Selective watering taking place as ground changed to good to soft on all courses

With the 2021 Grand National now just three days away, we've outlined everything you need to know about ground conditions as racing gears up for the Aintree showpiece on Saturday, April 10.

The official going description

As of Wednesday afternoon, the going on the National course and on the hurdle and chase tracks on the Mildmay course is good to soft. Watering of 3-5mm took place on the Mildmay course on Wednesday while 3mm is to be selectively applied to the National course on Wednesday evening.

What does the forecast say?

Some light showers are possible on Wednesday night with up to 2mm of rainfall, before a dry and cloudy Thursday with a potential brief spell of up to 2mm of rain during the night.

It is expected to be cloudy on Friday and Saturday, with some scattered sleety showers possible.

View from the course

Sulekha Varma, clerk of the course at Aintree, said on Wednesday morning: "We're very pleased with where the ground is, the Grand National course is good to soft all over after running an irrigation cycle through the night. It was another frosty start this morning and we did have a brief blizzard yesterday evening. We still have a wintry feel to things.

"We're watering the Mildmay course today with 3-5mm, we'd like to start on good to soft all over on that tomorrow, but we'll have to see where it's at on Thursday morning. It's quite possible we might need to water again on the National course in places. We're monitoring it and seeing what the weather does over the next couple of days and if we need to water overnight, it's something we can do. It's a 'watch this space' situation.

"The forecast isn't too bad, but there's a risk of a overnight shower Thursday into Friday but we're talking a maximum of 1-2mm. There's no significant rain and during the day it'll remain chilly and breezy, but we might see some sunshine through the clouds, which may keep people a bit warmer."

What's the latest betting?

Cloth Cap remains a solid 4-1 favourite across the board, with 2019 Irish Grand National hero Burrows Saint next best in the market at a general 8-1.

There has been recent support for leading fancy Any Second Now who has been cut to 9-1 (from 10), while Farclas was another mover earlier in the week into 20-1 (from 25). Discorama was another mover on Tuesday into 12-1 in places (from 18).

Which key runners will it suit?

Burrows Saint's three best performances, according to Racing Post Ratings, have come on ground similar to what he will experience at Aintree on Saturday.

Magic Of Light and Anibale Fly have both produced their best efforts on good to soft going and are live each-way players, while dual Grade 1 winner The Storyteller's 11 career victories have came on ground varying between good and soft.

That includes his success in this season's Down Royal Champion Chase last November, which came on yielding ground.

Read more on the 2021 Grand National festival:

What will the 2021 Randox Grand National winner look like?

'I should have fears but I don't - in my guts I think he's a National horse'

Who do our experts fancy for the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday?

Check out the Racing Post Grand National microsite for the latest tips and odds for the big race. The best Grand National betting advice and exclusive free betting offers all in one place.