Panto Horse or Real Horse?

Can you tell a pantomime horse from a real horse? Your hay from your neigh? Your hoof from your spoof?

Paddy Power want you to identify which cleverly disguised horse’s, are real and which are fake in the run up to the Grand National 2016.

1. Oh no it isn’t…. or oh yes it is!

2. He's Behind You

3. Feeling a little horse today?

4. Crazy horses

5. Polo player or panto joker

6. Smile it's panto time!

Answers:

The Grand National - Infograph

More Grand National Stats and Trends at Myracing.com

Grand National 2016 First Thoughts

Are you by any chance busy on Saturday 9th April at 5:15pm? I hope not because, in the UK alone, 10 million + of us racing fans will be freeing up our diary and making a beeline for the settee (and 70,000 plus will be at aintree racecourse) to tune into the national hunt event that casual and serious punters alike tune in too, namely the 2016 Crabbie's Grand National.

This year's favourite, and in fact last year's winner, is Many Clouds, currently at a fairly short 8-1. Of course Many Clouds is proven over the course so is something of a known quantity but with over 40 runners and 30 jumps, it's a brave man that thinks he's onto a short priced good thing at the Grand National. A favourite, or rather a joint favourite hasn't won the National since Don't Push It was riden to victory at 10-1 in 2010 by Tony McCoy. A joint favourite won in 2008 too (Comply or Die) but you have to go all the way back to 2005 and Hedgehunter riden by Ruby Walsh to find a favourite in its own right winning, on that occasion at 7-1.

With this in mind, the Grand National would appear to be a prime opportunity to pull a big winner out of the bag, while pretending you're some kind of horse whispering savant in the process. A cousin of mine has become well known for picking Grand National winners and while he doesn't even follow horse racing on a regular basis and there was likely no rhyme or reason to his selections, each year family and friends would all ask "what's he betting on this year?" as the race neared. Many other friends don't really get a say on who they are cheering on as it's all part of a office sweepstake or the like, or perhaps a horse's name stands out for them. That's not to say that, despite the many unknowns of a race like the Grand National, a bit of knowledge and nouse can't go a long way in terms of making your selections. We'll be going into that in more detail in the days to come.

If you're looking for inspiration though in anticipation of backing a big priced winner in the 2016 event, it's somewhat easier to achieve than spotting a favourite romping home in first place. Many Clouds, this year's favourite, was actually a fairly generous 25-1 when it won last year, but if you're looking for 'really' big odds, look no further than Auroras Encore in 2013 at 66-1 with bookmakers and the bind boggling 100-1 on offer for Mon Mome in 2009. I wouldn't have minded a few quid on that one. Will 2016 be another year of the big winner, or will Many Clouds or another short priced contender romp home? We won't have to wait long to find out now!

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14:45, Doncaster, Saturday April 2

The Lincoln, run over the straight mile at Doncaster, is the traditional curtain-raiser for the Flat season and looks as competitive as ever this year, with just 8lb between the top and bottom of the handicap. Winners at 25/1, 22/1, 20/1 (twice) and 16/1 in the last ten years provide cause for optimism as far as this column is concerned and, with several of the fancied runners making their seasonal debuts, a shock result is always a possibility.

First on our shortlist this week is Richard Hannon’s 6-year-old Emell (40/1) who, at first glance, doesn’t appear to have much going for him. The Medicean gelding could finish only 18^th of 22, beaten 19 lengths, behind Gabrial in this race last year and is 5lb higher in the weights this time, has never won over a mile, or on soft going, and finished last of eight, beaten 5¼ lengths, behind Mister Universe on the all-weather at Lingfield four weeks ago.

However, he was far from disgraced at Lingfield on his first appearance since last October and ran well enough in defeat on good to soft, and soft, going last season to suggest that he won’t be beaten because of underfoot conditions alone. From a handicapping perspective, in his last run in a handicap he was only beaten 1¾ over 7 furlongs at Newbury last July off a mark of 103 so, although he’s no handicap snip, it’s difficult to argue that he’s impossibly handicapped either. It’s worth remembering, too, that he finished second in the Celebration Mile as a 4-year-old, so he has a touch of class. Being drawn on the outside, in stall 20, may not do his chances any harm and his chance is not as forlorn as his odds suggest.

Fire Ship (33/1), a 7-year-old trained by William Knight, also returns for another crack at the Lincoln after finishing 20^th, beaten 20 lengths, last year off a 9lb higher mark. However, the West Sussex trainer expressed his concern that the prevailing good ground on that occasion wouldn’t be soft enough for the Firebreak gelding, so that performance is probably best forgiven. In his defence, on his sole appearance in a handicap on soft ground last season, Fire Ship reared at the start and lost many lengths and, while he failed to make much impression in two starts over hurdles this winter, it can be argued that he’s well handicapped on the pick of his Pattern race form. According to his trainer, he doesn’t like to be crowded in his races, so stall 16 of 22 should suit him well enough and he’s another who could go well at a decent price.

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Selections: Doncaster 2.45 Emell (40/1), Fire Ship (33/1)