Wyck Hill one to keep an eye on for the Grand National

Wyck Hill’s name is not one that has been regularly linked with the Grand National as yet, but 25/1 will certainly look a big price should he line up at Aintree in April.

David Bridgwater’s nine-year-old has won on both starts this season, with the latest being over a gruelling 3m on heavy ground at Ascot, where he showed bottomless stamina to beat Katenko.

The runner-up has come out and landed a decent contest at Sandown since, which has seen his official rating increase to 147.

Wyck Hill has only been handed a mark of 140 after his Ascot success and there are clear grounds to assume that he is capable of far more.

Bridgwater has indicated that he is likely to wait until after the releasing of the Grand National weights in February before sending Wyck Hill back out to the racecourse, which suggests that the Aintree showpiece is high on his agenda.

However, Wyck Hill is so highly regarded that Bridgwater has entered him into the Cheltenham Gold Cup, where he would compete off level weights with a hatful of horses rated 160+.

If he finished anywhere near the front in the Gold Cup, his rating would easily surpass 150 and potentially could be 1st well-in heading to the Grand National.

These developments are based on a lot of ‘ifs’, but what is definite is that Wyck Hill would have more than a live Grand National chance if competing from a rating of 140.

His jumping is one of his strongest assets, which obviously bodes well for Aintree, while the fact he prefers to front run must be considered a positive as he will be more likely to avoid traffic problems and being caught up in the mistakes of others.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date