Most of us like to pick out a horse as our selection for the iconic £1 million race or draw one in the workplace sweep. And it's that time of the year again on Saturday when the latest edition of the National, first run way back in 1839, graces the Merseyside turf.
Sponsored by Randox, the tapes for the race, over the marathon 4m2f distance, will rise at 4 pm, and you can follow the action live on ITV and Racing TV. To help you find your fancy, I have compiled this easy-to-follow pinstickers' guide to all of the runners, in racecard order, complete with their best odds at the time of writing. Comments on each horse are based on the assumption that the going will be Soft.
Those horses include the last two winners of the race, Corach Rambler and Noble Yeats but, amazingly, no fewer than 16 of the contenders are trained in Ireland by either Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott. Only eight are trained in the UK.
It's exactly 40 years since I made my first trip to Aintree when Hallo Dandy landed the spoils, beating Greasepaint and Corbiere into second and third. Things have changed dramatically since those days, with the course's stands and facilities now among the best in the country and the track's famous 30 fences, such as Becher's Brook and The Chair, far less demanding and daunting in the interests of safety.
Animal welfare is now of paramount importance, and more new safety measures have been introduced for Saturday's race. The number of runners has been cut from 40 to 34 to reduce the risk of falls and accidents, while the start has been moved to prevent a headlong charge to the first fence that can result in the horses setting off too fast.
Hopefully, the measures will contribute to an entertaining, thrilling spectacle, from which all horses and riders return home safe and sound. Good luck!
MY 1-2-3-4-5 PREDICTION
1 MEETINGOFTHEWATERS
2 PANDA BOY
3 MR INCREDIBLE
4 MAHLER MISSION
5 CORACH RAMBLER
Best Outsider: CHAMBARD
33. Chambard (66/1)
Venetia Williams knows what it takes to train a big-priced winner of the National, having sent out 100/1 shot Mon Mome in 2009. Here's her chance of a repeat with a 12yo veteran who conquered the Aintree fences impressively in the Becher Chase in December. Three subsequent runs have been poor but he did also win a race at the Cheltenham Festival under his regular amateur jockey Lucy Turner two years ago. Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
34. Kitty's Light (14/1)
Victory would be hugely emotional for Welsh trainer Christian Williams, whose six-year-old daughter Betsy is fighting cancer. His stable star has failed to shine in his last five starts, but long-distance races like this are his speciality and, last term, he pulled off a remarkable hat-trick in the 4m2f Eider Chase, the 4m Scottish Grand National and the 3m5f bet365 Gold Cup. Drying ground would be a bonus. Photo: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images