Horse Talk with Simon Jackson: Top horse-racing tips and the latest news.

The 2017 Grand National has attracted the highest-ever quality of entries handicapper Phil Smith said at the unveiling of the weights at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London on Tuesday night.

The Randox Health Grand National at Aintree on April 8 has attracted 109 entries and includes a strong representation from Ireland who won the race last year with Rule The World and this year have 37 entries and seven of the 10 highest-weighted horses.

The Grand National is the only handicap of the year where the handicapper has discretion to deviate from the usual handicap ratings when determining the weights and Smith disclosed that the high-quality is evident throughout this year’s entries.

“The percentage of horses rated over 135 entered in 2017 is 88 per cent, which is the highest ever. The previous highest percentage of horses in this category was 85 per cent,” said Smith who has framed the Grand National weights since 1999.

“Significantly, the number of horses rated above 150 stands at a record level, with 34 horses falling into that category. If you go back a decade to 2007, there were only half that number (17) having a rating of 150 or higher at the time the weights were unveiled.

“The median rating for all entries in this year’s Randox Health Grand National is 146, which again is the highest ever, and if you go back to 2007 it was 137.

“Last year, the lowest-weighted horse to get a run in the race was 59th on the list at the time the weights were unveiled.

“For years and years, horses [listed] in the mid-70s at the time of the weights managed to run on the day, while in 2015 it dropped to 67 and then 59 last year.

“I would be a bit surprised to see it as low as 59 again this year, but I would expect it to be somewhere in the 60s, especially as we know that a lot of the entries will be running between now and Aintree. Where exactly in the 60s is in the lap of the gods.

“The top of the handicap is dominated by Irish-trained horses, which is a symbol of the respective strength of Irish and UK jump racing.”

The Randox Health Grand National
Grade 3 handicap chase, £1 million total prize fund. Aintree, 5.15pm Saturday, April 8, 2017. 4m 2f 74yds over the Grand National fences. Maximum field of 40 plus four reserves.

