Monday, 13th April 2026
In ATC today….
It was nearly but not quite in the Grand National….
…. across the three days of the Aintree meeting, we pretty much broke even….
…. but there’s no time to sit and dwell – with good bets to be had across another busy week ahead….
Oh…. and sometimes things happen on the track that help keep things in perspective on the betting side of things….
Read on….
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I wonder how many of you – like me….
…. found themselves thinking – for about thirty seconds on Saturday afternoon….
…. that we were about to land a 33/1 winner in the Grand National….
Nobody could have been more surprised than me to see Jordans come through the field so easily in the second half of the final circuit and suddenly hit the front – seemingly from nowhere – three fences from home….
Back when my second selection in the race – Jagwar – made a mistake and unseated his rider at the 19th fence….
…. I remarked to the person I watched the race with that any chance I had of winning had just gone up in smoke….
At that point Jordans was so far back that he appeared to be too far back – if you know what I mean….
But he came through the mid division like a peach under Ben Jones….
…. hitting the front….
…. travelling beautifully….
…. and proceeding to put distance between himself and the pack….
For a wonderful thirty seconds….
…. with the twinkling lights of Wonderland blinking in the distance….
…. and Jordans powering on….
…. it looked like horse and rider might just have the race at their mercy….
Then – all too quickly – it became apparent that they’d gone too soon….
…. and it wasn’t to be….
Had Ben Jones held on….
…. and bided his time just that bit longer….
…. would Jordans have got home just that bit better…. and been better placed to repel the monster finishes of both I Am Maximus and Iroko….
I don’t know…. I guess we’ll never know…. but one thing’s for sure….
…. Ben Jones will still be wondering about all of that this morning – and asking himself what he could – and maybe should – have done differently….
It was just his second ride in the Grand National – having previously ridden just a no-hoper in the 2023 edition of the race….
…. and he will no doubt learn something from what must have been a devastating experience….
It has to go down as one that got away – for horse, for rider, for connections, and for us….
…. the intrepid punters who had the money down….
Like I always say about these big handicaps….
…. you can pick out a high-quality bet that runs a blinder on the day – and you still don’t get the payday….
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Of course, it wasn’t all bets that ran blinders last week….
…. far from it….
Friday was a particularly chastening experience at this end of the stick….
I don’t know if it was poor selection on my part….
…. or just poor performances from the horses….
…. but Croke Park, Trustintimes, and Wreckless Eric all failed to show up….
…. none of them managing to produce a performance anything like I anticipated….
For perspective, I should make the point that as a picker in these races the worst that can happen to me is that I mug myself off and look like a clown….
…. and the full extent of the downside is that I feel a bit broody and flat for a few hours….
For the horses – and the riders – there’s always so much more at stake….
…. and – in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle on Saturday – poor old Get On George lost his life….
Sometimes, I hate the game….
…. and it never rains but it pours….
A little later in the day Lookaway got done on the nod in the Freebooter….
…. if you can bear the agony revisit the race here….
…. before Ben Jones (who I rate highly, by the way) went too soon (perhaps) on Jordans in the big one….
Across the three days we hit the frame three times from seven races….
…. enough to finish pretty much honors even with the layers….
…. neither up nor down….
…. but living on to fight another day….
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We don’t have to wait long for the next day….
…. there’s a big meeting at Ayr this weekend….
…. with some good targets for handicap punters like us to shoot at….
…. and with the Spring Cup at Newbury adding to the mix….
On top of all that there’s also Newmarket’s Craven meeting midweek….
The ITV cameras are at the track on Wednesday and Thursday….
…. both those cards boast decent-quality handicaps….
…. and my intention right now is to fire bullets on both days….
In other words, we’ve got another busy week ahead – with bets on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday….
So, strap in….
…. the intention – as ever – is to take on the market….
…. to dig out ‘live’ contenders in handicaps at tasty prices….
…. and to make a few quid out of the game….
That’s what it’s all about on ATC….
Check out upcoming targets here….
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That’s all for today….
Back tomorrow….
Meantime – contact me at – nick.pullen@spapublishinggroup.co.uk
Stay tuned….
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