I will leave you with Chris Cook’s race report from Aintree. That’s all from me, thanks for reading.
Jockey Derek Fox joins Lucinda Russell on the podium and it’s celebration time for only the second Scottish success in the race’s history.
The presentation is under way. “Expect Arthur to be the most popular name in Liverpool for years to come,” bellows our announcer.
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One For Arthur’s trainer, Lucinda Russell: “I’m just so delighted, what a day. We’ve got a fantastic team behind us, this is for them. [One For Arthur] is amazing, he’s just kept improving and we just kept thinking, barring accidents, he will win the National and he just has!”
Here’s our initial race report...
Updated
Some good news – all 40 horses are back safely.
Here’s the race climax for you to enjoy:
ONE FOR ARTHUR - the first #GrandNational winner for Scotland since Rubstic in 1979! https://t.co/mHr6d3vDaI
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 8, 2017
Winning jockey Derek Fox, decked out in his Scottish colours, walks back to the paddock punching the air.
Updated
Result
- One For Arthur
- Cause Of Causes
- Saint Are
- Blaklion
- Gas Line Boy
Updated
One For Arthur wins the 2017 Grand National!
One For Arthur takes the final fence in front and powers home to win the National from Cause of Causes!
Updated
Blaklion is out in front coming into the finish by around three lengths from Cause of Causes and One For Arthur...
Updated
Rogue Angel has lead virtually from start to finish and continues to Valentine’s Brook in front, with Roi Des Francs and Blaklion – Pleasant Company makes a mistake and slips down the field.
Updated
Roi Des Francs powers to the front with Rogue Angel close by on the inside, 20 fences down. Gas Line Boy is near with Perfect Candidate, Goodtoknow, Double Shuffle and Highland Lodge all in the mix.
Rogue Angel leads at The Chair, the 15th. Pleasant Company and Perfect Candidate are well-placed in the main pack but Stellar Notion has slipped to the back of the field, and Measureofmydreams falls.
Updated
Rogue Angel leads at the 12th fence on the inside, over Roi Des Francs and Blaklion. Double Shuffle is still in touch but Saphir Du Rheu has fallen.
Updated
The Young Master falls at Beacher’s Brook, as does The Last Samuri...
Vicente falls at the first, while Stellar Notion moves close to the front with Highland Lodge and Double Shuffle on the outside.
Updated
And they're away!
They move the start away from the main stand to calm things down a little, and this time they do get away.
And they're away...
...Wait, no they’re not. We are going back for a standing start.
It’s tight, but Definitly Red might not start as the favourite...
There hasn't been a sustained gamble on any particular horse - Blaklion could start favourite, but far from certain - it's wide open!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 8, 2017
The horses are on their way out, one after another in the sunshine at Aintree in front of a packed grandstand. There are 40 runners with four miles, 514 yards and 30 jumps to negotiate.
Laura Wright is belting out the national anthem. It’s nearly race time.
This from our man on the ground:
Interesting piece of tactics I’ve just witnessed, with Gordon Elliott making sure his three (Cause Of Causes, Ucello Conti and Roi Des Francs) were last out of the pre-parade ring. As one of them reached the chap minding the exit down to the paddock, the chap said: “Come on, got to go now!” To which the lass replied: “No sir, the boss says we’ve got to take another turn.” The trio followed each other round to the far side of the ring, where Elliott ushered them into the saddling boxes for a quiet stand, even though they were already saddled. When Regal Encore became the last of the other 37 runners to go down to the paddock, Elliott allowed his three to follow him down. I guess it’s a way of keeping them cooler and quieter. The atmosphere in the paddock is a lot more populous and tense than uphill on the pre-parade behing the weighing room.
Around 10 minutes to go and the runners are filing into the paddock. Still to put on a bet? Let me point you in the direction of Chris Cook’s horse-by-horse guide.
And another thing: what has Conor come as? Do let me know, if you think you know.
There are plenty of star names at Aintree today, of course, including UFC champ Conor McGregor – who looks thoroughly peeved for reasons unknown. No word on what has happened to this photographer:
Here’s Willie Mullins talking alongside Pleasant Company, who is hiding in the shade right now: “He’s in good shape and I think all this heat and sunshine is going to suit him. This fella has the profile to go well to hopefully win a National, if not this year then another year.”
Not long to wait.
