Brown Grand National Horses

Emmet Mullins didn’t hang around getting Noble Yeats over fences with the gelding having just five runs (one point to point, three bumpers and one run over hurdles) before winning his first start over fences as a six-year-old. Mullins obviously didn’t want to waste any time with the gelding’s chasing career as he sent him into a handicap on just his third start over fences. Noble Yeats finished 6th on that handicap debut and then was pushed straight into the 100k Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Leopardstown over Xmas. Considering his inexperience, Noble Yeats ran well to finish ninth behind School Boy Hours. A couple of runs later and Mullins decided to send his charge over to England to contest the Grade Two Towton Novice Chase at Wetherby. Again, Noble Yeats put in a good effort to finish second to Lucinda Russell’s progressive young chaser, Ahoy Senor. After the run at Wetherby, the gelding was purchased by Robert Waley-Cohen to be ridden by his son, Sam, in the Grand National. The Waley-Cohen’s have a terrific record over the Aintree fences having finished second and fourth with Oscar Time (who also won a Becher Chase) and also with the likes of Warne, Libertine and Rajdhani Express. Sam Waley-Cohen’s prowess over the Aintree fences will ensure Noble Yeats will be well backed in the National but for a young horse with so little racing experience, he looks more likely to be a major player next year and in the years to come rather than in 2022. Waley-Cohen has announced he will retire from race riding after the Grand national this year.

This nine-year-old gelding from Sean Curran's stable has a bit of form over the national fences having finished fourth in the Becher Chase back in 2021, a race that was won by Snow Leopardess. He was towards the rear that day and his jumping was pretty solid bar one or two jumps and despite looking like he was struggling to go with them at the halfway point, he did plug on to pick off those weakening although never near the winner. He had a big test of his stamina when last seen in the Eider Chase, a race run over four miles, one and a half furlongs, the race was similar to the Becher and his style of running, he was held up towards the rear and made some late headway to finish tenth but he was some way off the leading runners, the race was won by Win My Wings. That was just under a mile further than he had ever been, he has won over three miles and two furlongs at Cheltenham off a handicap mark of 144, which is the very same mark as what he has been given for this race, it did rise to 149 but the handicapper eased it after a couple of races. From a ground perspective, it would seem he handles a variety, he won on heavy ground at Ascot, and he is a dual winner on soft ground and is a four-time winner on good ground too so it would appear the ground is not much of a concern for him. As already mentioned, he is certainly a hold-up horse, whether that tactic will be altered for the grand national is something only the owner & trainer know, that sort of tactic would put a few people off in this type of race as it is very easy to run into trouble and there are not many that come from the rear to win, can it be done? Yes, of course, One For Arthur in 2017 is one example but you need luck in running and you need a brisk pace to be set, a lot of factors he would need in his favour.