Looking for clues to the Grand National winner in the pedigree charts

The Grand National is famed for its uncanny knack of producing winners with amazing backstories year after year and none would be more incredible than Snow Leopardess were she to become the first mare in 70 years to win Aintree's showpiece on Saturday.

Snow Leopardess is the dam of three-year-old Red Panda and would become the first mare to return to training and win the Grand National were she to succeed for owner-breeder Marietta Fox-Pitt and trainer Charlie Longsdon.

There are pointers in her breeding, namely her broodmare sire Persian Bold, who filled that role in the pedigree of 2016 winner Rule The World, and this season's Becher Chase winner, who was fourth to Galvin in last year's National Hunt Chase, has excelled over these fences and staying trips.

Elliott duo has proven pedigrees

Her rivals include the McNeill family and Gordon Elliott's Escaria Ten, who finished one place ahead of Snow Leopardess in the Cheltenham Festival Grade 2 last season.

The eight-year-old son of Maresca Sorrento was born in the same year that Pineau De Re gave the sire his first Grand National winner.

Delta Work (left) is bred on a proven Aintree crossCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Another member of the Elliott National team has a pedigree that has worked at Aintree before. Cheltenham's cross-country chase party-pooper Delta Work is by Network and out of a mare by Video Rock, which is the same cross as that of Saint Are, who was second in 2015 and third in 2017.

National success at the double for Norris family

The Norris family of Woodfield Farm Stud in Waterford had a hand in breeding both the Aintree and Irish Grand National winners of 2021. Minella Times lines up once more at Aintree and is joined in the field by Freewheelin Dylan, who won at Fairyhouse last year.

Liam Norris bred Freewheelin Dylan, the longest priced winner ever of the Irish Grand National when successful at 150-1 for Ratoath trainer Dermot McLoughlin and owner Sheila Mangan, who is the head groom at McLoughlin's Bodeen yard.

The ten-year-old is by Norris's own stallion Curtain Time, a Sadler's Wells half-brother to Sussex Stakes winner Ali-Royal, multiple Group 1 winner and National Hunt sire Taipan and 1,000 Guineas heroine Sleepytime.

Freewheelin Dylan and Ricky Doyle with Mollie O'Connor after their Irish Grand National winCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Freewheelin Dylan is out of Gaye Future, a Beat All half-sister to Great Yorkshire and Racing Post Chase winner Simon. It is a family with which Mercy Rimell enjoyed fabulous success, winning the Champion Hurdle with Gaye Brief and the Stayers' Hurdle with Gaye Chance, both half-brothers to Freewheelin Dylan's third dam.

Last year's history-making Aintree winner Minella Times is also connected to Woodfield Farm Stud as the family bred his dam Triptoshan, an unraced daughter of Anshan and the Listowel Listed-winning hurdler Triptodicks, by Sheer Grit. That pedigree also includes Rambling Minster and Toon River.

Will it be Oscar again?

When it comes to a stallion with a good record in the National, Minella Times's sire Oscar pops up as the sire of both last year's first and third Any Second Now, who also returns for another crack.

Oscar is also the sire of 2013 third Teaforthree and Oscar Time, who was fourth that year and second in 2011. In addition to those horses, he features as the broodmare sire of The Last Samuri, who was second in 2016.

Minella Times and Any Second Now are his only representatives in this year's field.

Could Milan or Presenting double up?

Milan sired 2017 winner One For Arthur, who was bred by John Dwan, and this year the Kelvin-Hughes's homebred 2020 Gold Cup runner-up Santini represents the Grange Stud stalwart's best chance of winning another Aintree spectacular.

Transferred to Polly Gundry's yard for this season, he was eighth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on his most recent run and prior to that was second to Chantry House in the Cotswold Chase.

Can Presenting's granddaughter Agusta Gold win on Masters weekend?Credit: Patrick McCann

The brilliant Presenting, sire of Gold Cup winners Denman and War Of Attrition, also got his name on the Grand National roll of honour with the victory of Ballabriggs in 2011.

He also sired Pleasant Company, who chased home Tiger Roll in his first Grand National success, and is the broodmare sire of Rathvinden, who was third to Tiger Roll in 2019.

His chief hope for 2022 success rests upon Paddy Power Chase winner School Boy Hours, who made the field as a reserve on Friday. Trained by Noel Meade for JP McManus, he was joint-favourite for the Kim Muir last month but was pulled up after almost falling four out.

Presenting also has Brahma Bull, who won the Tom Taaffe Handicap Chase at last year's Punchestown festival for Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci but was another not to finish at Cheltenham last month, when he unseated his rider in the Cross Country Chase.

Additionally Presenting is the damsire of Death Duty, one of seven runners in the race for Gordon Elliott, and the Willie Mullins-trained Agusta Gold, who would be a fitting winner of the race on Masters weekend.

On an interesting tangent, Presenting shares his broodmare sire, Persian Bold, with Snow Leopardess - which may be another pointer towards the well-fancied grey mare.

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