	HORSE	Age	Wgt	Rating	Owner	Trainer
1)	OUTLANDER (IRE)	9	11-10	166	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
2)	CHAMPAGNE WEST (IRE)	9	11-09	165	Roger Brookhouse	Henry de Bromhead IRE
3)	EMPIRE OF DIRT (IRE)	10	11-08	164	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
4)	DON POLI (IRE)	8	11-07	163	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
5)	CARLINGFORD LOUGH (IRE)	11	11-06	162	J P McManus	John Kiely IRE
6)	THE LAST SAMURI (IRE)	9	11-05	161	Paul & Clare Rooney	Kim Bailey
7)	ALARY (FR)	7	11-04	160	Ann & Alan Potts	Colin Tizzard
8)	ALELCHI INOIS (FR)	9	11-03	159	L McMahon/Mrs F Murphy/F Mangan	Willie Mullins IRE
9)	MINELLA ROCCO (IRE)	7	11-02	158	J P McManus	Jonjo O’Neill
10)	DEVILS BRIDE (IRE)	10	11-01	157	Gigginstown House Stud	Henry de Bromhead IRE
11)	MORE OF THAT (IRE)	9	11-01	157	J P McManus	Jonjo O’Neill
12)	LORD SCOUNDREL (IRE)	8	11-00	156	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
13)	PERFECT CANDIDATE (IRE)	10	11-00	156	ISL Recruitment	Fergal O’Brien
14)	SAPHIR DU RHEU (FR)	8	11-00	156	The Stewart Family	Paul Nicholls
15)	SHANTOU FLYER (IRE)	7	11-00	156	Carl Hinchy	Rebecca Curtis
16)	ROAD TO RICHES (IRE)	10	10-13	155	Gigginstown House Stud	Noel Meade IRE
17)	SAUSALITO SUNRISE (IRE)	9	10-13	155	Diana Whateley	Philip Hobbs
18)	CAROLE’S DESTRIER	9	10-12	154	Carole Skipworth	Neil Mulholland
19)	CLARCAM (FR)	7	10-12	154	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
20)	FOXROCK (IRE)	9	10-12	154	Barry Connell	Ted Walsh IRE
21)	ROI DES FRANCS (FR)	8	10-12	154	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
22)	WONDERFUL CHARM (FR)	9	10-11	153	Robin Geffen & Sir John Ritblat	Paul Nicholls
23)	WOUNDED WARRIOR (IRE)	8	10-11	153	Gigginstown House Stud	Noel Meade IRE
24)	BLAKLION	8	10-10	152	Sarah Such & Gino Paletta	Nigel Twiston-Davies
25)	DROP OUT JOE	9	10-10	152	The Jesters	Charlie Longsdon
26)	TENOR NIVERNAIS (FR)	10	10-10	152	Boultbee Brooks Ltd	Venetia Williams
27)	TIGER ROLL (IRE)	7	10-10	152	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
28)	A TOI PHIL (FR)	7	10-09	151	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
29)	LE MERCUREY (FR)	7	10-09	151	Chris Giles & Colm Donlon	Paul Nicholls
30)	THE GAME CHANGER (IRE)	8	10-09	151	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE
31)	CAUSE OF CAUSES (USA)	9	10-08	150	J P McManus	Gordon Elliott IRE
32)	MAGGIO (FR)	12	10-08	150	Douglas Pryde/Jim Beaumont	Patrick Griffin IRE
33)	REGAL ENCORE (IRE)	9	10-08	150	J P McManus	Anthony Honeyball
34)	THE YOUNG MASTER	8	10-08	150	Dajam & The Old Masters	Neil Mulholland
35)	DEFINITLY RED (IRE)	8	10-07	149	Phil Martin	Brian Ellison
36)	DOUBLE SHUFFLE (IRE)	7	10-07	149	Crossed Fingers Partnership	Tom George
37)	HOUBLON DES OBEAUX (FR)	10	10-07	149	Mrs Julian Blackwell	Venetia Williams
38)	PLEASANT COMPANY (IRE)	9	10-07	149	Malcolm Denmark	Willie Mullins IRE
39)	UCELLO CONTI (FR)	9	10-07	149	Simon Munir/Isaac Souede	Gordon Elliott IRE
40)	VIEUX LION ROUGE (FR)	8	10-07	149	Prof Caroline Tisdall & John Gent	David Pipe
41)	BALLYNAGOUR (IRE)	11	10-06	148	Allan Stennett	David Pipe
42)	HIGHLAND LODGE (IRE)	11	10-06	148	Bowes Lodge Stables	James Moffatt
43)	JUNCTION FOURTEEN (IRE)	8	10-06	148	Martin St Quinton & Tim Syder	Emma Lavelle
44)	O’FAOLAINS BOY (IRE)	10	10-06	148	Trembath, Hyde, Outhart & Hill	Rebecca Curtis
45)	ONE FOR ARTHUR (IRE)	8	10-06	148	Two Golf Widows	Lucinda Russell
46)	VIVALDI COLLONGES (FR)	8	10-06	148	The Gi Gi Syndicate	Paul Nicholls
47)	BISHOPS ROAD (IRE)	9	10-05	147	Alan Halsall	Kerry Lee
48)	LORD WINDERMERE (IRE)	11	10-05	147	Dr Ronan Lambe	Jim Culloty IRE
49)	SAINT ARE (FR)	11	10-05	147	David Fox	Tom George
50)	VICENTE (FR)	8	10-05	147	John Hales & Ian Fogg	Paul Nicholls
51)	VICS CANVAS (IRE)	14	10-05	147	Bodeen Bandits Partnership	Dermot McLoughlin IRE
52)	ZIGA BOY (FR)	8	10-05	147	Axom LI	Alan King
53)	JUST A PAR (IRE)	10	10-04	146	Paul Barber & the late Graham Roach	Paul Nicholls
