Limerick Lace has galloped into the spotlight as the hot tip for this year's Grand National, with experts tipping the seven-year-old mare to take the crown based on a deep dive analysis of the last 30 races.
The fleet-footed favourite is being backed due to her ideal weight, Irish roots, and impressive racing track record. Other horses in the running include last year's runner-up, Vanillier, as well as Adamantly Chosen, both hailing from Ireland.
Number-crunchers have pegged the average age of winners at nine, putting Noble Yeats, Coko Beach, Stattler, Vanillier, and Farouk D'alene in the frame. And it is worth noting that the victors of the past eight showdowns were all aged nine or younger.
But when it comes to tipping the scales, the jockeys sitting astride Run Wild Fred, Minella Crooner, and Latenightpass, are hitting the sweet spot, weighing in close to the winning average of 10st 9lbs.
Meanwhile, those riding Limerick Lace and Adamantly Chosen are a smidge under, at 10st 8lbs, while Vanillier's rider weighs slightly above average, at 10st 12lbs.
The analysts at Lottoland.co.uk's Sportsbook also believe just 60% of the steeds will finish the course, with a 20% chance of a tumble at the first hurdle – hinting that an outsider could steal the show.
Nigel Birrell, the big boss at Lottoland, said: "The Aintree Grand National really grabs the public imagination, and millions of people will likely be watching the action from Aintree this Saturday afternoon. Once again, we've put our statisticians to work to find the key numbers and trends to follow for Grand National quick picks."
The first ever winner of The Grand National at Aintree was actually a horse called Lottery, who was the 5/1 favourite back in 1839.
But the average starting price of the last 30 winners is 22/1, which brings in previous Grand National winner, Noble Yeats, and former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Minella Indo, as well as Nassalam and Limerick Lace into play.
And just six of the last 30 runnings of the Grand National were won by the horse tipped to be the favourite to win.
Nigel Birrell added: "Based on their research, the ones to watch this year are Limerick Lace and Vanillier, who both have the same trainer in Ireland, as well as Adamantly Chosen.
"Whether you usually use your favourite lottery numbers, your zodiac sign, your birthdays, or the sum total of your pets ages to make your big race selection, we hope the research comes in handy for this huge annual Aintree spectacular."
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