Noble Yeats produced a fantastic storyline to land the 2022 Grand National at Aintree. On what was amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen’s last ride before retiring, the pair prevailed in the world’s most famous steeplechase.
The seven-year-old was the youngest winner of the marathon contest since Bogskar in 1940. The chaser remains open to improvement, which will give his connections a lot of confidence about defending his crown next April.
Very few have been able to win back-to-back renewals of the Aintree feature. Red Rum, who often trained on Southport beach before his races, was successful in 1973, 1974 and 1977. More recently, Tiger Roll prevailed in 2018 and 2019.
Noble Yeats is the early 16/1 favourite in the horse racing betting for the contest next year. He will be without his winning rider in that race, however, given how well he performed in the 2022 contest, there is unlikely to be a shortage of interest in the ride.
More Weight Expected Next Year
The handicapper has reacted to Noble Yeats’ victory in the Grand National by raising him 11lb in the official ratings. It means his task is likely to be much tougher next season, as he will have more weight on his back.
Trainer Ernest Mullins will be plotting what path to take with his horse over the summer. The chaser will now have a break until at least October before all roads lead back to Aintree.
Next season will be just Noble Yeats’ second campaign as a chaser. He appeared just once over hurdles and then was fast-tracked to fences. He scored on his debut at Galway but then had to wait until the lucrative race on Merseyside for his second success.
The weights for the 2023 Grand National will be released in February. The handicapper will not only take into consideration how the horse fared at Aintree back in April, but also his form in the early stages of next season.
New Challengers to Noble Yeats Crown Expected
One of the biggest challengers to Noble Yeats in next year’s Grand National is expected to be Stattler. He is considered one of the most exciting chasers in the UK and Ireland.
Willie Mullins’ runner won the National Hunt Challenge Cup at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival. That race took place over 3m6f, so he proved he has the stamina for the long-distance races.
The Irish horse is 20/1 in the betting for the 2023 Grand National. He goes into the 2022/23 campaign with an unbeaten record over fences, as he has won all three of his starts over fences. With more experience on his side next season, Mullins may see him as his leading hope for Aintree.
Another promising chaser who could tackle the bigger fences in 2023 is Ahoy Senor. He was victorious at the Grand National Meeting in 2022, as he won the Grade One Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
Ahoy Senor is trained in Scotland by Lucinda Russell. The last Scottish-trained horse to be successful in the Grand National was One For Arthur in 2017. This latest star chaser has a great chance of adding his name to the roll of honour in the near future.
The 2023 Grand National is set to take place on 8th April. It will be the 175th renewal of the annual contest.
OTS News on Social Media