Grand National Lucky Dip

Nassalam was one of the easiest winners of a National you are ever likely to see when he came home a huge thirty-four lengths in front of his nearest pursuer in the Welsh version at Chepstow this season. Conditions that day were attritional with only five of the nineteen runners completing the course. The handicapper chose to view the easy victory of Nassalam literally and his trainer Gary Moore was very unhappy about the sixteen pound rise in the weights his horse received for his victory at Chepstow.  Trainer Moore felt his horse just dealt with conditions at Chepstow better than his rivals and not that Nassalam was particularly well handicapped prior to this win. The rise in the weights meant that Moore felt he had no option but to push his horse up to Grade One level and try his luck in the Gold Cup. That experiment did not go well as Nassalam was one of the first horses beaten and was pulled up before the fourth last fence. Horses that have done well in other Nationals often perform above general expectations at Aintree but the handicapper has definitely given Nassalam a very stiff task this year. What might be in his favour is the ground. With the going likely to be very soft or heavy at Aintree, that might give him a chance despite his big rise in the weights. Nassalam has raced on heavy ground four times and returned figures of: 1411. The seven-year-old gelding also has experience of the Grand National fences having finished fourth to Gesskile in the 2m 5f Grand Sefton in November.  There are plenty of positives about Nassalam's chance but the main sticking point is that he now looks so badly handicapped, especially as his regular pilot Caolin Quinn cannot claim his usual three pound allowance in this race.