Carl Llewellyn is one of very few jockeys to take the coveted title of Grand National winning jockey not once but twice when he successfully rode both Party Politics in 1992 and Earth Summit in 1998. Modest Llewellyn stresses that his National wins have both been all about luck but it’s far from just luck that made Llewellyn the champion jockey he was and more the determination that is essential if a jockey is going to ‘make it’.

He rode his first National Hunt winner in 1986 and by the 1987-88 season, with 41 wins under his belt he had taken the conditional jockeys title. In 1988 he made his debut in the Grand National on Ginger McCain-trained Kumbi and even though Llewellyn’s ride was ended by a somersaulting fall, he remained enthusiastic and unphased, reporting it as having been ‘a brilliant first ride’.

His second entry to the National, on Smart Tar resulted in another fall and it was another three years before Llewellyn rode in the National again. This time however it was ‘third time lucky’, even though Llewellyn stated afterward that he had felt very unhappy at the beginning of the race due to Party Politics breathing problems.

At this stage Llewellyn was riding regularly for Nigel Twiston-Davies, who he went on to work with for 19 years. Following many big-race wins and showing further prowess at Aintree, with a third on 100-1 outsider Camelot Knight in 1996, 1998 was Llewellyn’s next big year when he won the National on Earth Summit, by 11 lengths. Earth Summit became the first horse to win at Aintree as well as the Scottish and Welsh Grand Nationals.

He is now back in partnership with Nigel Twiston-Davies and is sure to submit a serious contender for the 2010 Grand National title he could be in with an incredible chance of becoming a winning trainer but for now it’s the Paul Nicholls trained Tricky Trickster that has the bookies all flustered so he might have his work cut out for him…

Tricky Trickster is the big name this year with the following ante-post odds at the bookies:

Ladbrokes – 16/1
Paddy Power – 18/1
Betfair – 21/1

We are nowhere near finalising the final 40 horses that will line up for the 2010 Aintree Grand National but so much buzz already surrounds the entrants that we decided to take a closer look at Tricky Trickster, one of the ante-post favourites.

Tricky Trickster is the Irish 6 year old horse currently being trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies. Though his career to date is limited, he has been extremely successful with three wins from six starts as well as three second place finishes netting earnings of over £60,000. So on paper he’s looking like a great prospect for the Grand National but if all it took were youth and speed to win this race then we would probably have seen a lot more upsets over the last few years.

Age – generally we recommend horses who are 9 or 10 years old, possibly 8 if the horse is a real winner but never 7 or younger so on that basis Tricky Trickster may struggle as he will still only be six years old.

Stamina – it is rare to find very young horses running long distances and we always suggest that you back a horse with some history or running and completing a course similar in length to Aintree. Fortunately, Tricky Trickster has done this when he entered and won the 4m National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup at Cheltenham in March 09, proving he has the legs to go the distance.

Weight – I should mention that when winning at Cheltenham he carried a ferocious 11-11 which would be very very high if he were to be lumbered with that when the weights come out in Feb 2010. Ordinarily I would only recommend backing a horse carrying absolutely no more than 11-03 on the day.

Season – on the run-up to the Grand National, check out his form on the hurdles as opposed to the Chase events. If his trainer really does consider him a serious contender then he’ll probably reduce his steeple chase appearances in favour of smaller hurdle events in Ireland and England, thereby protecting his marks which should, in theory, get him a lower Grand National weight.

It really is too early to say whether or not Tricky trickster can win the 2010 Grand National, in fact, I can’t even be certain that he’s even going to be entered into the race as a lot can happen between now and then. I personally think he’s too young and with 39 other competitors lining up alongside him, he may lose his way in the crowd. Follow his progress, check the experience of the jockey, look at his weight and study his form and then when all else fails cross your fingers, because luck is as much a part of this race as anything else!

For Ante-Post odds on Tricky Trickster, check out Paddy Power and don’t forget your free bet!