Grand National Tips: Paul Jacobs’ 4 antepost value plays for the 2023 race

Paul Jacobs serves up four he thinks could score at Aintree after the weights for the Grand National were released.

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Antepost Grand National 2023 tips

Corach Rambler
Coko Beach
Le Milos
Enjoy d’Allen

*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing / Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason – you will lose your stake under traditional Antepost rules

Corach Rambler

I wanted one player at the top of the market for this initial 2023 preview and Mr Incredible was my first port of call, but as I pen this piece late on Tuesday night, due mainly to the remarks of Willie Mullins, his price has come crashing down and so I have gone in favour of the second favourite Corach Rambler especially as his trainer knows exactly what it takes to win the big race.

Ever since I first saw this gelding win a novice handicap chase at Aintree off a mark of 127, I thought that here was a big race marathon performer in the making. In six runs since then that view has only be cemented with a Cheltenham Festival success off 140 and then an eye catching and staying on fourth in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury at the back end of November off 147. Set to run off a rating of 146, I feel this race is made for him and he looks very much in the mould of the yard’s previous winner One For Arthur with his best days very much ahead of him.

Coko Beach

Gordon Elliott’s charge Coko Beach may well be 5lbs higher than last year, but two factors play massively in his favour this time around having finished a distant 66 length, eighth of the 40 runners last year after having every chance at the third last. Firstly, he comes here at the height of his career powers, having blitzed to victory in the three and a half mile Grand National Trial at Punchestown and secondly I believe he was given a wholly misjudged ride by Jonjo O’Neill junior last year, racing with the choke out for most of the way and paying for those exertions from the Melling Road.

However, on a hugely positive note, what we do know is that eight-year-old grey gelding jumps for fun, has a high cruising speed and would have every chance of seeing out the trip with a more patient ride and indeed shrewd ride. Under such tactics I believe he would have every chance of reaching the frame at the very least this year.

Grand National how many horses

Le Milos

Dan Skelton’s charge Le Milos was well ahead of Corach Rambler in the Newbury show-piece in November, but was only getting going in the last three furlongs. It is fairly clear to me that his astute trainer has aimed the remainder of the season around the the great race with the alternative of a low key likely warm-up over hurdles.

His rating of 152 is only 6lbs higher than for his victory in Berkshire. He is such an adaptable horse as well, as spring ground or a deeper surface is not a problem and he possesses a most wonderful attitude as we saw at Newbury when Remastered came to win his race and Le Milos refused to be passed and kept on pulling out even more. Like my two previous picks he is now at the peak of his powers and I fully believe that this extended trip could bring out even more improvement.

Enjoy d’Allen

For my final horse of note from the publication of the National weights I was tempted by Pencilfulloflead as he has looked a bottomless stayer in the making, but I believe his fencing is a slight problem. He could well prove me wrong especially off a mark of 153 and with a really nice racing weight to boot, but in the end I decided to plump for the horse that came unstuck at the very first obstacle last year and seems to have been cast aside by bookmakers and punters alike.

In the few weeks leading up to the Aintree spectacular Enjoy d’Allen was one of the gambles of the race being backed from 66/1 down to 16/1 before his s.p settled at 20’s. Since then the nine-year-old has run just the four times, running a cracking ninth in the Irish National before two below par runs at the beginning of this season at Navan over hurdles which you get a feeling was merely to protect his current mark in great tradition of Aintree preps.

But his eye catching run came on his return to fences at Christmas when he raced very freely in the Paddy Power Chase, until outpaced turning out of the back straight for the final time in what was a relatively slowly run race which didn’t play to his strengths. Now 2lbs lower than last year, I expect he could go for the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse or have a final prep over hurdles. Set to race off a 2lbs lower mark than last year, he is my left of centre outsider to consider.

2023 Grand National tips

Corach Rambler
Coko Beach
Le Milos
Enjoy d’Allen

*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing / Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason – you will lose your stake under traditional Antepost rules

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