaster, Mar 4 2017)

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1st Definitly Red
2nd The Last Samuri

Analysis: It's impossible not to draw comparisons between Definitly Red and last year's Grimthorpe winner The Last Samuri, who bolted up at Doncaster before going on to finish second in the National as an eight-year-old. Brian Ellison's charge has improved a great deal for a test of stamina this season and added this race to his Rowland Meyrick victory at Wetherby on Boxing Day. He's officially the best handicapped horse in this year's National as he can race off exactly the same mark as at Doncaster, while he handles all types of ground. The only real question marks are over his stamina for four miles-plus, while he did fall at last year's Cheltenham Festival so has failed to complete in two of his last six chase starts. The Last Samuri probably ran to a similar level as when winning last year's Grimthorpe by 10 lengths, but simply found the winner too well treated. Theoretically that should be the case again this weekend but returning to Aintree is a massive plus for The Last Samuri, who we know gets the trip extremely well too.

Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup (Cheltenham, Mar 17 2017)

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5th Saphir Du Rheu
6th More Of That 

Analysis: Two more horses officially well-in going into Aintree are the Gold Cup fifth and sixth. Saphir Du Rheu jumped beautifully throughout and certainly didn't look out of place back at the top table following a confidence-boosting, wide-margin win at Kelso the previous month. He's gone well in several big handicaps in the past but hasn't always found as much as expected off the bridle. More Of That's Stayers' Hurdle win over Annie Power a couple of years ago is as strong a piece of form as you're likely to find in the National field but he's had issues physically since a bruising RSA Chase last March. This was more like his youth as he stuck at it despite being under the pump near the back of the field at the bottom of the Cheltenham hill. There remains a serious doubt over his resolution for a scrap but in terms of pure class he's right up there and if anyone can work the magic with such a horse then it's his trainer Jonjo O'Neill. It would be no surprise to see the money pour in for JP McManus' apparent first-string on the morning of the race.

CONCLUSION

Vieux Lion Rouge has won two of the key trials this season and arrives on a steep upward curve but there's a chance BLAKLION can exact his revenge having chased home David Pipe's runner at Haydock. The 2016 RSA Chase hero has always been an out-and-out stayer and his form in handicaps this season is very encouraging. While Vieux Lion Rouge has shown his hand, Blaklion looks to be coming to the boil perfectly for Aintree and he's just the small, neat-jumping type to take well to the unique test. Rogue Angel is following a similar path to last year's winner and if there's rain around Mouse Morris's runner looks one to have on side given his penchant for a fight, while a warm week would bring last season's Scottish National hero Vicente firmly into the picture as he's on a dangerous mark and looks to have been finely tuned for this all year.