Grand National 2017: Aintree names to follow for the big race

Amid the betting frenzy that surrounds the Grand National, it’s being suggested one name may stand out, in the process highlighting one of racing’s biggest spelling mistakes.

With Aintree being on Merseyside, where red is so prevalent in sport, and the fact many people worldwide believe it their lucky colour, Definitly Red is sure to be all the rage. (There’s an ‘e’ missing in his name, by the way. It’s believed whoever filled out the horse’s registration papers wasn’t a great speller…)

And the credentials of the Brian Ellison-trained runner, who has an attractive mid-range weight, add up too: he’s the winner of three races this season, earning his place in the line-up with a fine-jumping success over 2016 runner-up The Last Samuri (also misspelled, you might have noticed) in Doncaster’s Grimthorpe Chase.

The preparation of Definitly Red, one of three fancied runners – along with One For Arthur and Highland Lodge – from jump racing’s currently less fashionable Northern and Scottish circuit, is described by Yorkshire-based Ellison as “better than perfect”.

On board, riding in the silks of owner Phil Martin, will be jockey Danny Cook, whose appearance on jump racing’s biggest stage is, in a way, doubly unlikely.

Not only has Cook successfully rebuilt his reputation after serving a six-month ban in 2015 following a positive test for cocaine – “a catastrophic error of judgement” – he might also have been facing rather more formidable opponents than Becher’s Brook and The Chair.

As a teenager, he applied to the Army as well as to the Northern Racing College – it’s the Grand National’s gain that the NRC answered first.

Fact: Arriving aged 16 at the Racing College, Cook had never sat on a horse and admits to be being scared of them.

Carrying 11st 10lb, compared to 10-8 in 2016, The Last Samuri would be the first top weight to win since Red Rum in 1974.

Verdict: Brilliant last time, Definitly Red has reportedly been doing all the right things on the gallops, but has never been around Aintree and has fallen or unseated on ‘standard’ courses twice in the last 13 months. Weight is the big issue for The Last Samuri.