I usually win on this race so i thought I'd share my thoughts if anyone is interested.

When looking at the horses I bear in mind the following;

1) the age of the winner is usually between 9/12 years
2) Favourites raely win but are usually in the showing somewhere
3) The winner rarely carries over 11st.

I've picked 6 horses but will drop 2 when I get to the bookies but as yet I haven't decided which.

The ones I've picked are
Strong Resolve
Marcus de Berlais
Hero's Collonges
Forest Gunner
Ad Hoc

And theres usually a story behind the winner...........maybe this year the first woman to win hence Forest Gunner.

I backed the winner last year, Amberleigh House, whose today. But I'm going for Forest Gunner this time; but I'll probably pick one or two more. It seems a wider race than last year. There's never any reason for my choices - usually nice name and in the top 5 favourites! Oh, and Clan Royal - Royal Wedding! Do you remember when Party Politics won...? 1992

Yeah I had Amberleigh House last year as well. Mind you now that I've put down on here what i'm backing I'll probably get nothing. If I do it'll be the first time in years I've not made money on the race. I don't always get the winner but I generally have at least one of the first 4. My best year though I had 3 and the winner at 66/1 (It did come in to 28 but I had backed it the day before)

Party Politics one just after a General Election was announced didn't it? No politically named horses this year! As for the Royal wedding connection................I don't think Whatacockup made it through the cut!!!

My bets are...

Strong Resolve
Forrest Gunner
Hedgehunter

And for a laugh...Clan Royal.

I love the national and it's the only race I ever bet on, not unlike most of the country it seems.

My final selection:

Forest Gunner
Nil Desperandum
Just In Debt

Unusally this year, I went for two slighly less favoured horses

Hedge Hunter wins!

*sings*
I'm in the money, I'm in the money..

Well I well and truly put the mockers on me didn't I? First time in about 15 years that i won nothing!!

I think I got 5th,6th and 8th or something like that. For a moment, I thought I was going to get maybe 2 places.

I got 5th 8th and 17th I think, for a nanosecond I considered the one that came 3rd at 66/1 but only cos it had the same initials as mine then dismissed it for being a ridiculous reason!

Maybe next year I'll go back to sticking pins in blindfold!

My Grandad does the horses quite regularly. Just recently, he won a £50 betting shop voucher or something, and so picked a total outsider that won at 20-1 - so he walked away with £1000

It's come around again (4.15 BBC1).

This year, I've backed Lord of Illusion and Cornish Rebel. My girlfriend's decided to throw her money away on Justindebt.

I've got a fiver on Hedgehunter. Jo won't bet.

[edit] I've been told to put money on Forrest Gunner and Innox too. So I have.

I hope that was an each-way bet on Hedgehunter

I knew I was buggered when I heard Lord of Illusion was out at front from the start