Things are really hotting up for horse racing in 2010 and not only do we have the Cheltenham Festival to look forward to but we also have the Grand National 2010 to eagerly await on April 10th. And luckily for us things are really moving along with all entries and weights now declared for the race.

Generally the final line-up of 40 horses are based on the weights from the heaviest down so horses that have weighted particularly low are very unlikely to run on the day but the odds below with Paddy Power Bookmakers are based on favourites, not on the declared weights.

There’s going to be a string of new young guns trying for the much coveted title on April 10th but don’t dismiss the old faithfuls who are still capable of causing a major upset – Comply or Die anyone??

Odds on Paddy Power change all the time but they have been pretty consistent with who they think is really in contention as Tricky Trickster has been the ante-post favourite from the outset and still is though odds of 10/1 are pretty ridiculous at this stage…

• Tricky Trickster 10/1
• Vic Venturi 12/1
• Black Apalachi 16/1
• Big Fella Thanks 16/1
• Niche Market 16/1
• Backstage 16/1
• Arbor Supreme 16/1
• Possol 16/1
• War of Attrition 16/1
• State Of Play 20/1
• Snowy Morning 20/1
• Character Building 25/1
• Comply Or Die 25/1
• Mon Mome 25/1
• Ballyholland 25/1
• Iris De Balme 25/1
• My Will 33/1
• Don’t Push It 33/1
• Can’t Buy Time 33/1
• Gone To Lunch 33/1
• King Johns Castle 33/1
• Casey Jones 33/1
• The Package 33/1
• Whinstone Boy 33/1
• Irish Raptor 40/1
• Air Force One 40/1
• Albertas Run 40/1
• Madison Du Berlais 40/1
• Roulez Cool 40/1
• Abbeybraney 40/1
• Le Beau Bai 40/1
• Maljimar 40/1
• Palypso De Creek 40/1
• Razor Royale 40/1
• Hello Bud 50/1
• Notre Pere 50/1
• Dream Alliance 50/1
• Offshore Account 50/1
• Joe Lively 50/1
• Our Vic 50/1
• Nozic 50/1
• Seven Is My Number 50/1
• BallyFitz 50/1
• Ballytrim 50/1
• Beat The Boys 50/1
• Cane Brake 50/1
• Cloudy Lane 50/1

A Standard Example Of Ante Post Rules: All racing ante-post bets are accepted and settled on a Rules of Racing basis only. Ante-post bets are accepted at quoted prices, up to and including the day prior to the event, on the basis of all in, run or not, entered or not . Therefore selections not taking part in the race/event concerned are losers. Ante-post bets are those placed at our quoted prices on horses and prior to the race becoming classed as ‘Day of Event’ (Day of event is a term used to describe the time at which overnight declarations are made, usually 10am on the day preceding the race (or two days for certain Group 1 races) for horse racing and the day of the race for greyhounds). All bets placed after the overnight declaration stage are settled in accordance with our Early Prices/Day of Race Rules.

Please check before you bet ante post with your bookmaker regarding the ‘rules & clauses’ all bookmakers are different.

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When multi-millionaire racehorse owner Graham Wylie paid 200,000 guineas for Abbeybraney at public auction in November 2008, he bought the horse specifically with the John Smith’s Grand National in mind, writes Elliot Slater.

A classy performer in his native Ireland, Abbeybraney had only narrowly failed to beat the smart Notre Pere in a Grade 1 event at Leopardstown and made a good start this side of the Irish Sea when chasing home Barbers Shop in a listed contest at Sandown.

Johnston’s gelding was then installed as one of the market leaders for the Welsh Grand National, but sadly the 10-year-old suffered a setback the week before the contest and was out of action for 11 months until returning to run a good third to the useful Weapons Amnesty at Newcastle in November. His subsequent success at Hexham at least showed that he remains sound and could be on the way back to recovering his best form.

Although capable of handling very soft ground, Abbeybraney is probably one of the better Grand National Horses on a decent surface and the prospect of a dry spell leading up to the Aintree meeting in April must enhance his chances of getting involved. A bigger challenge will be to first make the cut for the marathon spectacular as off an allocated weight of 10st 5lbs he appears to be in some danger of being left on the sidelines, needing at least 20 horses above him in the list to be withdrawn before the final declaration stage.

A thorough stayer, Abbeybraney is reportedly pleasing connections in his build up towards a tilt at the Aintree showpiece and could well warm up with a crack at the marathon National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. A good show at Prestbury Park could see his current Aintree Grand National Betting odds of 66/1 being slashed, but there will remain a doubt until only days before the event as to whether or not he will be granted a place in the Grand National starting line-up.

