Grand National 2018 Weights

We’re quickly approaching the 2018 Grand National which means that you are now able to place Paddy Power Grand National bets in preparation for the race. The National Hunt horse race is held every year at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. The race is over 4 miles long with horses jumping 30 fences over two laps. The race is even the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of around £1 million. The Grand National has become prominent in British culture, with the race being popular amongst those who do not usually watch or bet on horse racing.

A few weeks ago, the weight list for the horses competing in the 2018 Grand National was released. This article looks at the weights on some the horses competing in this year’s race.

Brian Ellison’s Definitly Red was handed the top weight of 11st 10lb and was considered one of the favourites for this year’s race. However, the horse has been withdrawn from the race to compete in another race at the Merseyside circuit two days earlier.

One of the favourites who will be competing in the Grand National this year is Blaklion. The horse was handed a weight of 11st 6lb following his 12-length victory in the Randox Health Becher Handicap Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree in December. Despite this impressive race in December, Blaklion was unimpressive in February finishing 54 length behind winner Yala Enki in the Grand National Trial Handicap Chase. Although Blaklion underperformed in February’s race, his trainer claimed that he still has an excellent chance of winning the race.



Another one of the favourites, Total Recall, was handed a weight of 11st 1lb. Total Recall managed to put in impressive displays at Newbury in December and in Dublin in February, winning both of his races. The horse also competed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but failed to make the finish line after falling during the race. Despite failure at Cheltenham, the horse still remains one of the favourites according to numerous bookmakers. Anibale Fly is another horse which will be heavily backed by betters to win the race this weekend. The horse last competed last month in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, where he managed to finish in a respectable 3rd place. Anibale Fly was given a weight of 11st 7lb prior to this month’s Grand National race.

The horse with the ‘lowest’ weight is Krackatoa King who was handed a weight of 9st 3lb. Although the odds suggest that the horse is considered a long shot, Krackatoa King has performed reasonably well since the start of 2017, finishing in the top three in seven of his previous 10 races. Despite some impressive racing performances, it is likely that Krackatoa King will struggle in the race.