Just half an hour to go!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 8, 2017
Someone's going to get their hands on this new trophy...#GrandNational pic.twitter.com/FCOrneWzut
I pulled Definitly Red from a dramatic Guardian Towers sweepstake draw yesterday, which may affect the tone of this live blog.
The favourite for the Grand National is Definitly Red – at 12-1 – ridden by Danny Cook. Here is Greg Wood’s enjoyable chat with the jockey who has taken an unusual and sometimes turbulent journey to be where he is today.
Thanks to Tony Paley for taking us through the early action. He is off to do something far more important which leaves you with me and my refined racing nous.
Enjoy the National at 5.15pm. I’m handing over to Lawrence Ostlere ...
4.20pm Ryanair Stayers Liverpool Hurdle result
1 Yanworth (B J Geraghty) 9-4 Fav
2 Supasundae (R M Power) 5-1
3 Snow Falcon (S W Flanagan) 9-1
11 ran
Also: 20-1 Taquin Du Seuil 4th
Non Runner: 10
Updated
Yanworth all out to win with Supasundae a length behind in second ...
Yanworth and Snow Falcon with Supasundae challenging ...
Three Musketeers leads but Yanworth closes up ...
Yanworth making progress to just behind the leaders ...
Ballyoptic and Three Musketeers take the lead ...
Cole Harden now joined by Ballyoptic ...
Cole Harden about a length up as they go out for the last time ...
Different Gravey is tailed off ...
Cole Harden kicks clear with good leaps as they pass the post again ...
Yanworth, the favourite, a bit stuttery over one of the flights ...
Puffin Billy takes up the running on the far side, with Ballyoptic also prominent ...
Cole Harden leads early ... pass the post ... with two circuits to go ...
And they’re off ...
Heating up at Aintree ...
temperature has reached 19C @AintreeRaces - warmest since 2011 @itvracing 😎🏇
— Lucy Verasamy (@LucyWeather) April 8, 2017
Aintree Race Five: 4.20pm Ryanair Stayers Liverpool Hurdle coming up soon ...
Colin Tizzard is enjoying his day, thanks to that second success with Sizing Codelco (and all the more so for not having the pressure of a National runner). His first reaction was to marvel at the skills of Robbie Power, who has come into his life as the retained rider of the owner Alan Potts. “This jockey,” Tizzard said, shaking his head in the winner’s enclosure. “He’s doing things around here that I haven’t seen for a long time.”
Power has won on all four rides at Aintree this week. He’ll be on Regal Encore in the National for JP McManus ... unless Potts steps in to buy something else in the next hour.
Aintree 3.40 result
1 Sizing Codelco (R M Power) 10-1
2 Rightdownthemiddle (J W Kennedy) 16-1
3 Starchitect (T Scudamore) 5-1
4 Potters Legend (L P Aspell) 9-2 Fav
16 ran
Non Runners: 6,1
Updated
I’ve just been having a chat with Anthony Bromley, bloodstock agent extraordinaire, who has eight running for him in the National, inasmuch as he bought them for various clients over the years. “But some of them were a few years ago,” he conceded. In the nature of these things, the recent purchases matter more and the most recent in which he has been involved were Vicente and Highland Lodge, which both changed hands in recent weeks. I got the impression that there is rather more hope about Vicente now than there was after he ran so poorly at Haydock last time. The weather and the ground are coming right for him.
Updated
Sizing Cadelco runs out a smooth winner ...
Sizing Cadelco hits the third-last and Rightdownthemiddle makes a challenge ... but Sizing Cadelco kicks further clear ...
Sizing Cadelco still going strongly ...
Starchitect jumps upsides the leader ...
Sizing Cadelco now regains the lead as the others start to weaken ...
A circuit to go ... with I Just Know just edging into the lead ...
I Just Know upsides going down the straight ... Smooth Stepper at the rear ...
Emerging Force now takes up the running ...
Sizing Cadelco in a narrow lead ... Knock House and Our Kaempfer have made mistakes ...
I Just Know and Sizing Cadelco are prominent too ...
Emerging Force and Lamb Or Cod the early leaders as all the horses get over the first two fences ...
And they’re off ...
Aintree Race Four: 3.40pm ... Betway Handicap Chase coming up soon ...
