9 F00-65036 ROYAL AUCLAIR 10-11-01

Joe Tizzard Paul Nicholls
Second to Hedgehunter under a big weight in 2005. Same owner as Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kauto Star. Will relish the likely fast ground.
Rating: 7/10 Odds: 40-1

No chance of me winning the sweepstake at work this year, then. This is the first year I actually feel like having a bet on the Grand National - 4 years working at a famous bookmakers put me off gambling in general, but as Point Barrow is so clearly going to win this year’s race, and at 9/1 at present, it must be worth a punt.

The news here is full of the end of Prince William’s break-up - suicide bombers in Morocco have been relegated to second place, and the issues the anti-Putinists in both the UK and Russia are experiencing are way down the list.

And this little story filled me with an immense amount of hope and joy, especially taken alongside my current reading material.