From boos to cheers – can Delta Work earn the plaudits at Aintree?

Last month at the Cheltenham Festival, there was to be no swansong for dual-Grand National champion Tiger Roll. The 12-year-old who was looking to make it a sixth win at the Festival was also vying for a fourth success in the Cross Country Chase – but stablemate Delta Work spoiled the party and won the Grade 1 race by three-quarters of a length.

Boos rang out around Prestbury Park, as Delta Work crossed the finish post and later made his way to the winners’ enclosure with Jack Kennedy in the saddle – and the jockey was possibly the only one pleased with victory.

Owner Michael O’Leary said at the time:

“I really would have loved to see Tiger go out on a win. It’s hard not be disappointed. You’ve a winner at Cheltenham and I’m disappointed.”

However, less than one month after that win, Delta Work arrives at Aintree this weekend for the ultimate test of his career – the Grand National. It’s a first appearance over the iconic spruce-topped fences of the Merseyside racecourse for the gelding. But at the time of writing, the Gordon Elliott-trained horse leads the market as co-favourite, alongside Any Second Now and Snow Leopardess – for those looking to place their Grand National bet ahead of Saturday.

Taking sentiment away from that fateful day at Cheltenham – where torrential rain saw the turf chewed up to the max, to deny Tiger a crack at glory on unfavoured ground – it was an exceptional performance from both Kennedy and Delta Work. The nine-year-old hadn’t won a race since defeating Kemboy in the Irish Gold Cup, back in February 2020 – and while victory had been a long time coming, it couldn’t have come at a better time with the Aintree centrepiece looming.

Of course, attention turns to trainer Elliott, who missed out at last year’s National while serving a six-month suspension, but who is looking to equal the record set by fellow handers Fred Rimell and Red Rum’s Ginger McCain, by landing a fourth victory in the National – he was also successful with Silver Birch in 2007.

It hadn’t been the most successful Cheltenham campaign for the man from County Meath, who only saddled two winners over the four-day Festival – with Commander of Fleet also winning the Coral Cup. He then endured a barren run of 60 runners without a win, before ending that at Ayr earlier this month.

Let’s not forget that it’s a similar route his former stablemate took to the northwest too. On both occasions that “the people’s horse” won the National, he’d previously raced at Cheltenham, winning the Cross Country Chase – so could history repeat itself?

Gigginstown Stud have also laid claim to three of the five previous winners – with Rule The World winning the Aintree showpiece in 2016, in addition to Tiger Roll’s duo of wins.

But the National is different. Form often goes out the window. A combination of the field size, the distance and those fearsome fences make it difficult to predict. While many call him an unpopular horse, there’s no reason why Delta Work can’t go from party pooper to Aintree hero this weekend.

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