San Benedeto gave Paul Nicholls his first winner of Aintree week in a dramatic renewal of the Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase. With short-priced favourite Charbel beaten turning for home after making costly errors over the final two fences in the back straight, the Grade One prize looked to be heading the way of the eventual winner’s stablemate Politologue who jumped the last with a slender advantage.
That picture was to change quickly, though, as the Grade Two-winning grey crumpled on landing a few strides after the fence, sending Sam Twiston-Davies crashing into the turf. Although that handed the initiative to Forest Bihan, the Brian Ellison-trained runner started to run on empty close to the line and with one last lunge San Benedeto (4-1) - who claimed his first win over fences at Sedgefield last May and was in winning action at Ascot last weekend - got up to take the two-mile contest by a head.
Scholfield said: “Credit to the horse, he really put his head down. He deserves it, he’s been on the go for a long time. He only won last Sunday so he’s not had long to recover so fair play to the horse.”
Nicholls said: “It’s obviously nice to win, it’s nice to have a first reserve! He’s an amazing horse, he won on Sunday and sometimes fortune favours the brave.
“How unlucky was Politologue though? He winged the last to go and win his race and I don’t know, but it looked like he stumbled.
“John [Hales] is disappointed but at least it’s confirmed what Sam and I think, that he is probably a two-miler. He gallops and jumps and that will probably be his job next year.
“It’s nice to have a Grade One winner and a winner here. It’s good of Paul [Vogt, owner] to let me run him too as he only ran on Sunday and I had to persuade him that he was really well and I thought he would run OK.” PA
Updated
This was the bizarre moment when Politologue stumbled two strides after the last in the Maghull Chase when leading after the last ...
Politologue falls at the final fence, setting up a photo finish with San Benedeto just beating Forest Bihan https://t.co/FJf3JlmWMf
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 8, 2017
Aintree 3.00 result
1 San Benedeto (Nick Scholfield) 4-1
2 Forest Bihan (B Hughes) 6-1
3 Charbel (D Bass) 6-5 Fav
5 ran
The Paul Nicholls-trained Politologue jumped over the last but crumpled on landing and it was the other Nicholls runner, San Benedeto, who then got up late to catch Forest Bihan near the line...
Updated
Politologue with San Benedeto and Forest Bihan... Politologue falls at the last and San Benedeto gets up late in a thriller to collar Forest Bihan
Politologue and Forest Bihan leading up to two from home ...
Politologue leading , with Forest Bihan up close ... Charbel well beaten
Got in too close to the next fence and Politologue takes over ...
Charbel not as far in the lead in the back straight...
Politologue is in second spot with Charbel out in front after four fences...
Charbel is a clear leader in the early stages ...
And they’re off ...
Aintree Race Three: 3pm ... Doom Bar Maghull Novice Chase coming up soon ...
Talking of betting, Oddschecker have sent out details on who has been popular and who has not. Here are all the details:
The Gordon Elliott-trained Ucello Conti may have drifted to 25-1 this morning, but that’s not stopped Oddschecker punters lapping up the extra value. The nine-year-old has been the popular pick for punters on the morning of the National, he’s accounted for 5.8% of all bets placed on the race.
The Last Samuri attracted plenty of bets yesterday, and today is no different. Kim Bailey has expressed on numerous occasions his nine-year-old is well worth backing in the big race today. The Last Samuri was as short as 14-1 yesterday with some bookies, however he’s now drifted to 22-1. Despite the drift, he’s been the second most popular bet this morning, accounting for 4.8% of bets.
Sam Twiston-Davies has found himself taking the ride on Saphir Du Rheu in this year’s Grand National. The Paul Nicholls-trained horse is as big as 25-1 with a couple of bookies. The dry ground will suit Saphir Du Rheu, which might be why it’s been so popular with bettors, 4.7% of bets placed on the race have been on Saphir.
Bookies will be hoping either La Vaticane, Goodtoknow or Ballynagour can claim the spoils today. The big prices for these three outsiders will mean a few lucky punters will be over the moon if one manages to win, but the big winner will be with the bookmakers, as all three have claimed under 1% of bets.
Updated
Don’t forget that advice to back your horses early (and take a price) ... as Matt Chapman on ITV explains ...
Matt Chapman is advising punters to get their #GrandNational bets on as early as possible, before the bookies start shortening the prices pic.twitter.com/ysngZckd78
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 8, 2017
Finian’s Oscar in the ‘cooling down’ area ...
