Reasonable weight assignment aids Cloth Cap in Grand National

The Grand National steeplechase, run at Aintree Racecourse in England on Saturday, has been on the minds of owners and trainers with leading prospects for months.

Because the grueling race at 4 1/4 miles is a handicap, there is an art to accomplishing enough with a horse to gain a berth in the 40-horse field, but not too much to be forced to carry a massive weight.

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Cloth Cap, a 9-year-old gelding trained by Jonjo O’Neill, was the 4-1 favorite as of Thursday and will carry 145 pounds, well below topweight Bristol De Mai at 164 pounds. All runners will carry at least 140 pounds and must be at least 7 years old.

Both Cloth Cap and Bristol De Mai had outstanding November races. Cloth Cap won the Ladbrokes Trophy at 3 1/4 miles at Newbury in November and won his only subsequent start in the listed Premier Chase at about three miles at Kelso Racecourse in Scotland on March 6.

Grand National weights were released in February with a clause in the nomination form stating any additional starts after the publication of weights would not affect a horse’s assignment. That made the Premier Chase a convenient prep for Cloth Cap.

Bristol De Mai won the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock in November, one of the top autumn steeplechases, and was second in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase at Sandown Park on Feb. 6 in his only subsequent start.

Because the Grand National is a handicap, the race is listed as a Grade 3. It is worth $1.03 million.

Cloth Cap and Bristol de Mai will start over the testing Grand National fences for the first time on Saturday.

Three of the first 12 horses in the betting as of Thursday, all at 25-1 or better, have experience over the unique course. Magic of Light and Anibale Fly were second and fifth behind Tiger Roll in the 2019 Grand National. The Grand National was not run last year in the early weeks of the pandemic.

Kimberlite Candy has sneaky form, having finished second in the Becher Chase at Aintree at 2 5/8 miles over the Grand National fences in December the last two years. Kimberlite Candy has not raced since December and will start in the longest race of his career on Saturday.

Burrows Saint and Minella Times are racing over the Grand National fences for the first time on Saturday. Burrows Saint won the 2019 Irish Grand National at 3 5/8 miles at Fairyhouse. Minella Times was a good second in the Leopardstown Handicap Chase at about 2 5/8 miles in Ireland on Feb. 7.

With a huge field and the race’s legendary status, this is the biggest betting race of the year annually in the United Kingdom, outranking the popular March steeplechase races at Cheltenham or the Royal Ascot flat meeting in June.

Post time is 12:15 p.m., Eastern, or 9:15 a.m., Pacific.