The afternoon brings the most famous horse racing in the world as 40 contenders start at this year’s Grand National renewal in Aintree. The race starts at 17:15 and will be broadcast live on both ITV and Racing TV. Here, Johnny Ward selects three options for the exhibition…

Longhouse Poet 14/1

He may have reached retirement age, but Martin Brasil’s hunger for the game has not rested and he can take the Randox Grand National with Longhouse Poet.

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It has been 16 years since the native of County Clare took part in the race against Numbersixvalverde and he believes that his runner-up in 2022 has a much bigger category – but there is no doubt that you need it at this time. The National, perhaps the most iconic match in the world, has changed for the better in the last decade. The deaths of high-profile equidae in 2011 and 2012 caused outcry from the public and the media, so major changes were made, especially to the iconic fences. As a somewhat unintentional consequence, the fight is now more classy than ever, and Longhouse Poet scores a lot of boxes. In the past, an eight-year-old who had just six runs over fences would not seem like a guy for this race, but Longhouse Poet has the background of a modern winner. Getty Images Although Brassil thought he wanted heavy ground, it was soft and dry enough for winter standards when a bet landed at Thyestes Chase in Gowran in January. Importantly, this was a race that Numbersixvalverde won before his Aintree heroics. And it is encouraging that perhaps his most impressive victory came in a bumper on good to compliant ground this time of year. This success included a fairly comfortable victory over Monkfish, who became a top-class novice hunter before injury prevented him from appearing this season. Few of them can be guaranteed to cover the distance – such is the nature of the breed – and Yeats breeding is the one that has to prove its endurance. However, it seems likely not only to stay, but also to improve on it. In addition, he jumps well and should be able to stay out of trouble in the first few runners under young cracker Darragh O’Keeffe. It may seem a little disturbing that he was quiet about the obstacles last time, but Brasil does not seem to be worried about that. Round 16-1, with some bettors paying up to seven places at a time, is a nice proposition.

Lightning Surf – 16/1

Getty Images Surprisingly, 10 of the first 11 houses in the race last year were trained in Ireland. In contrast, Ireland-trained handicap hunters tended to struggle in Cheltenham last month and perhaps the hosts can reverse a trend, with four of the last five renewals going over the water. If the National is to stay at home, surely the most likely winner is another eight-year-old, Eclair Surf, one of Emma Lavelle’s two runners. Wiltshire is now home to Califet’s son, who began his career from point to point in Ireland. He has emerged as a key fencer for this match due to how well the form of Eider’s effort at Newcastle in February works. Not only did he drive most of the way and hit everything, but the winner of the race, Win My Wings, continued to demolish his opponents in the Scottish National last weekend, despite rising by 8 pounds. It can be a strong case and rider Tom Bellamy will know how to celebrate if he wins his share of the first prize of £ 500,000. By his own admission, Bellamy has left the playboy lifestyle behind, but you are immortalized if you win the Aintree National.

Delta Work – 14/1

REUTERS Surprisingly, Gordon Elliott had not even coached a winner in his homeland when Silver Birch launched the little-known Irishman to the headlines a year after Numbersixvalverde’s success. Tiger Roll has won the race twice for Elliott as he should definitely be here instead of retiring, but maybe Michael O’Leary will win the National with Delta Work. Delta Work overtook Tiger Roll over the shores of Cheltenham, seemingly fed up with Grade 1 battles. National. Eliot, who was eliminated this time last year, would certainly be the man to win the National if anyone wanted to write a screenplay 12 months later. He runs seven, with Farklas scratched, and in fact has given a favorable report to the distant Samkros. Once the hot prospect, could Samcro go back in time? Another position to consider is Burrows Saint, whose manager, Willie Mullins, has a chance of taking over as British coach if he wins the National. It reached 6-5 in the run last year before its endurance declined. It can stick to a post.

  • Odds are corrected from 13:00 on 9 April.

Runners of the Great National as a whole

Full match card of the Great National Day

1:45 p.m. EFT Construction Handicap Hurdle 2:25 p.m. Betway Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 3:00 p.m. Poundland Maghull Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 3:35 p.m. JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1) 4:15 p.m. Betway Handicap Chase (Grade 3) 17:15 Randox Grand National (Grade 3) 6:20 p.m. Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race