Aintree Grand National Saturday Cheat Sheet: Tipster naps and ambassador insight for Festival's big race

• Rachael Blackmore on her Grand National chance

• Saturday Grand National tips from Tony Calvin, Daryl Carter and more

• Find all of our Saturday tips on our Grand National Hub!

• Look out for our 'fire' and ice' emojis on the Betfair Exchange!

• Rachael Blackmore's Serial Winners Fund now on the final straight - Read more here!

• Bet safely on Aintree Grand National Festival - Read more here

• Read Daryl Carter's 1,2,3,4,5 in the Grand National

Rachael Blackmore Superboost

Day one of Aintree saw Betfair's Superboost land as Rachael Blackmore and Bob Olinger finished in the top two on Thursday, and today we are boosting her once again onboard Minella Indo in the Grand National!

You can back Rachael and Minella Indo for a Top 10 finish in the 16:00 today at Aintree at the Superboost price of 2/13.00! (was 5/42.25).

Betfair tipsters recommend their best bets for the 2024 Aintree Grand National while our ambassador Rachael Blackmore provides exclusive insight for on her chance in Saturday's feature contest in Liverpool.

16:00 Aintree Grand National - Rachael Blackmore: Minella Indo can run a big race

Rachael Blackmore says: "I'm delighted to have such a fantastic ride in the Grand National. It's such an important, special race. It's brilliant to be riding in the race.

"I think if you are down at the start in the Grand National, you have as good a chance as anyone. But to be down at the start on a former Gold Cup winner will be brilliant.

"Minella Indo is a very classy horse who I'm hoping will take to Aintree well. It was really disappointing that he didn't get to run at Cheltenham, that the Cross-Country Chase was abandoned. But he's in great order and we're really hoping that he can run a big race. It should be a great race. It always is."

16:00 Aintree Grand National - Tony Calvin: Back Eklat De Rire @ 160.0159/1 Betfair Exchange

Tony Calvin says: "Eklat De Rire, currently trading at 160.0 on the Exchange.

"I put him up for the Ultima at Cheltenham and, while he was well backed in the morning, I feared the worst when he quickly drifted from 12s to 22s on the show, and returned at a whopping Betfair SP of 38.04, in a matter of 10 minutes or so.

"I was happy enough when he got out in front and when going well enough in doing so, but as soon as he was headed after halfway, the jockey immediately eased off him (not using her whip once) and he was pulled up soon after.

"It was a curious run, and far better than the formbook would have you believe (go and have a look yourself).

"To see him lining up for the Grand National just over a month later is perhaps surprising in the circumstances, so it is possible something came to light there (the most likely scenario) or they were simply using as it a stepping stone to Aintree (as unlikely as that may sound).

"He is now rated 142 in Ireland, and races off 146 here, so he could be classed as the worst handicapped horse in the race, but I like to think there are other positives other than his huge price.

"I appreciate there were only two finishers but I thought he had previously shaped okay under another tender ride at Fairyhouse - the bare result wasn't too bad at all, and you could easily argue he ran to his mark of 146 there against Velvet Elvis - and he certainly also has the back-class to take a hand here.

"Granted, it would probably need Henry de Bromhead to pull another rabbit out of a hat akin to what he has done with the rejuvenated Bob Olinger, as the horse has clearly had any number of issues in the last three years. But Eklat De Rire's form in 2021 - when he was surely going to take a hand in the Brown Advisory when unseating and when subsequently beating Conflated at Wexford - also don't make him the complete no-hoper his huge odds would suggest.

"Look, he will probably blow out completely and he may need the other 33 not to complete in order to win Foinavon-stylee - the price tells you that, and then some - but I am not letting three-figure, win-only prices on the Betfair Exchange go unaccommodated.

"But please only have a very small bet, as it is speculative with a capital 'S'. And maybe that stands for stupid."

Listen To Racing Only Bettor Aintree Saturday...

