As punters saddle up for the return of the Grand National on Saturday 14th April, historical research into previous winners finds that Virgilio has the best chance of stealing the £561,000 prize.
Betting aggregator GrandNational.org.Essex has studied the winning horses since the Grand National started in 1839 and found that, statistically, the winner of the iconic race…
Is nine-years-old
Has a handicap of 10st 7lbs
Has a starting price of 19/1
Is ridden by a jockey called John or Tommy
Is trained by a man called Tom
Has an owner called John
From this year’s expected line-up, Bay Gelding Virgilio perfectly matches the best age (nine) and handicap (10st 7lbs) and most closely resembles the typical Grand National winner.
And, with current odds of 100/1, this French horse could allow racing fans to rein in some serious earnings if he crosses the finish line first.
Those concerned about the unfavourable odds should be reassured that a 100/1 outsider has been victorious at Aintree as recently as 2009. Mon Mome – also nine-years-old at the time – won with jockey Liam Treadwell less than a decade ago.
A spokesperson from GrandNational.org.Essex commented, “Our research shows that, historically, nine-year-old horses weighing 10st 7lbs race best, so this makes Virgilio an interesting proposition, despite the bookies rating the horse at 100/1. When placing a bet on this year’s Grand National it’s worth considering the historical data as it is contrary to the bookmakers’ favourite of Total Recall.”
