Grand National Lucky Dip

Blaklion started the Grand National five years ago as the 8/1 favourite and his supporters looked likely to collect when he powered into the lead five fences from home. However, the petrol started to run out between the last two fences, and he was eventually overhauled by One For Arthur before eventually finishing a tired fourth. He lined up again in the National the following year but only made it over the first fence before being brought down by the fall of Perfect Candidate. Blaklion was purchased by Darren Yeats for 300k+ in the run-up to the 2019 Grand National but injury ruled him out of the race. Yeats originally sent him to be trained by Phil Kirby but then decided to switch the horse to Dan Skelton without Kirby ever getting him to the racecourse. After being off the course for over twenty months Blaklion eventually made it back to the track in October 2020 and the gelding finished a gallant sixth in last year's National, beaten over thirty-five lengths by Minella Times. That was a really good effort especially as he was the only British trained horse to finish in the top eleven places.  The handicapper continued to drop Blaklion's rating and when he hit 131 this brought about a change in form that resulted in two easy victories. Those two victories brought a fourteen-pound increase in Blaklion's rating meaning that he lines up in this year's National on 145 which is the same mark as last year's sixth-place finish. Realistically it is hard to see Blaklion doing any better than last year as he is now thirteen years old. Twenty-one horses of that age have attempted the Grand National since 1998 and just two have managed to finish in the places.  Undoubtedly Blaklion faces a tough task in the 2022 Grand National but his five races over the National fences will undoubtedly stand him in good stead and it's not impossible to see the old horse placing again.