16:00 Aintree Grand National - Daryl Carter: Back Meetingofthewaters @ 10/111.00

Daryl Carter says: "Vanillier is a horse I tipped when the market came out (2pt win @ 11/112.00, and I am happy to be with him at that price. My confidence remains.

"However, I think Meetingofthewaters should be vying for favouritism in this race and, at 10/111.00 or bigger, I must have him on the side. The unexposed seven-year-old was a big eye-catcher in the Ultima Handicap, tanking through the race but lacking the pace after the last to challenge.

"Still, he kept on firmly and will love this move up in distance. He won't mind what the ground does, and based on his Cheltenham Festival run, he is undoubtedly well-handicapped off the same rating of 147.

"When looking for a bet in this race in recent years, it has paid to attempt to find horses rated in the mid-140s who are potentially 160 plus horses, and Meetingofthewaters meets that criteria. He has already beaten a clutch of these rivals in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown, winning with stacks to spare, and he will get in at the foot of the weights in this contest.

"Six of the last 10 winners have been rated between 146 and 148, and he is on a steep upward curve. Providing he gets a clear round, he must be a big player."

16:00 Aintree Grand National - Kevin Blake: Back Mr Incredible @ 12/113.00

Kevin Blake says: "My selection for the Grand National of 2024 is the Willie Mullins-trained Mr Incredible.

"The eight-year-old is unexposed over fences having had just nine runs over them. He ran in the race last year and was number two on the shortlist. He was very much still in the race with every chance when making a particularly unfortunate exit after his saddle slipped after the Canal Turn and Brian Hayes was unseated.

"Given what we've learned about his stamina since then, it is very possible that he would have made a very bold bid. We have only seen him once since and he ran a huge race to finish second in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter last year, showcasing stamina in abundance. One suspects that Mullins will have left a little bit to work on with this race in mind and he looks to have an excellent chance with Brian Hayes looking for redemption.

16:00 Aintree Grand National - Andy Robson: Back Meetingofthewaters @ 10/111.00

The JP McManus stable has some serious contenders in this year's Grand National and for me, Meetingofthewaters looks to be the most exciting pick. The seven-year-old, trained by Willie Mullins, currently sits third in the market and his third-placed finish in the Ultima at Cheltenham is great preparation ahead of Saturday.

The Ultima is a race known for prepping winning horses for the big race at Aintree - Corach Rambler won it in 2021 and 2022, Noble Yeats finished ninth in 2022 before his Aintree victory and the last two Irish horses to win the National both ran in this contest before going on to triumph at Aintree.

A strong third spot for Meetingofthewaters in the Ultima, achieved over the furthest distance he had run, and surprisingly it seemed that he had more to give after the final fence, so this even steeper stamina test could prove ideal.

The testing ground on Saturday should be of no worry to him considering the heavy ground at Cheltenham last month, while four career wins have come on soft-going ground.

Meetingofthewaters had his Grand National weight of 10-7 locked in before his Festival appearance which now looks a bargain of a handicap considering he was a whopping 15 lbs heavier at Cheltenham. This improver ticks lots of boxes and has a great chance of providing jockey Danny Mullins his first win in the Grand National.

16:00 Aintree Grand National - Timeform: Back Mahler Mission @ 10/111.00

Timeform says: "Claims can be made for plenty in a cracking renewal including low-mileage 8-y-o Mahler Mission.

Kept fresh since a fine second in the Coral Gold Cup, the way he jumped/travelled that day marked him down as one who will be well served by the demands of this race.

Vanillier, second last year, and the improving Meetingofthewaters head the dangers along with last year's hero Corach Rambler who bids to emulate the greats Tiger Roll and Red Rum. Panda Boy and Delta Work complete the shortlist.

Get tips every day of Aintree in our Grand National Hub here!

Watch Rachael Blackmore Serial Winners Fund Finale video!

📅 One day to go...

🏇 Here's the story of @rachaelblackmor's #SerialWinnersFund journey so far...

💪 From Haydock to Aintree, raising over £200k for the @IJF_official / @InjuredJockeys pic.twitter.com/IoRlpG7oBs

-- Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) April 12, 2024