Major Grand National shake-up with weights for all horses changed after Conflated is declared for another race

3 weeks ago 23

THE Grand National underwent a major shake-up on Wednesday – impacting every one of the 34 remaining runners.

Gordon Elliott’s Conflated had been top weight in the field and due to carry 11st12lb in Saturday’s £1million race.

But the Irish trainer has declared the Gigginstown-owned horse for Friday’s Melling Chase instead.

It means 2022 winner Noble Yeats will now be raised from 11st11lb to 11st12lb, making him the new top weight.

And because he has been bumped up a pound, all the other runners in the race will be too.

That was good news for Welsh trainer Christian Williams as his well-backed Kitty’s Light snuck in at the bottom of the weights.

The former bet365 Gold Cup and Scottish Grand National winner has been hammered into 14-1.

But it’s a Willie Mullins runner who is attracting a ‘torrent’ of money – specifically his incredibly well-backed Meetingofthewaters.

Bookies predict he could usurp defending champ Corach Rambler as favourite by the time the runners set off on the 4m2f race at 4pm, after a ‘massive’ surge of cash on the JP McManus-owned horse.

All runners carry different weights in the Grand National because it is a handicap race.

The best horses carry the most weight in a bid to make it as fair as possible.

Conflated was a 50-1 chance for the Grand National but will now take on the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Ryanair winner Protektorat in the Grade 1 chase.

Punters might go looking towards those at the bottom of the weights for the National with the race set to be run on heavy ground.

Aintree has been pummelled with rain all week – and the last significant downfall looks set to come today.

The National track is currently heavy, soft in places following 9.2mm of rain on Tuesday afternoon.

Conflated will run in the famous Gigginstown silks of owner and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary.

But his brother Eddie, who runs their racing operation, said they have another Elliott runner in the National who will ‘love’ the ground – 33-1 Delta Work.

O’Leary said: “I’d say of ours Delta Work would be the one.

“He’s a good horse and he’ll love the ground.

“It was a pity he didn’t get to run in Cheltenham after they called the Cross Country off as horses were trained for that to come forward for the National, but we are where we are now.”