Finian’s Oscar cools down after winning G1 Mersey Novice Hurdle. Magnificent horse, goes chasing next season. pic.twitter.com/OKSBBzqKfM
— Greg Wood (@Greg_Wood_) April 8, 2017
“Just a bit stiff and sore,” is how Daryl Jacob describes the injuries he received here yesterday when he was an early faller in the Topham. Jacob passed the doctor this morning, rode the third in that second race just now and will partner Ucello Conti in the National, which he is trying to win for the second time after his Neptune Collonges glory.
Some quotes on the ground from jockeys in the first:
“It’s drying like mad and will probably for the rest of the day, but it’s good ground.” - Mr JJ O’Neill, who rode Holywell.
“It’s very safe ground, drying up all the time, but I’d say it’s pretty good ground at the moment.” Paddy Brennan.
“I thought it was a touch on the dead side.” Richie McLernon.
Power on fire
Unbelievably, Robbie Power has won three Grade Ones at Aintree this week from just three rides. Finian’s Oscar follows Pingshou and Fox Norton into the winner’s enclosure with Power aboard each of them. Power’s remaining rides today are: 3.40 Sizing Codelco 4.20 Supasundae 5.15 Regal Encore (the Grand National)
Updated
Aintree 2.25 result
1 Finian’s Oscar (R M Power) 3-1 Fav
2 Captain Forez (Harry Skelton) 14-1
3 Messire Des Obeaux (D A Jacob) 7-2
13 ran
Finian’s Oscar goes clear after the last to win from Captain Forez with Messire Des Obeaux back in third...
Messire challenged by Finian’s Oscar who takes it up ...
Messire goes well and has a lead ...
Messire has his nose in front on the home turn ...
Bel Ami has now overtaken with Messire getting close ...
Messire Des Obeaux has moved into third ...
Le Breuil has moved into second spot ...
Lough Derg Spirit from Bel Ami De Sivola at a steady pace as they pass the post for the first time ... one circuit to go ...
Lough Derg Spirit has taken up the running ...
Bel Ami De Sivola in a narrow lead ... and all the runners are over the first two hurdles ...
And they’re off ...
Aintree Race Two: 2.25pm ... Betway Mersey Novice Hurdle coming up soon ...
ITV went traditional with the old BBC theme from ‘Champions’, the 1984 film based on the exploits of Bob Champion and Aldaniti in 1981 ...
Watch our opener on @RandoxHealth #GrandNational day, set to some familiar music, and stay tuned on @ITV to 5.15pm https://t.co/vBRmcH1j31
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 8, 2017
More from the track on the superb ride by David Noonan in the first ...
21-year-old Dave Noonan delivered the ride of a much more experienced jockey to pinch the first race on Fountains Windfall. Later, he’ll have his first Grand National ride on Ballynagour. He said just now that he’d prepared for the big race by walking the course with dual National winner Carl Llewellyn, whose main piece of advice was: “Ride sensibly and don’t make the fences any bigger than they are,” meaning, as I understand it, don’t ask your mount to take off on a long stride. Noonan evidently put the advice to good use yesterday on his first spin over the famous green fences, aboard the 100-1 shot Father Edward, who was only ninth in the Topham but can still be said to have run better than his odds suggested.
Updated
Our correspondent at the track confirms the suggestion earlier...
In view of the warm weather, Aintree has announced that the first four horses home in the Grand National WILL be dismounted on the racecourse and washed down in the cooling area. Only then will they proceed to the winner’s enclosure. The executive have clearly decided to make the safety-first decision now, rather than waiting to assess the particular horses in the seconds after they cross the line. So don’t be alarmed when you don’t see a horse in the winner’s enclosure with the successful connections a bit later.
Updated
Aintree 1.45 result
1 Fountains Windfall (David Noonan) 11-1
2 No Comment (B J Geraghty) 5-1
3 Dadsintrouble (Alan Johns) 16-1
4 No Hassle Hoff (Harry Skelton) 4-1 Fav
22 ran
Congratulations to the up-and-coming rider David Noonan, who had a willing mount, on a perfect ride. The horse, who went off at 11-1, clearly had plenty in hand. And Noonan has his first ride in the National later on Ballynagour for David Pipe.
Updated
Fountains Windfall gets over the last and this has been a one-horse race ...
Turning into the home straight and no one is anywhere near Fountains ...