When the John Smith’s Grand National weights were made public in mid-February trainer Mouse Morris’s reaction was one of barely disguised disgust and he made it clear that the 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner was a very doubtful runner, writes Elliot Slater.

I’m sure we have all said things in the heat of the moment that we regret later, and it does appear that Morris is beginning to have second thoughts on the matter. The fact that the majority of firms have re-introduced the in-form veteran into their 2010 Grand National Prices lists at around 20/1, suggests that the vibes emanating from County Tipperary are growing more positive by the day.

It would be great for the Grand National itself if the former Gold Cup winner were to take his chance. Having been counted out as a light of former days, the 11-year-old has come back to form with a vengeance this term since being switched to hurdles, winning two Grade 2 events in recent starts and showing tremendous zest for a fight. A crack at the Ladbrokes World Hurdle could well be a warm-up for a tilt at the Aintree marathon, where even with 11st 1lbs, the gelding could be very competitive if he stays (despite his trainer’s protestations).

In 32 starts under rules War Of Attrition has never fallen, and as well as the Gold Cup, has won six other graded races, including the Grade 1 Swordlestown Novices Chase and the Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup. His career prize money already exceeds a superb £700,000.

Having spent much of the season running over timber to rekindle his enthusiasm, the unique challenge of the Grand National weather fences could easily spark a similarly successful reaction from a horse who has proven time and again that he really is a star performer.

Despite the much voiced frustration of Mouse Morris when the weights for the 2010 Grand National were declared on Feb 16th, the prolific trainer has not yet removed his only entry, War of Attrition, from the big race.

The deadline for the first official scratchings for the race was on march 2nd and it transpired that War of Attrition was not withdrawn which came as a surprise to many including the bookmakers who had previously removed him from their ante-post odds offerings.

With War still in contention it left 98 still in the running as 13 were withdrawn including Irish Invader, Beroni, One Cool Cookie, Kilcrea Castle, Darkness, Siegemaster and Taranis, who was reported lame on Wednesday. There were no real shocks and very little has changed ante-post as all of the favourites are still on to run the race on Saturday April 10th.

The next date for scratchings is March 22nd at which time Morris will have had longer to consider what is best for War of Attrition and despite his allocated weight of 11-01 he may still be in with a very good chance on the day. Paddy Power currently have him at odds of 16/1 putting him as eighth favourite to win so maybe it’s worth the gamble to keep him in!

Big Fella Thanks was always an ante-post favourite with the bookies for the 2010 Grand National but after his winning performance today at Newbury, in the Raymond Mould Supporting Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase, where he romped home, he has now trumped Tricky Trickster with Paddy Power to become the 8/1 horse to beat on April 10th.

Speculation has been rife as to whether or not Paul Nicholls can finally win a Grand National and his hopes seem to have originally been pinned on Tricky Trickster but this afternoon, stable mate Big Fella Thanks proved his weight in gold when he pipped another stable mate, Pasco with Ruby Walsh, to the winning post with Barry Geraghty on board.

Walsh had looked very comfortable and confident on Pasco but not as much as Geraghty on Big Fella Thanks, who started the race 8/1 odds, as he shot passed and took a narrow lead after Pasco pecked on landing after the third last.

This win was considered a warm-up for Big Fella Thanks and even Nicholls was surprised that he had won having admitted after the race that he had expected Pasco to bring home the win. He has since confirmed that both horses will be going to Aintree – BFT in the National and Pasco in the Topham.

With Nicholls now sitting on the first and second ante-post favourites for the Grand National it would appear that almost nothing can stop his current winning streak but the Grand National is a notoriously difficult race and anything can, and usually does, happen on the day!

It seems that lately, Paul Nicholls can do no wrong when it comes to training high profile winners and he’s odds on favourite to be be top trainer for Cheltenham in a couple of weeks with notable runners such as Tricky Trickster, Denman and Kauto Star all under his guidance.

His challenge for the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, which started off being six strong with Denman, Kauto Star, My Will, Taranis, Tricky Trickster and What a Friend has been reduced to five after it emerged on Wednesday that Taranis had met with a setback, and will miss the Festival.

Although he was never considered the favourite and realistically had an uphill battle if he was to make an impact with other contenders such as Cooldine and Imperial Commander still in the running as well as the epic battle between Denman and Kauto Star, he was generally about fifth favourite with the bookies on about 20/1 with most of them.

Despite his successful comeback from serious injury in the Argento Chase at Cheltenham last month he was taken out of the Gold Cup and Grand National entries after an ultra-sound scan revealed he had suffered a fracture of a bony muscle attached to the femur, just below the hip.

This, of course, also rules him out of the 2010 Grand National where hopes were high for him and as it stands, Nicholls is just hoping that he can get him back on track for next season.

