Traditionally held on the Saturday after Cheltenham, the Midlands National takes place at Uttoxeter on Saturday afternoon.
The race was won last year by the Alan King-trained Major Dundee. With the going being heavy, it’s going to be a proper staying test.
3.00 - Midlands Grand National (Class 1, 4m2f)
Coming in off his Edinburgh National win, Inis Oirr is bound to be strongly fancied for this. The seven-year-old is trained by Lucinda Russell, who has an excellent record in National races, and Inis Orr may provide her with another.
Truckers Lodge won this race in 2020, and is running off 2lb lower than the mark he was on that day. He won the London National at Sandown in December, but was then pulled up a few weeks later in the Welsh National. That was a tough race though, with only five finishers out of 19 runners. He should not be discounted.
Guetapan Collonges finished fourth in this race last year and has had a good season, winning on his seasonal reappearance at Carlisle and then finishing third in competitive handicaps at Cheltenham and Warwick. He has potential to run a better race this year.
You can never rule out anything from Willie Mullins and he sends over Mr Incredible, who was last seen going well in the Grand National before his saddle slipped and caused his jockey to unseat. He is now in an easier National and he could be well suited to the task.
With these tough conditions, it’ll be a true staying test and it can be a bit of a minefield to find the winner butMr Incredible has strong claims.
The way he was going in the Grand National he might have got in the places. He has shown enough to suggest that he can win some sort of National and this looks a good opportunity as he comes in fresh.
He finished third in the Kim Muir before his Grand National run, and he finished like a train that day. He looks sure to stay, and he has a win on heavy ground too, so everything looks to be in his favour.
Truckers Lodgeis the recommended each-way bet. He is so tough when he is on a going day, while being a former winner he comes in with vital experience that many rivals will not have. Conditional jockey Freddie Gingell takes off 5lb and that could make all the difference in tough conditions.
