Grand National 2024 - Winner

Dan Overall has picked out his favourite race winner bet and one value bet at longer odds for the Grand National 2024 at Aintree.

Grand National Tips from Dan Overall

Meetingofthewaters to Win the Grand National

The Ultima has produced the last two Grand National winners; the aforementioned Corach Rambler won both, while Noble Yeats finished ninth before his Aintree triumph.

Kitty’s Light is currently the shortest price runner representing the Ultima form line this time around, but to my mind, it’s MEETINGOFTHEWATERS that makes the most appeal, even though he’s come in from 16/1 to a best price of 9/1 in the last few weeks.

Subject to strong support in the build up to Cheltenham, particularly on the preview night circuit where some even considered him a Gold Cup contender in the making, he shaped like a horse who could still be well ahead of the handicapper. 

Ridden with restraint, he crept into the race but couldn’t quite reel in Chianti Classico and Twig, who had been prominent throughout (tactics which so often pay dividends in handicaps on the Old course). Meetingofthewaters was the only horse from off the pace to challenge, and he pulled 16 lengths clear of the fourth. 

It was a run that confirmed his status as a rapidly progressive chaser, having bolted up in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown earlier in the season; another race which has a good record of producing Grand National winners. 

He is a seven-year-old novice, which had been a serious negative until Noble Yeats became the first seven-year-old to win since Bogskar in 1940; and perhaps, with the changes to the race in recent years, younger horses will be come to the fore as they often do in other major handicaps. 

It’s also worth bearing in mind that, despite his age and novice status, he’s a very experienced horse, having raced 18 times under rules and three-times in point-to-points. 

Now rated 149 in Ireland, he races off 147 here so he’s another that is “well in”, and he was seemingly purchased by JP. McManus with this race in mind. 

Galia Des Liteaux Each Way 

The British Trainers’ Championship looks like going down to the wire, with Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls going head-to-head. Despite this, Paul Nicholls won’t be represented in the Grand National and Dan Skelton only has one entry – the strong-staying mare, GALIA DES LITEAUX.

A Grade 2 winning novice chaser, she ran respectably in Grade 1 company at Cheltenham and Aintree but didn’t have the class to win at that level. 

She’s been a bit hit and miss this season, and has two odds-on defeats in Mares company to her name this season, but I feel she’s still capable of landing a big staying handicap. She is currently 33/1 with five places on Betfred or 28/1 with various bookmakers paying five places.

Her run in the Classic Chase was a superb effort in defeat; under a massive weight, she was narrowly denied by My Silver Lining, to whom she was giving 20lbs, with the pair pulling 12-lengths clear of the remainder. 

The winner has since finished second in the Grand National Trial at Haydock and third in the Midlands National – if they were to race against each other again, Galia Des Liteaux would be seven-pounds better off at the weights. 

The Classic Chase has a reasonable recent record for producing Grand National winners, with One For Arthur (2017 - 1st) and Auroras Encore (2013 – 5th) both running there prior to Aintree glory.

After that run at Warwick, Harry Skelton said “our eyes are firmly on the Grand National now”, and while you need to forgive a below-par run when last seen, it may just be the case that they were already focused on Aintree.

No mare has won the Grand National since Nickel Coin in 1951, but Magic Of Light finished a gallant second at 66/1 in 2019 and Galia Des Liteaux looks as though she would be suited to the test the Grand National presents, while soft ground would enhance her chances.