STEPHEN HARRIS’ GRAND NATIONAL TIP

The 2024 Aintree Grand National promises to be a real test of stamina in prevailing deep ground, and that should be ideal for Christian Williams stayer (always comes right in the spring every season). He has been trained with this race in mind all winter, running himself towards full fitness from a falling handicap mark, and the booking of the excellent Jack Tudor (who knows him so well) certainly increases confidence that he will go close granted any luck in running and a clean round of jumping. This kind of test suits ideally (three runs in career over four miles, winning twice and finishing second on other occasion), as he showed when winning the Scottish Grand National at Ayr in 2023, and his proven stamina reserves will be a real asset on the long Aintree run in.

The yard has finally hit form too after a very quiet winter in the main (two well backed winners in the last fortnight), and there is no better target trainer for a big handicap in the country (creeping into this valuable prize at the very foot of the weights).