BOOKIES have slashed the odds AGAIN on Rachael Blackmore winning the Grand National.
Cloth Cap remains the strong favourite but bookies think Minella Times, who Blackmore is set to ride, will battle the main fancy for favouritism on the day.
And the horse – previously 14-1 – is now just 12-1 to win the big one, with Cloth Cap 7-2.
Bookies are reporting a further surge of support for Blackmore’s suspected mount.
The JP McManus-owned horse is now joint third favourite with Kimberlite Candy, just behind Any Second Now and Burrows Saint on 10-1.
Blackmore, who became the first woman to be crowned champion jockey at Cheltenham Festival, is aiming for more history at Aintree.
She will try to become the first woman to win the world’s most famous race.
Coral’s David Stevens said the firm is braced for a tidal wave of market support for Minella Times ahead of the race on Saturday.
He said: “Having seen her rewrite the record books at last month’s Cheltenham Festival, punters are now backing Rachael Blackmore to make more history in the biggest race of them all.
“And it would be no surprise to see Minella Times sent off as the closest market rival to big race favourite Cloth Cap next weekend.”
Blackmore recently credited legendary Irish jockey and two-time Grand National winner Davy Russell with getting her her big break – and ‘The Shark’.
Russell rode Tiger Roll to victory at Aintree twice – but the horse will run in the Betway Bowl this year instead.
Speaking about her route into racing, Blackmore said: “I was 21 and my first ride for Shark [trainer, John Hanlon] was at Thurles on Stowaway Pearl.
“I’d never met him before and I was riding out for Pat Doyle at the time.
“I was at college at Limerick at this stage and I was very good friends with Pat’s daughter so I’d ride out at the yard whenever I could.
“Davy Russell happened to be there a good bit at the time and there was a ladies’ race coming up and he said to me that if I ever needed a hand to give him a ring.
“I was out hunting one day with Liz Lawlor and she had just come off to the phone to Shark who was asking her to ride in this ladies race, she couldn’t so told me to give Shark a ring.
“I rang him straight away and got the usual answer a trainer gives when an unknown person calls, ‘thanks, I’m fixed up’.
“I got onto Davy and asked if he could give him a ring, so he rang him and got the ride for me.
“That’s just the way it is, it’s all about the people you know and I was lucky to be able to ask someone whose opinion Shark trusted to get me on the horse.
“My first ride was my first winner on Stowaway Pearl.”
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