Noble Yeats Heads Cast of 85 Grand National Entries
Almost one horse in four entered in the 2023 Grand National is trained by Gordon Elliott. The Irish trainer’s career took off when 33/1 shot Silver Birch won the race in 2007. He returned to the Aintree winner’s enclosure in 2018 when Tiger Roll won the first of his two Grand Nationals.
Noble Yeats (right) could shoot for a second National, while Any Second Now’s connections will be hoping it is a case of third time lucky. ©GettyImages
When entries for this year’s marathon contest closed on Tuesday, 85 horses were in the book. 21 of these nominations were made by Elliott, and nine of these contenders are owned by Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary. They race in the Gigginstown House Stud colors carried to Grand National victory by 2016 winner Rule The World and Tiger Roll.
Noble Yeats Is on a Roll
Last year’s National hero, Noble Yeats is amongst the entries and could attempt to emulate Tiger Roll and Red Rum in winning the race in back-to-back years. Aged seven, he was the youngest National winner in 82 years when scoring by two-and-a-quarter lengths last April.
A swansong ride for his enthusiastic amateur rider, Sam Waley-Cohen, the Irish-trained horse carried 10-stone 10-pound to victory. Before the allocated weights for all runners are announced – something that will be revealed on February 21st – horse racing betting sites have Noble Yeats quoted as the 10/1 Grand National favorite.
THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS!!! 🤩
When your horse wins the Grand National 😱
Watch Noble Yeats’ groom as he sees his horse make history! pic.twitter.com/Rk7wV6at4Y
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) April 9, 2022
Interestingly Noble Yeats is now rated 20 pounds higher than his Grand National winning mark of 147 and is the 7/1 second favorite in the Gold Cup betting. If Noble Yeats lines up in any race at the Cheltenham Festival, he will have four weeks to recuperate from his exertions.
Can Any Second Now Finish First?
Of the first six horses across the line in the 2022 National, five are entered again. Any Second Now, Delta Work, Fiddlerontheroof and Longhouse Poet all feature at the entry stage. Only fourth-placed Santini is missing.
Badly hampered in the 2021 Grand National, Any Second Now was considered unlucky to finish third in the race. Twelve months later, the JP McManus-owned horse started as the big-race favorite. Unable to concede 12 pounds to the eventual winner, he ran a mighty race to finish second.
Delta Work, like Elliott’s Grand National winners Silver Birch and Tiger Roll, has been mixing cross-country racing with steeple chasing. But unlike those two, he is guaranteed to be allocated a hefty weight in his quest for a first National success.
Can Wales Win Its First Grand National in over a Century?
Only two of the horses listed within the top 10 of the latest Grand National betting are trained in the UK. Lucinda Russell – who won the 2017 National with One For Arthur – has 2022 Cheltenham Festival winner Corach Rambler entered. The Scottish stabled horse is trading at 20/1.
The best horse racing betting sites have five horses trading at that price – making them joint third favorites – amongst those is Iwilldoit, trained in Wales by Sam Thomas. Raced just three times in almost three years, this ten-year-old has won four of his five career starts over fences.
Iwilldoit holds on strongly to secure the Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase in strong style for Stan Sheppard and Stan Thomas 👏👏@TheWigleyGroup pic.twitter.com/S4X7Inih2Q
— Warwick Racecourse (@WarwickRaces) January 14, 2023
Iwilldoit’s penultimate victory came in the 2021 Welsh National and that contest that has been a stepping-stone for Grand National winners Earth Summit, Bindaree and Silver Birch. Hugely impressive when successful in a big-field Warwick marathon in mid-January following a 383-day break, could this be the horse to give Wales its first Grand National success since 1905?
