National Lottery

THE world’s greatest betting race takes place this weekend. Yes, folks, we can only be talking about the Grand National. 

A total of 40 runners will go to post at 4.15pm on Saturday for the most exciting race in the world.  Everybody and their granny has a bet in the National and our usual advice to all punters out there is GET IN EARLY, GET YOUR BETS DONE AND GET OUT before the stampede begins; and believe me it will. 

Check out opening times this weekend for your local bookmakers. Sean Grahams open their doors at 9am on Saturday morning and if you are a once-a-year punter take advantage of the help desks that Grahams have on offer this weekend.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of the big race on Saturday. We got it down to 10 live contenders on Monday and now we’ve got down to a  short-list of four – and that was hard work. One thing about the National is those four predictions could fall at the first. The National, my friends, is about 80 per cent luck and 20 per cent skill.

THE PG BIG FOUR FOR THE RACE

The Paul Nicholls-trained Big Fella Thanks leads the market at 7/1 and looks all set to go off the favourite on Saturday afternoon, but we have looked elsewhere for the winner

In fact, last year’s winner MON MOME (12/1) is our first pick as he looks to grab back-to-back wins. The ground looks like it will come up soft on Saturday so this will be right up his street as he won on similar ground last year and was a fast-finishing third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Now he’s primed for another go at the National fences and if he gets a safe passage round then he will take some beating.

The greatest national hunt jockey of all time, Tony McCoy, hopes to break that hoodoo that has hung over him all his career and finally win a National. He now  rides DONT PUSH IT on Saturday and the big question is - can he do it?

Nigel Twiston-Davies has five horses in the  field and has an outstanding chance of doing the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National double

When IRISH RAPTOR won the John Smith's Topham Chase last year he went into the PG notepad as a possible future National horse.

He turns up on Saturday with Paddy Brennan on board and looks a great each-way bet in the race at 40/1 – he loves it round the Liverpool track and we think he’ll run a big race.

We have gone for a ‘fat one’ for our fourth and final selection in Saturday’s race and ERIC’S CHARM ticks all the right boxes at 50s.

He’s an out-and-out stayer and the punishing four-mile trip will be right up this Oliver Sherwood-trained horse’s street. He can impress here after wins at Sandown and Newbury and to us looks tremendous each-way value.

So that’s us for another National lottery. Whatever you back on Saturday, let’s hope you get a run for your money.

Sean Graham LATEST BETTING: Big Fella Thanks 7, Mon Mome 12, Black Apalachi 14, The Package 14, Arbor Supreme 18, Niche Market 18, Tricky Trickster 18, Character Building 20, Snowy Morning 20, Vic Venturi 20, State Of Play 22, Backstage 25, Don’t Push It 25, Whinstone Boy 25, Can’t Buy Time 28, Comply Or Die 28, Ballyholland 33, Chief Dan George 33, Dream Alliance 40, Irish Raptor 40  –  others 40 or more.

Weekend Soccer

IT’S FA Cup semi-final weekend and on paper it looks like a Spurs v Chelsea final with Harry Redknapp’s team 2/7 favourites to oust injury-ravaged Portsmouth.

PG XXX

Chelsea are a too-skinny 4/7 to beat Aston Villa in the other semi. With Martin O’Neill’s team eager to avenge that recent 7-1 drubbing, and with the Wembley leveller factor, this is our first draw in our XXX at 5/2.

REAL MADRID are on a red-hot run at the minute in La Liga and at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu they take on bitter rivals BARCELONA (one word: Messi). What a mouthwatering prospect this is for the armchair viewer on Saturday night. The draw at 11/5 looks the safe way out in this one.

DERBY need points on the board as they battle for their Championship lives and can grab a point at Oakwell where they face BARNSLEY.

PG QUAD

On to the weekend quad and our first three teams down are all looking points on the board in that grim dogfight at the Premership basement. HULL (1/1) can grab three precious points at the expense of fellow battlers Burnley, who look a relegated team already.

We think WEST HAM (11/10) can stay ahead of Hull with a win over Sunderland at Upton Park, while WOLVES (7/5) can grab three points at home to Stoke to keep themselves clear of the bottom three.

Making the PG Quad up are SOUTHAMPTON (1/1), who are still chasing a play-off place and can claim three points at home to Charlton.

PG FIVEHIT

We end with this week’s Fivehit. We take PRESTON (4/5) to grab all points against Scunthorpe while MIDDLESBORO (4/6) can heap  more misery on hapless Sheffield Wednesday.

BRIGHTON (1/1) can take all points at home to Carlisle while shaky LEEDS (1/2) can grab all points at home to Southend. We go North to the SPL to make the Fivehit up and HEARTS (8/11) look too strong for Kilmarnock at Tynecastle.