54)	MEASUREOFMYDREAMS (IRE)	9	10-04	146	Gigginstown House Stud	Noel Meade IRE
55)	RAZ DE MAREE (FR)	12	10-04	146	James J Swan	Gavin Cromwell
56)	STELLAR NOTION (IRE)	9	10-04	146	Roger Brookhouse	Henry de Bromhead IRE
57)	AS DE MEE (FR)	7	10-03	145	The Stewart Family & Judi Dench	Paul Nicholls
58)	COCKTAILS AT DAWN	9	10-03	145	Robin Geffen & Sir John Ritblat	Nicky Henderson
59)	PENDRA (IRE)	9	10-03	145	J P McManus	Charlie Longsdon
60)	ROGUE ANGEL (IRE)	9	10-03	145	Gigginstown House Stud	Mouse Morris IRE
61)	SEVENTH SKY (GER)	10	10-03	145	Fidelma Toole	Charlie Mann
62)	SHUTTHEFRONTDOOR (IRE)	10	10-03	145	J P McManus	Jonjo O’Neill
63)	GAS LINE BOY (IRE)	11	10-02	144	The Three Graces	Ian Williams
64)	GOODTOKNOW	9	10-02	144	Burling Daresbury MacEchern Nolan Potter	Kerry Lee
65)	THE ROMFORD PELE (IRE)	10	10-02	144	Trembath & Outhart	Rebecca Curtis
66)	THUNDER AND ROSES (IRE)	9	10-02	144	Gigginstown House Stud	Mouse Morris IRE
67)	TRIOLO D’ALENE (FR)	10	10-02	144	Sandy & Caroline Orr	Nicky Henderson
68)	VIEUX MORVAN (FR)	8	10-02	144	N H Bloodstock Ltd	Isabelle Pacault FR
69)	DOCTOR HARPER (IRE)	9	10-01	143	The Johnson Family	David Pipe
70)	GALLANT OSCAR (IRE)	11	10-01	143	J P McManus	Tony Martin IRE
71)	LA VATICANE (FR)	8	10-01	143	Maria Bukhtoyarova	David Pipe
72)	BLESS THE WINGS (IRE)	12	10-00	142	Adrian Butler/S P O’Connor	Gordon Elliott IRE
73)	TOUR DES CHAMPS (FR)	10	10-00	142	Prestbury Racing Club	Samuel Drinkwater
74)	KNOCK HOUSE (IRE)	8	9-13	141	Tim Leslie	Donald McCain
75)	HADRIAN’S APPROACH (IRE)	10	9-12	140	Richard & Lizzie Kelvin-Hughes	Nicky Henderson
76)	BENBENS (IRE)	12	9-11	139	Sarah Such & Gino Paletta	Nigel Twiston-Davies
77)	POTTERS CROSS	10	9-11	139	Conyers, O’Reilly, Roddis, Zeffman	Rebecca Curtis
78)	SAMBREMONT (FR)	7	9-11	139	Shanakiel Racing Syndicate	Willie Mullins IRE
79)	STRAIDNAHANNA (IRE)	8	9-11	139	Margaret Scholey & Ray Scholey	Sue Smith
80)	VIVA STEVE (IRE)	9	9-11	139	Paul & Clare Rooney	Fergal O’Brien
81)	CLOUDY TOO (IRE)	11	9-10	138	Formulated Polymer Products Ltd	Sue Smith
82)	LAMB OR COD (IRE)	10	9-10	138	Terry Warner	Philip Hobbs
83)	MILANSBAR (IRE)	10	9-10	138	Robert Bothway	Neil King
84)	POLIDAM (FR)	8	9-10	138	Simon Munir/Isaac Souede	Willie Mullins IRE
85)	DROMNEA (IRE)	10	9-09	137	Ann Daly	Mouse Morris IRE
86)	STREETS OF PROMISE (IRE)	8	9-09	137	Gempro	Michael Scudamore
87)	VYTA DU ROC (FR)	8	9-09	137	Simon Munir & Isaac Souede	Nicky Henderson
88)	BEEVES (IRE)	10	9-08	136	Paul & Clare Rooney	Jennie Candlish
89)	ROYALE KNIGHT	11	9-08	136	Chris Stedman & Robert Corsan	Dr Richard Newland
90)	ALFIE SPINNER (IRE)	12	9-07	135	Alan Beard & Brian Beard	Kerry Lee
91)	EMPEROR’S CHOICE (IRE)	10	9-07	135	The Bellamy Partnership	Venetia Williams
92)	GOULANES (IRE)	11	9-07	135	Roger Brookhouse	Neil Mulholland
93)	LESSONS IN MILAN (IRE)	9	9-07	135	Trevor Hemmings	Nicky Henderson
94)	MOUNTAIN KING	8	9-07	135	Jack McKay/Paul McKay/Mark McKay	Gordon Elliott IRE
95)	OUT SAM	8	9-07	135	Swanee River Partnership	Warren Greatrex
96)	SIZING COAL (IRE)	9	9-07	135	Alan & Ann Potts Partnership	Jim Dreaper IRE
97)	DARE TO ENDEAVOUR	10	9-06	134	Aidan J Ryan	Eric McNamara IRE
98)	FATHER EDWARD (IRE)	8	9-06	134	Fergus Wilson	David Pipe
99)	SAMINGARRY (FR)	10	9-06	134	Nigel Hawke Racing Club & Partner	Nigel Hawke
100)	SILVER MAN	10	9-06	134	John Wardle	Jo Hughes
101)	ALVARADO (IRE)	12	9-05	133	William & Angela Rucker	Fergal O’Brien
102)	MILBOROUGH (IRE)	11	9-05	133	Helen Cross	Ian Duncan
103)	THE CRAFTY BUTCHER (IRE)	10	9-04	132	P Byrne/P W Mullins/D Ryan/I Madigan	Willie Mullins IRE
104)	WALDORF SALAD	9	9-04	132	Alan Parker	Venetia Williams
105)	KATENKO (FR)	11	9-03	131	Andrew Brooks	Venetia Williams
106)	FEDERICI	8	9-02	130	Jon Glews	Donald McCain
107)	GONE TOO FAR	9	9-01	129	Fergus Wilson	David Pipe
108)	RACING PULSE (IRE)	8	9-01	129	Carl Hinchy	Rebecca Curtis
109)	KILLER CROW (IRE)	8	9-00	128	Gigginstown House Stud	Gordon Elliott IRE

