Betting tips / Timeform / 14 April 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

The facts and figures surrounding the World's Greatest Steeplechase, the Grand National at Aintree, brought to you by Timeform.

The success of Ballabriggs in last season's Grand National marked the third winner in as many years to shoulder 11-00 or more to victory, something of a reversal against the previously existing weight trend, with twenty-six of the last thirty-three winners carrying below the 11-00 boundary.

The highest weighted winner in recent times has been Don't Push It, which helped A P McCoy break his Grand National duck in 2010, carrying the welter burden of 11-05, whilst Bobbyjo is the lowest weighted winner, having carried 10-00 to victory in 1999 under Paul Carberry. The other two horses to carry minimum weight to victory in the mentioned time period are Lord Gyllene (1997) and Rubstic (1979).

Nine-year-olds have had the best record in the Grand National in recent years, accounting for ten of the last thirty-three winners, with some of the most recent nine-year-old scorers including Hedgehunter (2005), Comply or Die (2008) and Mon Mom (2009). Nine ten-year-olds have also won in the period, with winners Ballabriggs and Don't Push it representing that age group in the last two years.

The oldest winner of the Grand National was Peter Simple, which landed the victory in 1853, whilst Bogskar was the most recent seven-year-old winner, taking the prize back in 1940.

The Grand National has also been the scene of some major gambles since the aptly named Lottery took the inaugural running in 1839 at odds of 5/1.

In recent times Papillon was the subject of a nationwide plunge in 2000 for the father-son combination of Ted and Ruby Walsh. Papillon had been available to back at odds of 33/1 on the morning of the race but went off no bigger than 10/1, with the ten-year-old going on to score by one and a quarter lengths from Mely Moss.

Three years later and Montys Pass, also an Irish-runner, landed another widespread gamble. Mike Futter, the front-man of the syndicate that owned the horse estimated his own personal winning to be in excess of £800,000 having backed the Jimmy Mangan-trained runner at odds of 66/1 down to 16/1 ante-post. Total winnings for the entire syndicate were estimated to have been in excess of £1m.

Due to the nature of the Grand National, the majority of runners start at double-figure prices and there have only been a handful of single-figure priced winners since 1961. Earth Summit (1998), Hedgehunter (2005) and Comply or Die (2008) are the most recent single-figure winners of the race, all returning at odds of 7/1.

Mon Mome landed a surprise at odds of 100/1 in 2009, becoming the biggest priced winner of the contest since Foinavon triumphed in the famous 1967 renewal. Ridden by Liam Treadwell and trained by Venetia Williams, Mon Mome defeated the previous season's winner Comply or Die by 12 lengths.

Greys and Mares both head into this year's National on the back of long losing sequences with the last Grey to win being Nicholas Silver in 1961, whilst we have to go even further back in time to find the last successful mare, Nickel Coin victorious in 1951.