2011 Grand National Tip #5: Best bet among favourites is Backstage

Our opening four Grand National tips have largely avoided the favourites in the betting, so with at least one of the market leaders liable to be involved in the finish, Backstage looks the most likely to feature.

Backstage is 12/1 in the Grand National betting and has many things going in his favour ahead of arriving at Aintree.

Firstly, unlike the majority of the market leaders, including The Midnight Club, Oscar Time and What A Friend, Backstage has experienced the Grand National before.

It is largely agreed that he was still travelling strongly when falling 12 months ago and seven of the last 10 Grand National winners had all previously run in the race before.

Meanwhile, Backstage gets into the Grand National off the relatively light weight of 10st 12lb, which is largely as a result of being kept on the Irish point-to-point circuit by trainer Gordon Elliott.

Elliott seems to have especially targeted the horse for the Grand National since last year and the manner in which he has won his last two races suggests that Backstage will be arriving bang on prime form.

The fact that Elliott has already trained one Grand National winner in his career thanks to Silver Birch’s success in 2007 is also a plus, as he will be fully aware of what it takes to prepare a horse for the demands of Aintree.

Jockey Paul Carberry is another to have already shown the desired characteristics to win a Grand National, having scaled the fences successfully on board Bobbyjo in 1999.

Punters concerned about the fact that Backstage fell last year may feel better in that he completed on his two other previous visits to Aintree, while it is not unusual for a horse to win the Grand National after previously falling in the race.

A £20 stake on Backstage winning the Grand National would return £240. New customers can sign up here.