Ben Linfoot unpicks the result of the 2021 Randox Grand National in his big-race analysis - also check out the full result to find out what happened to your cash.
Randox Grand National 2021: Full Result
1st MINELLA TIMES 11/1
2nd Balko Des Flos 100/1
3rd Any Second Now 15/2
4th Burrows Saint 9/1
5th Farclas 16/1
6th Blaklion 50/1
7th Discorama 16/1
8th Jett 80/1
9th Cabaret Queen 80/1
10th Shattered Love 33/1
11th Alpha Des Obeaux 80/1
12th Hogan's Height 100/1
13th Acapella Bourgeois 20/1
14th Sub Lieutenant 50/1
15th Class Conti 66/1
Also ran: Bristol De Mai (pulled up), Chris's Dream (unseated rider), Yala Enki (UR), Ballyoptic (Refused), Definitly Red (PU), Lake View Lad (Fell), Magic Of Light (UR), Talkischeap (PU), Tout Est Permis (PU), Anibale Fly (PU), Mister Malarky (PU), Kimerlite Candy (PU), Ok Corral (PU), Takingrisks (PU), Lord Du Mesnil (PU), Potters Corner (PU), Milan Native (PU), Vieux Lion Rouge (F), Cloth Cap (PU), Minellacelebration (UR), Canelo (F), The Long Mile (PU), Give Me A Copper (PU), Double Shuffle (F), Ami Desbois (Brought Down).
Analysis
If you want to see an exhibition in jumping the Grand National fences, watch MINELLA TIMES’ historic win for Rachael Blackmore in the 2021 renewal again and again.
Trained by Henry De Bromhead, a man who added a National one-two to his Cheltenham Gold Cup straight-forecast following a quite astonishing crescendo to his campaign, his horses are known for their slick jumping and Minella Times is certainly a poster boy for the stable trait now.
He didn’t miss a beat under a brilliant Blackmore, a history-making jockey, sure, but one that’s too good already to simply be ed as the first woman rider to win the National.
How she found so much clear ground to run into in a 40-runner horse race at a track like this is unclear, but that awareness enabled Minella Times to be foot perfect towards the inside from a very early stage and not once did he look like running into the back of a horse, as so often happens in this contest.
A crucial moment came at the 12th fence when Double Shuffle fell. He badly hampered Any Second Now, who lost several lengths in the incident, while Minella Times, a couple of horse widths to their right, skipped away to the next obstacle, momentum untroubled.
Any Second Now had already made an error at the previous fence and this latest setback looked like it could quickly derail him, but to his enormous credit Mark Walsh cajoled him back into contention for a superb third. Who knows which JP McManus coloured cap would’ve prevailed without the drama at the 12th.
Given how he travelled and jumped and found more for pressure, though, it’s very hard to imagine anything beating Minella Times considering this performance. Officially 4lb well in on BHA performance figures, he looks like he’s improving at a much faster rate than that and his days running in handicaps off a mark in the 140s are long gone.
He’ll likely be campaigned for another crack at this race next year off a much higher rating, and history tells us how tough that is, with only Tiger Roll winning back-to-back Nationals since the days of Red Rum.
But talk of doubling up in the National is not for today. Today is about an incredible story, one of the THE great moments in the history of this race, in the history of the sport.
Away from the jockey and the horse, this was also an astonishing training performance from De Bromhead. This horse has been campaigned in some of the most competitive handicaps in Ireland all winter over shorter distances and what about his runner-up Balko Des Flos?
There was a moment, albeit a brief one, where the 100/1 stablemate looked the only danger to Blackmore and Minella Times. The 10-year-old has looked a shadow of his former self on his last seven starts, but this was the Balko Des Flos of three years ago, the one who won the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
That rabbit out of the hat completed the De Bromhead exacta, with the unlucky Any Second Now third and Burrows Saint fourth.
Willie Mullins’ number one hope was prominent throughout under Patrick Mullins, without charging clear like stablemate Livelovelaugh had done under the same rider in the Topham the previous day.
He looked a threat late into the contest, but weakened after the last as Minella Times powered home.
The charging clear was left to Jett who gave Sam Waley-Cohen a great ride, the pair 12 lengths clear jumping Foinavon and it won’t have been too long after that that he traded at an in-running low of 3/1 on Betfair.
He came back to them, though, on the racecourse proper and clung on for eighth in the end.
Farclas ran a super race for a seven-year-old in fifth, proving himself over the fences if not quite his stamina reserves. He’s young enough to use this as a launchpad, though, so perhaps he will do a Tiger Roll for the same connections and complete the Triumph-National double one day.
The other two who looked to have a winning chance deep into the contest were Blaklion and Discorama.
Dan Skelton’s Blaklion scraped into the contest as the last in and had been badly out of form, but the 2017 National fourth - and runaway Becher winner in the same year - was lit up by the return to these fences and ran a great race.
He was the only British-trained runner home in the first 11.
Discorama was another flying the flag for Ireland and he took to the test well. He jumped the fences with aplomb and travelled smoothly in a prominent position for a long way – Bryan Cooper showing his intentions early on a horse that is usually ridden with more patience.
He got tired late on, perhaps the lack of a recent run telling in the end.
The big disappointment of the race was Cloth Cap. Officially a stone well in, he looked to be jumping well on the inside under Tom Scudamore, but a tired mistake five from home was the first warning sign and he was pulled up shortly afterwards. (Ben Linfoot)
