ITV’s CGI endeavour will replace the real race
Tiger Roll has been installed as the clear favourite to win the Virtual Grand National, hosted by ITV this weekend.
The computerised Gordon Elliott-trained leads the market as 5/1 favourite, ahead of Any Second Now at 10/1.
Willie Mullins' Burrows Saint is the 12/1 third favourite, followed by Definitly Red at 14/1.
Kimberlite Candy follows next in the running at 16/1, ahead of Potters Corner (18/1), Magic of the Light (18/1) and Bristol De Mai (20/1).
The prices offered on the Virtual Grand National will be the same across all firms, and won't change. There will also be a maximum £10 per horse per customer or £10 each-way per horse across the board, with some bookmakers donating profits from the market to NHS Charities Together.
ITV will broadcast the Virtual Grand National on April 4th at 5pm, featuring 40 runners who would have theoretically have taken part in the real race.
This is not the first time the virtual race has taken place however, first tried in 2017 when the algorithms had some incredibly close calls.
Cause of Causes won the first Virtual Grand National in 2017 before later coming in second place by four-and-a-half lengths in the real race.
In 2018, the algorithm proved its money worth when it correctly predicted Tiger Roll's first Grand National win.
In 2019 it called three of the first five race finishers.
Oddschecker spokesperson Callum Wilson: “We'll never know if Tiger Roll would've won a third straight Grand National at Aintree this year, but Gordon Elliott's 10-year-old may still find success in the virtual sphere.
"With such an accurate algorithm, the Virtual Grand National may still see Tiger Roll net punters a nifty profit."
