Grand National review: Two 40/1 tips give punters plenty to cheer in thrilling Aintree showpiece

Having already landed a 14/1 winner (backed in to 5/1 SP) on Thursday and an oh-so-close runner-up spot on Friday, Andrew’s two selections for the Grand National also delivered the goods.

As far back as early March, his ante-post Grand National trends analysis narrowed the vast amount of pre-declaration runners down to Galvin and Ain’t That A Shame, and nothing happened in the build-up to the race to change his mind, with both earning their place in the the final 34-runner line-up.

While no match for the impressive winner I Am Maximus, they both certainly gave us a great run for our each-way money.

Galvin - 4th at 40/1

As expected on the improving ground, Galvin gave Sam Ewing a brilliant ride, always jumping well and in touch with the leaders, before making headway over the last couple of fences and finishing strong to take fourth spot, just a length behind Delta Work and Minella Indo in second and third respectively.

This was no more than was predicted in Andrew’s ante-post preview:

"Galvin unseated at the first fence in this race last year, but that was probably more to do with the long delay to the start of the race than by his jumping ability. 

The Gordon Elliott-trained 10-year-old is a class act and appears to get in here off a reasonable weight. He should still be galloping when many are running on empty and if able to enjoy a clear round and still be in touch approaching the last, he will have a real shout of coming through to win the race."

Ain’t That A Shame - 6th at 40/1

With all bookmakers paying out on six places, there was just room for Ain’t That A Shame to squeeze into the frame after owner/jockey David Maxwell had held his prized gelding up off the pace throughout before exploiting his stamina to pass a few after the last.

This came as no surprise to Andrew of Fiosrach, who had predicted just such a performance from the capable 10-year-old:

"Ain’t That A Shame finished down the field in the National last season, but at least now knows what the experience is like, as he jumps well and has won at Grade 3 level so has a decent amount of ability. 

The fact that Rachael Blackmore has opted for another of Henry De Bromheads charges, 2021 Gold Cup winner Minello Indo, might be seen as a negative, but the jockey can only have so much influence, and on his day Ain't That A Shame could have the legs for this, regardless of who he is lugging round."

At one-fifth the odds, those two 40/1 each-way places equated to a couple of 8/1 winners in the same race, so it was a fitting way for Andrew to complete another productive Festival. 

On Wednesday, he had tipped Sans Bruit at 14/1 to win Thursday’s Red Rum Chase, and Paul Nicholls’ six-year-old duly obliged with a tidy four-length victory, having been backed down to a 5/1 starting price.

Friday’s tip was the well-fancied 6/1 shot James Du Berlais, again backed down from a double-digit price, and he almost made it a tasty double, but was agonisingly pipped in the final strides by the rallying Arizona Cardinal.

All this came just a month after Andrew had landed us a 25/1 winner with Monmiral (ridden by PlanetSportBet ambassador Harry Cobden) at the Cheltenham Festival, where he also picked out each-way places at 28/1, 11/1 and 13/2.

If you want to follow future tips from Andrew of Fiosrach, then be sure to catch his weekly articles on the Planet Sport site - and with the Scottish Grand National coming next Saturday, April 20, we’re looking forward to another thrilling race.