109 entries, 37 Irish-trained, 1 French-trained

The Randox Health Grand National odds (Betway)

16/1 The Last Samuri, Don Poli

20/1 One For Arthur, Vieux Lion Rouge, Empire Of Dirt

25/1 The Young Master, Carlingford Lough

33/1 Vicente, Blaklion, Goodtoknow, More Of That, Definitly Red, Gallant Oscar, Ucello Conti, Champagne West, Outlander, Carole’s Destrier, Rogue Angel, Minella Rocco, Alelchi Inois

40/1 Ziga Boy, Le Mercurey, Foxrock, Saint Are, Perfect Candidate, Measureofmydreams, Cause Of Causes, Highland Lodge, Regal Encore, Raz De Maree, A Toi Phil

50/1 Alary, Polidam, Pendra, Tour Des Champs, Roi Des Francs, Shutthefrontdoor, Sausalito Sunrise, Alvarado, Royale Knight, Out Sam, O’Faolains Boy, The Crafty Butcher, Road To Riches, Racing Pulse, Sizing Coal, Pleasant Company, Shantou Flyer, Triolo D’Alene, Wounded Warrior, Houblon Des Obeaux, Bishops Road, Saphir Du Rheu, Lord Scoundrel, Lord Windermere, Vyta Du Roc, Clarcam, Devils Bride, Maggio, As De Mee

66/1 Thunder And Roses, Gas Line Boy, Samingarry, Drop Out Joe, Knock House, Wonderful Charm, Sambremont, Milansbar, Katenko, Doctor Harper, Dare To Endeavour, Lessons In Milan, The Game Changer, Emperors Choice, La Vaticane, Stellar Notion, Straidnahanna, Milborough, Ballynagour, Double Shuffle, Killer Crow, Tenor Nivernais, The Romford Pele, Viva Steve, Tiger Roll, Vivaldi Collonges, Just A Par, Cocktails At Dawn, Vics Canvas, Hadrians Approach, Mountain King, Silver Man, Seventh Sky, Streets Of Promise, Potters Cross

100/1 Junction Fourteen, Federici, Vieux Morvan, Gone Too Far, Cloudy Too, Dromnea, Father Edward, Waldorf Salad, Beeves, Goulanes, Benbens, Lamb Or Cod, Alfie Spinner, Bless The Wings

Horse Talk with Simon Jackson. Showcasing horse racing in London and the south east.