Chancing a dodgy jumper in the National? Here's the data to make you think again

With the weights for the Grand National announced on Tuesday, we can expect to read a great deal about the type of horse best suited to the challenge.

It was a given in days gone by you would need a particularly assured jumper to survive those fiendishly tough fences, but in the modern era of jumps racing safety – both equine and human – has become a much bigger factor not just at Aintree, but all courses.

It therefore makes sense that fences are less stiff and the Grand National isn't quite the jumping test it once was, but a quick look at the data underlines the fact jumping prowess should still be near the top of the list when it comes to looking for the winner.