Fountains leads from Ron’s Dream and is well clear ...
Fountains Windfall goes four lengths clear ... Holywell pulled up ...
One circuit to go ... Fountains leads from Ron’s Dream ... back marker Joe Farrell looks in trouble and Holywell still a long way back ...
All still going after the fourth hurdle and Fountains Windfall is still leading and Holywell (who has been very disappointing to say the least) is already getting “reminders” (he’s feeling the crack of the jockey’s whip) ...
Two laps to go but in the early stages it’s Foutains Windfall from Whataknight, who makes a mistake at flight number two
Not quite as big a roar as at Cheltenham but they get a big cheer and they are all over the first hurdle.
And they’re off ...
Coming into line for the opening race ...
Aintree Race One: 1.45pm ... the Gaskells Handicap Hurdle ... coming up soon ...
Sydney Cup abandoned
Shades of the void Grand National over in Australia earlier today ...
One of Australia’s biggest horse races the Sydney Cup was abandoned at the halfway point on Saturday in dramatic and controversial scenes after two horses threw their riders and one of the horses died on the track.
The two-mile Group One event, worth Aus$1.5m is one of the highlights of the autumn racing season at Sydney’s Randwick racecourse.
But trouble occurred soon after the field passed the winning post the first time in the lap-and-a-half race when Almoonqith a former Europe and Dubai-based stallion raced by the Emirates deputy ruler Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum broke down.
Not only was the seven-year-old’s English jockey James Doyle thrown from the saddle, the incident also caused rival horse Who Shotthebarman to unseat its jockey, Blake Shinn.
With Almoonqith lying on the track and Doyle having trouble moving away due to an injured knee, race officials decided to call a “no-race” with 1,600 meters left. But with no warning sirens in operation, it was left to mounted track officials to call out to jockeys that the race had been abandoned.
Only about half of the remaining riders heard the call and pulled up their horses, however, with the other half pushing on in the belief the race was still valid.
English visitor, the Godolphin-owned Polarisation, was first across the line, with his rider Corey Brown celebrating what he believed was a big win for the horse’s connections.
He and the other finishing riders then steered their mounts around Almoonqith, who later had to be euthanized.
Brown was later fuming over the decision to abandon the race, saying jockeys could easily have avoided the stricken horse after the finish of the race.
“One’s broken down and it was a furlong [200 meters] after the winning post. If it was at the 100-meter mark [before the post] I could understand,” said Brown, who also called the lack of a warning siren “farcical.”
Race officials, who were expected to reschedule the event, defended their decision. Chief steward Marc van Gestel said officials had to “err on the side of caution,” as it was not immediately clear whether Almoonqith might still get up and cause havoc with the remaining field.
Meanwhile, five-year-old Australian mare Winx, the world’s highest-rated horse on turf, completed her 17th straight win with a five-length victory in the day’s richest race, the Aus$3m Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2,000 metres. AP
Updated
If you’re thinking about what to back in the national start here with Chris Cook’s horse-by-horse guide ...
It’s getting warm out there. Humans are happy but might not be so good for horses after running over four miles at Aintree. Indeed there are welfare worries with temperatures set to rise. It is likely that the horses finishing the Grand National will have to be hosed down in the ‘cooling area’ before they reach the winners’ enclosure ...
#Aintree: heat causing horse welfare concerns; traditional return to winners' circle of GN 1-2-3-4 may be delayed/cancelled as hosed down
— Cornelius Lysaght (@CorneliusRacing) April 8, 2017
Updated
ITV are showing the big race for the first time. The first race is 1.45pm but the coverage on the box only begins at 2pm. If you turn on ITV now you’ll be able to catch ‘Carry On At Your Convenience’. There is a racing catch as Syd James’ budgie tips him the winners.
Jacob proves fitness to ride Ucello Conti
The first bit of news concerns Daryl Jacob as the jockey has been given the all-clear to ride Ucello Conti in the National. Jacob, who won the race in 2012 aboard Neptune Collonges, suffered a heavy fall from Ballykan in the Topham Chase on Friday. But the jockey has received clearance from the course doctor and will now be reunited with the Gordon Elliott-trained Ucello Conti, on whom he finished sixth in the National 12 months ago.
Updated
Tony will be here be here shortly. In the meantime, here is our video explainer on Grand National handicapping:
