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He has been on my mind all season for something big
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The Grand National can go to Gavin Cromwell
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Inothewayurthinkin must line up
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Inothewayurthinkin 10/111.00
Betfair has asked me to provide a shortlist of three horses for the Aintree Grand National. Still, in all honesty, there is only one horse I am seriously considering placing a good wager on for the race, and the other is a backup in case he doesn't run.
Given the nature of the race, I've never been one to be confident about a selection in the Grand National. However, this year will be entirely different if a particular runner lines up in the race.
There's been one horse on my mind all season to make a healthy profit from: Gavin Cromwell's 2024 Kim Muir winner, Inothewayurthinkin. The seven-year-old was quoted as the "most exciting horse in training" in my early Cheltenham Festival Focus column when he was touted for the Gold Cup at the start of the year.
That hasn't transpired, and as expected, they have looked after him with a view to a big handicap pot. That could easily be the Irish or the English National, but there's little doubt that this is the second-best and possibly the best-staying horse in training.
He effortlessly won at the Cheltenham Festival last term in the Kim Muir handicap and followed it up with an excellent time figure performance when scoring at Aintree. That latter effort marked him down as a potential star in my book.
Desperate to determine his end-of-season target, he has plagued me all year. Still, I have every confidence that this is a well-handicapped horse, even from his allotted 160 rating - I genuinely believe this is a 170 horse, and the top of these weights is filled with horses who can't win!
He caught the eye from a poor position in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown recently, having made a big error at four out, and he stayed on best of all under minimal handling. He won't meet a horse of Galopin Des Champs calibre in this race, and he is well ahead of the handicapper from any rating below 160 if you consider the likes of The Real Wacker lining up from 159. He has taken steps forward with each run this year and is ready to peak this spring.
The Grand National has become a race for the classier horse, and with stablemate, I Am Maximus topping the weights and the likes of Bravemansgame, Hewick, Nick Rockett, and L'Homme Presse having to give him weight, he makes a huge appeal.
Should the seven-year-old line up in the Grand National, he will undoubtedly take the bulk of my cash for the race, be my number one hope, and carry plenty of confidence. He is a must for any shortlist!
Iroko 12/113.00
Another to keep on the correct side of is Iroko, who has been trained with the Grand National in mind this season and frustratingly missed the Cheltenham Festival, where I gave him a strong chance in the Ultima Handicap - remarkable they will miss it off this rating of 152! He is one we have yet to see the best of.
He comes from the same Aintree race as Inothewayurthinkin (second) and was another potential top-class staying prospect who went into the notebook for this season.
If it came down to a choice between Iroko and Inothewayurthinkin, it would be a no-contest in favour of the Gavin Cromwell runner. However, Iroko is no lousy substitute, and he will relish being smuggled into a race like the Grand National and has plenty in hand on the speed figures from a mark in the 150's.
He gets the secondary vote but has a way to reach the level of Inothewayurthinkin.
Now read Paul Nicholls on his five Grand National entries
This article originally published February 11, 2025