Vaughan says don’t discount youngest horse in Grand National

A horse younger than eight hasn’t won the Grand National since before World War II and this could be the main reason why only one runner among the remaining entries has the opportunity to end this 73-year wait.

Bogskar was the last seven-year-old winner in 1940 and in the last decade alone, 25 horses in this age group have tackled the Grand National, with none even managing to make the each-way frame.

This fact has not deterred Tim Vaughan from allowing Saint Are to take his chance this time and he can be backed at 50/1 to win the Grand National.

Possible factors in the struggles of the younger horses are that they tend to be inexperienced compared to their older counterparts, while negotiating 30 fences over a distance in excess of 4m will push their stamina to new levels.

The good news for fans of Saint Are is that despite his young age, he is not a novice in the chasing game.

Saint Are has already racked up 11 chase starts in his career and this includes a victory at the Grand National meeting 12 months ago when landing the John Smith’s Handicap Chase over 3m1f.

Big Fella Thanks has best represented the seven-year-olds when sixth in 2009 and he did so having only run six times over fences before arriving at Aintree.

Furthermore, Saint Are clearly produces his best at this time of year, having won both his career starts in April, while in three visits to Aintree, he has two victories and a second on his record.

History certainly suggests that he is more at home coping with the demands of Aintree, rather than the undulating nature of Cheltenham.

The Liverpool Echo reports that Vaughan said: “He always seems to save his best for Aintree. I can’t see why he shouldn’t like it again.

“Whether it is the time of year, the spring he is just coming to hand, I just don’t know, But I would say it is definitely advantageous that he seems to like it there so much.”

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.