The Grand National - Feed The Pony's Tips

Yes, it's time for my annual flutter on the horses so here's my tips for today's Grand National race, taking place at Aintree at 4:15pm this afternoon. Last year was a debacle but I've had plenty of good fortune with this race in previous years, so I'm quietly confident as always. There's not one horse that stands out for me this year, it looks a pretty close field, so instead of going for a straight win I've elected to place four Each Way bets at £2.50 each, making a total outlay of £20. Here's my selections and starting prices:

• Numbersixvalverde 14-1
• Longshanks 28-1
• Royal Auclair 40-1
• Thisthatandtother 100-1

Elsewhere in the office, Darren is tipping Clan Royal - "He might be old but he knows Aintree like the back of his hand" - whilst Dom remains undecided. Check back here later to see how we did!

[Updated 5:07pm]

Well that was a disaster! Numbersixvalverde and Longshanks both went the distance but finished 6th and 7th respectively, Thisthatandtother pulled up at the last fence and Royal Auclair fell midway through. The winning horses were as follows:

• Silver Birch 33-1
• McKelvey 12-1
• Slim Pickings 33-1
• Philson Run 100-1

Still, it was a good race for Cotton who had bets on both first and second place horses. So... like I said last year, betting - it's a mug's game.