Grand National Weights: Timeform's tip

Irish yards have won four of the last five renewals and look to have another strong hand this year. Indeed, it's not out of the question Vanillier would have made it five in a row last year had he been asked for his effort earlier and he tops the Timeform ratings at this stage.

Admittedly, the statistics are rather stacked against Gavin Cromwell's contender given that Red Rum (in 1977) is the last National runner-up to go one better 12 months later, but a BHA mark of 151 - just 4 lb higher than last year - still looks generous for a Grade 1-winning hurdler who's clearly had another campaign geared around keeping his powder dry until the weights were released.

That said, Mahler Mission arguably makes the most appeal at this stage. He was set to easily defeat subsequent Grand National third Gaillard du Mesnil when tipping up in last year's National Hunt Chase and fully confirmed that form when an excellent second in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury last time in what promises to be this season's strongest piece of handicap chase form on British soil.

Despite that late Cheltenham fall, Mahler Mission is an assured jumper and his prominent style of racing is likely to prove ideally suited to the demands of Aintree. All in all, he ticks the most boxes at this stage - although it's worth remembering that plenty can change between now and April 13th.

For those looking for attractive outsiders, then you could do a lot worse than the Gordon Elliott-trained Delta Work and Galvin. Admittedly, the law of averages suggest they may prove vulnerable to younger legs but they still have plenty of back class to draw on and BHA marks in the mid-150s are clearly potentially lenient for horses who were genuine Cheltenham Gold Cup contenders in the recent past - indeed, Delta Work is currently trading at three times the price he was sent off in the 2023 Grand National.

Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for the 2024 Grand National

183 - VANILLIER

182 - DELTA WORK

182 - LE MILOS

181 - CHEMICAL ENERGY

181 - MAHLER MISSION