IT was the big reveal this week of the weights for the 2026 Randox Grand National on April 11th.

The times have changed over recent decades and, where once you homed in on the 11st mark and went down the list from there, now, over much easier fences, it is the classier horses who are to the fore and from the 11st mark, it’s upwards in the handicap you first look. The last two winners carried 11st 6lb and 11st 8lb.

Today’s Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse will have a big bearing on market movements, with Lecky Watson, Stellar Story, Gerri Colombe, Grangeclare West, Captain Cody and Intense Raffles all putting their credentials on the track. Today’s heavy going is likely to be a different test to Aintree though.

The Thyestes Chase has also been an indicator race for the National and unlucky loser Spanish Harlem (11st 3lb) is in today’s line-up. He has been done no favours in the British handicap however, with Favori Du Champdou (11st 1lb) also looking like he has plenty of weight on what he has achieved.

It’s always worth nothing early season trainer comments on long-range targets and Gordon Elliott did mention the Troytown heavy ground fifth Pied Piper (10st 3lb) as having the National as his aim, though on entry number 54 and a 145 rating, Pied Piper might be borderline to get in.

The improver from the handicaps, the Lucinda Russell-trained Myretown has had a dubious season since his Cheltenham Festival Ultima win last year and stopped very quickly last week and is impossible to fancy with confidence and, on entry 62 (142 rated), won’t get in.

You have to go back to 2014, 12 years ago to find the last double figure in age winner, with the 11-year-old Pineau De Re. An online observer also remarked that 10 of the 34 who faced the starter last year have yet to run again, never mind return for a second attempt. It’s becoming a race for the improving first-timers.

Favourite again

Two of the last three winners were favourites, though we still managed 50 and 33/1 winners in the last four years.

It does look as if last year’s fourth Iroko (11st 1lb now to his 10st 11lb last year) will go off close to favourite again, having pretty much proved his stamina last season, though much will depend on what happens to those entered who will run at the Cheltenham Festival. Top-weight I Am Maximus and Irish National winner Haiti Couleurs being the two prominent in that line. The eight-year-old Iroko is set to receive 10lb from last year’s winner Nick Rockett and 11lb from 2024 winner I Am Maximus.

But horses returning having run well before, no longer have the winning record you might expect - only Red Maurader, Hedgehunter and Mom Mome winning on second attempts and Amberleigh House on his third, but that’s going back to 2009.

J.P. McManus also has solid chances with Spillane’s Tower and Oscars Brother. One lightly-raced in this third season over fences, the other a novice. I’d have doubts on each taking to this type of race. Seven-year-old winners and novices are rare (Noble Yeats has the floor to himself over 80 years no less), but Western Fold has a lot of experience in good company.

Panic Attack comes out favourably on the Timeform assessment and who knows what more improvement she could have off 10st 5lb.

The compressed handicap does little favours for the handicappers below 11st and Mr Vango’s only 4lb less than the Brown Advisory Novices winner looks an impossible task, the track rewarding strong stamina and course experience much less so now than decades ago.

One undisputable fact is that Willie Mullins finds good opportunities for most of his better horses. Neither 2025 Grade 1 Lecky Watson nor Champ Kiely have set the world alight this season, but there are reasons to think both have a better chance than their current odds. Mullins did mention the National as a possible target for Lecky Watson back at the jumps season launch in October. Champ Kiely’s campaign might also not have shown him in the best light and there’s a decent race in him. This could suit, for all that he is a 10-year-old.

Captain Cody was put up by Ruby Walsh, but last year’s Scottish National winner, though on a nice weight, isn’t the most reliable.

So, who to have a long-range punt with? When watching the 2024 Kerry National and Flooring Porter’s all the way gallop, I had thoughts of, wouldn’t he be terrific at Aintree? Yes, he takes a chance at fences, but the 2026 version of Aintree is not so formidable and Tiger Roll took similar chances with fences. This is his target and, even at 11, he certainly should not be 66/1.

You also have to give Monty’s Star a second look with the record of connections in the race. He ran better than his final position in the Irish Gold Cup, has the class and could be better in the spring. His 11st 3lb seems reasonable when you look at those above him.

Ante-post fancies: Lecky Watson 25/1, Monty’s Star 20/1, Flooring Porter, 66/1, Champ Kiely 66/1

ON the day where the sod was being turned on the new all-weather track at Tipperary, a new venture allegedly needed to cope with the amount of flat horses needing runs in the winter months, turning attention to Dundalk that evening, it might have caught the eye that there were three horses in the six-furlong rated contest.

The eight-race card on Wednesday, February 11th had three races with eight, nine and four runners.

The previous weekend, February 6th, the card had a seven-race card with the number of runners, eight, four, seven, six, nine and 14 and 10 in the final two contests. We might need to look a little harder to find the evidence to spread the fixtures over two tracks.

HISTORY and tradition and honouring famous names from the past through adding their name to trophies or races, can be something to add interest and no more so than in sports domain. We have the Bobbyjo Chase this weekend.

In Britain this week, some race name changes were announced, and some quite prudent!

Musselburgh stepped in to take the race from Nottingham to build their own programme, the Listed Further Flight Stakes, transfers to Musselburgh’s Easter Saturday fixture and now becomes the Goliath Cup.

But with the fine and popular stayer having no links to the Scottish track, his name disappears from formbooks which is a shame.