Niche Market’s chances at the Grand National are progressively improving and according to trainer Bob Buckler, he is a ‘model’ horse for the race. His running in the Newbury Aon Chase where he came second to Tricky Trickster has encouraged bookmakers to make him the obvious second favourite for the Aintree race, and at 16/1, is succeeded only by Tricky Trickster himself.

At eleven stone four, Niche Market also caused a huge commotion when having been one of four reserves for the 2009 Grand National he was denied a run when there were no non-runners. He then went on to win in the Irish National in April as a 33-1 shot, chased home by two horses that had started at 50-1. He was the third English-trained victor of the Irish National in the previous six years, and gave trainer Buckler a very welcome and very new taste of fame. He first took out a training licence fifteen years ago, and the reward money of €141,500 for the Irish National was more than he had won in the whole of the previous season. Buckler admitted that not getting to race in the Grand National may have been a ‘blessing in disguise’, as the Irish National was ‘much more suitable for him.’

Both owner and trainer have always been particularly optimistic about Niche Market’s chances, knowing what he is capable of from the offset – he had been entered in huge races early on including the Cheltenham National Hunt Chase, in which he came fourth in 2008 and eighth in 2009. He was already proving what he was made of when he won the BGC Silver Cup at Ascot from Monkerhostin in December 2008. However it wasn’t until he came third to the impressive Denman in the 2009 Hennessy Gold Cup that the steeple chase world really began to sit up and pay attention.

Regan, being an Irishman, would prefer if Niche Market was a Cheltenham Gold Cup than an Aintree horse, but that is not the way things have worked out for the horse, which at the end of the day may work out in his favour if he wins in April. The nine year old he has been steadily improving over the past few years and owner Regan expects his weight to go up 2lb or a bit more, which would take his official mark from 148 to 150 nearly for the 2010 National. As Regan says: ‘Niche Market jumps, he gallops and he stays, so in my view, he’s a model for the National.’

Mouse Morris is not a happy camper these days especially as his main contender for the Grand National 2010, War of Attrition, was given a particularly high weighting of 11st 1lb on Tuesday by the official handicapper.

Morris has advised that he is “more than a bit baffled and very disappointed” with the allotted weight which may even rule War of Attrition out of the great race on Saturday April 10th and has, instead, decided to focus on the Ladbrokes World Hurdle next month at Cheltenham. In fact, most bookmakers have even scratched the horse from their official Grand National listings and odds.

Mouse Morris’s frustration is understandable when you consider that War of Attrition hasn’t won a chase since November 2008 and the handicapper appears to have worked off a rating of 158 as opposed to 163 which means that he should, by rights, have been included in the lower weights, which of course would give him a better shot at winning on the day.

War of Attrition was the only entry for Mouse Morris in this year’s Grand National so it looks like it’s going to be a quiet day for him!

The day we’ve all been waiting for since the entries were announced is finally here and yes, the weights have now been declared giving us all a better picture of the potential line up for the Grand National 2010 on April 10th.

There were some surprises, not least of which is the fact that three horses tie for top weight, and even more surprising is the horses themselves – Albertas Run, Madison Du Berlais and Notre Pere are all on 11st 10lbs. I’m not suggesting that these horses don’t have what it takes to win the Grand National but let’s be fair, there are definitely horses in contention who are more likely to give a better run on the day so handicapping these three at the highest level seems a little unusual…

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t even consider backing a horse that weighted more than 11st 3lbs, at the absolute most, but this year that would rule out Tricky Trickster (11st 4lbs), Niche Market (11st 4lbs) and Black Apalachi (11lbs 6lbs) who are all worth serious look.

The Top 50 list of weights is available below and odds on all of the horses are available from Paddy Power Bookmakers.

1) 03-P136 ALBERTAS RUN (IRE) 9-11-10 Trevor Hemmings Jonjo O’Neill

2) 101-324 MADISON DU BERLAIS (FR) 9-11-10 Roger Stanley & Yvonne Reynolds II David Pipe

3) 12-1F544 NOTRE PERE (FR) 9-11-10 Tilly Conway Jim Dreaper IRE

4) 12/14P/-1 TARANIS (FR) 9-11-09 Angela Yeoman Paul Nicholls

5) 4-61r01 OUR VIC (IRE) 12-11-08 David Johnson David Pipe

6) 001-P34 MON MOME (FR) 10-11-07 Vida Bingham Venetia Williams

7) P151U-0 BLACK APALACHI (IRE) 11-11-06 Gerard Burke Dessie Hughes IRE

8 ) 15-5003 JOE LIVELY (IRE) 11-11-06 Richard Dimond Colin Tizzard

9) 0-21150 VIC VENTURI (IRE) 10-11-06 James Dunne Dessie Hughes IRE

10) 1/P002-0 COMPLY OR DIE (IRE) 11-11-05 David Johnson David Pipe

11) 201-423 DON’T PUSH IT (IRE) 10-11-05 J P McManus Jonjo O’Neill

12) 231110- IRISH INVADER (IRE) 9-11-05 Sackcloth & Ashes Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE

