Grand National 2013: The Press tips for the BIG race!

THE most famous horse race in the world is with us again, but who will win the 2013 Grand National at Aintree this afternoon when the 40 runners and riders get going at 4.15pm? Perhaps our tipster can provide the magic answer?

The Press tipster is tipping trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Daryl Jacob to make Grand National history today by becoming the first trainer-and-jockey combination for 60 years to win the race in successive years with different horses.

Champion trainer Nicholls and jockey Jacob had their first ever National success last year with 33-1 shot Neptune Collonges.

Now this year they are going with Join Together – a 17-1 shot with Ladbrokes at the time of writing.

Join Together is an eight-year-old which goes against the form with there not having been a winner that young since Bindaree in 2002 and Party Politics in 1992. But Nicholls is a champion trainer and it is difficult to bet against him.

If they do win at Aintree later today to retain their crown with different horses they will become the first double act to do so since legendary trainer Vincent O’Brien and jockey Bryan Marshall won the big race in 1953 with Early Mist and then 12 months later they enjoyed success again this time with Royal Tan.

O’Brien himself made it a hat-trick of wins in 1955 with jockey Pat Taaffe on Quare Times.

PHOTO: Champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

Victory for Nicholls and Jacob would also make them the first winning partnership to retain the National title since the legendary pair of Ginger McCain (trainer) and jockey Brian Fletcher on the never-to-be-forgotten Red Rum who won the race in 1973 and 1974.

Bang up to date and it would be a perfect way for Nicholls to celebrate and make up for what was, by his own standards, a disappointing Cheltenham Festival last month.

But as everyone knows anything can happen in the four-and-a-half miles of the Grand National course over 30 fences.

There are plenty of horses who could win the top prize.

Imperial Commander, the 2010 Gold Cup winner, could provide a perfect day for the Twiston-Davies camp.

Last year’s second and third-placed horses, Sunnyhillboy and Seabass respectively, could be there or thereabouts, while the 2011 winner Ballabriggs, who finished sixth last year, could be in with a chance once again with Jason Maguire.

Cappa Blue, who finished fourth last term, could be in the mix again, while Teaforthree, winner of a four-miler at Cheltenham in 2012 and a runer-up in the Welsh National, could be in the running.

And you can never discount the mounts of top jockeys such as Ruby Walsh and AP McCoy.

Walsh is on the highly-fancied 8-1 shot On His Own, while McCoy is on Colbert Station.

And what of the outsiders? Our tipster likes the look of another Nicholls-trained horse, What a Friend (40-1), with jockey Sam Thomas; plus Big Fella Thanks (33-1); and The Rainbow Hunter (80-1).

Punters should also be only too well aware that you can never discount 100-1 rank outsiders….just think back to 2009 and the Venetia Williams trained Mon Mome with jockey Liam Treadwell in his first-ever ride in the National.

Good luck!

THE YEOVIL PRESS TIPSTER’S 1-2-3-4.

1: JOIN TOGETHER.

2: CAPPA BLUE.

3: WHAT A FRIEND.

4: IMPERIAL COMMANDER.

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