Grand National 2022 odds: Four horses who could shorten in the betting

Weights for the Randox Grand National were revealed on Tuesday afternoon and it is Any Second Now and Snow Leopardess who are jostling for favouritism, but with eight weeks to go until the big race a lot could change.

Keith Melrose and Graeme Rodway have picked out four horses who could shorten in the betting...

Randox Grand National card and betting (Aintree, Saturday, April 9)

Cloth Cap

Current odds: 33-1

Turn the clock back to last year's race and Cloth Cap went off 11-2 favourite for the Grand National off a mark of 148. He was a stone well in on that occasion after winning at Kelso.

Cloth Cap has run only three times since, yet he now races off a mark 1lb lower than a year ago and has had a much easier season this time, which has been geared towards this race.

He hasn't run badly on any of his three runs this campaign, either. He showed up well for a long way on both his reappearance at Cheltenham and in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, while last time at Ascot he helped set a quick pace and was out on his feet when refusing late.

He has been freshened up since and will be spot on for another crack at the race.

Caribean Boy

Current odds: 50-1

This bold-jumping grey has always had loads of potential and he finally went some way to fulfilling his promise when an easy winner of a 3m handicap chase at Kempton in January.

He went off 7-1 favourite for last year's Topham and made a bad mistake at the 11th, which put an end to his chance. But he might find it easier to lay up in this race over a longer trip.

Caribean Boy: winner at Kempton last timeCredit: Edward Whitaker

He is now 3lb lower than he was when he competed in last year's Topham and could win again en route to the National because connections have him entered in the Swinley Chase at Ascot this weekend and the Coral Trophy, back at Kempton, a week on Saturday.

If he does win either of those, there is a good chance he will be shorter than his current odds.

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Burrows Saint

Current odds: 25-1

Last year's fourth appeared to fail for stamina, which would be a concern ahead of this year's race, but remember that was only his tenth run over fences and he had won the Irish Grand National on his fourth for Willie Mullins. At nine, he is just coming to his peak as a stayer and looks set for another big run.

There is no shortage of reasons for Burrows Saint to shorten. He chased home Al Boum Photo last time and will run next in the Bobbyjo Chase, a major National trial. Combine that with his course form, similar mark to last year, even his green and pink silks which will make him popular with a subset of the once-a-year punters, and it is easy to see him going off around the 14 or 16-1 mark.

Discorama

Current odds: 33-1

Another who looked to just run out of puff last year, but here the excuses are a little more circumstantial. Discorama made a move forward at the mid-way point of last year's race, just as Jett was taking off. He stayed there and crossed the Melling Road for the last time in fourth before the warning lights started going off.

He was quietly backed last year, going off at 16-1, off a prep that is similarly laser-focused as this year's campaign so far. If there were any way last year's build-up could have gone better, Paul Nolan will have found it and few could argue that Discorama is anything other than well treated off a mark 1lb lower than last year.

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