13) 43-3U240 MADE IN TAIPAN (IRE) 8-11-04 Frances Duffin/Sean Corby Tom Mullins IRE

14) 401-0352 NICHE MARKET (IRE) 9-11-04 Graham Regan Bob Buckler

15) 22121-21 TRICKY TRICKSTER (IRE) 7-11-04 Chris Giles Paul Nicholls

16) P15P-14 CASEY JONES (IRE) 9-11-03 Gillian Burke Noel Meade IRE

17) 31FU-36 CLOUDY LANE 10-11-03 Trevor Hemmings Donald McCain Jnr

18) PUPP/-21 DREAM ALLIANCE 9-11-03 The Alliance Partnership Philip Hobbs

19) 1P00-60 NOZIC (FR) 9-11-03 Sam Mcvie Paul Nicholls

20) 3201-11 POSSOL (FR) 7-11-03 Neville Statham Henry Daly

21) F3-13233 SIEGEMASTER (IRE) 9-11-03 Gigginstown House Stud Dessie Hughes IRE

22) 553-205 MY WILL (FR) 10-11-02 The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls

23) 3606-4F PABLO DU CHARMIL (FR) 9-11-02 Joe Moran David Pipe

24) r-04205 ONE COOL COOKIE (IRE) 9-11-01 Gigginstown House Stud Charlie Swan IRE

25) P230411 WAR OF ATTRITION (IRE) 11-11-01 Gigginstown House Stud Mouse Morris IRE

26) 0112313 BACKSTAGE (FR) 8-11-00 MPR & Capranny Syndicate Gordon Elliott IRE

27) P6-5111 BALLYHOLLAND (IRE) 9-11-00 Cathal McGovern Colin McBratney IRE

28) FP-1P1P BEAT THE BOYS (IRE) 9-11-00 New Club Ladies Nigel Twiston-Davies

29) 100-000 PREISTS LEAP (IRE) 10-11-00 John O’Donohue/Tom O’Leary Tom O’Leary IRE

30) 212//U1-2(1)(1) ROULEZ COOL 7-11-00 Robert Waley-Cohen Robert Waley-Cohen

31) 5-31110 BERONI (IRE) 8-10-13 Margaret O’Rourke Willie Mullins IRE

32) 314F-01 CAN’T BUY TIME (IRE) 8-10-13 J P McManus Jonjo O’Neill

33) 1P1-0131 LE BEAU BAI (FR) 7-10-13 Glass Half Full Richard Lee

34) 11411P SEVEN IS MY NUMBER (IRE) 8-10-13 David Johnson David Pipe

35) 110322 SNOWY MORNING (IRE) 10-10-13 Quayside Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE

36) 22506-P3 AIR FORCE ONE (GER) 8-10-12 Brian Walsh (Co. Kildare) Charlie Mann

37) 2U136-2U BIG FELLA THANKS 8-10-12 Maggie Findlay & Paul Barber Paul Nicholls

38) 3P///3P10- DARKNESS 11-10-12 Lady Lloyd-Webber Charles Egerton

39) 113-412 DEUTSCHLAND (USA) 7-10-12 Allan McLuckie Willie Mullins IRE

40) 4/2D133- LOUPING D’AINAY (FR) 11-10-12 Jean-Paul Senechal Francois Cottin FR

41) 143301-0 CHARACTER BUILDING (IRE) 10-10-11 Mrs E Wright John Quinn

42) F0-5260 CHELSEA HARBOUR (IRE) 10-10-11 Frances Duffin/Sean Corby Tom Mullins IRE

43) 02U-301 DOONEYS GATE (IRE) 9-10-11 Thomas Gilligan Willie Mullins IRE

44) P2-205P0 GONE TO LUNCH (IRE) 10-10-11 Gary Lever Jeremy Scott

45) 4116-6P KORNATI KID 8-10-11 Diana Whateley Philip Hobbs

46) 60/144-P STATE OF PLAY 10-10-11 William & Angela Rucker Evan Williams

47) 00-1210 ELLERSLIE GEORGE (IRE) 10-10-10 Guy Henderson Nick Mitchell

48) 112130- FOLLOW THE PLAN (IRE) 7-10-10 Cavan Developments Bloodstock Oliver McKiernan IRE

49) 45-1552 JAYO (FR) 7-10-10 Peter Garvey Willie Mullins IRE

50) 11U36U ROYAL COUNTY STAR (IRE) 11-10-10 Dunsany Racing Syndicate Tony Martin IRE