The Grand National: Is 2024 the year of the outsider?

With the Grand National just around the corner now and talk of the favourite potentially romping home, let’s throw caution to the wind and instead go for a ‘no hoper’ or more politely stated ,rank outsider when it comes to our horse racing betting selection. Why? Well, because if your luck is in, you win big… really big.. and if it isn’t, it’s not like you ‘expected’ to win anyway.

For a bit of inspiration it’s worth remembering that an Outsider winning the Grand National is, although not common, certainly not entirely new ground. If you need a little inspiration as to how an Outsider can claim the biggest prize in racing look no future than the history of the event.

There have been five Grand National winners over the 175 races of odds in the triple figure range, and all of those were 100-1. That’s not the biggest surprise as that has often been the biggest odds on offer in the race anyway. In chronological order these 100-1 shots were Tipperary Tim (1928), Gregalach (1929), Caughoo (1947), Foinavon (1967) and Mon Mome (2009). There have been four winners at odds of 66-1 and five at 50-1 (most recently Noble Yeats in 2022). The most comical, shall we say, win was perhaps 100-1 shot Caughoo in 1947. After the race the jockey on second placed Lough Conn accused Eddie Dempsey, who rode Caughoo to victory, of hiding near a fence in dense fog and rejoining the race at the head of the pack. It led to both a physical fight and legal action but Dempsey was soon absolved of wrongdoing. I wonder if they’ll be any punch ups at this year’s Grand National?

And so, which outsider horses have a chance of winning the 2024 Grand National? Well of course that’s the big question, and with the considerable odds in mind, other competitors, fences, ground and more, you’ll need a combination of correctly assessing value as well as having Lady Luck peering over your shoulder. So really this is a question for the individual, but if you’re looking for a big odds tips i’d go with Coko beach at 40-1. The long odds are understandable on account of last years Grand National effort, but he had lost his left hind shoe. The 8 year old impressed in February’s Grand National Trial and has been shown not to get overawed by a big field, having won the Thyestes Chase and the likes in the past. Worth a punt in my view!