Grand National 2025: 5 runners who caught the eye at the Cheltenham Festival

With the Cheltenham Festival done and dusted and just over three weeks until the Grand National, Russell Palmer has taken a closer look at the runners who performed last week and are likely to show up in the Aintree showpiece on April 5.

Horse Racing Odds

Stumptown @ 10/1

Where better to start than with Stumptown, who is bidding to emulate the great Tiger Roll by landing the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham and Grand National in the same season.

Betfred certainly want him on side, with the Gavin Cromwell-trained eight-year-old 10/1 fourth favourite in the Grand National betting.

He was sent off the 5/2 favourite in the Cross Country and duly obliged, coming on strong up the hill to land the prize by seven lengths. 

The win was his fourth in a row, with all bar three coming in Cross Country contests, where he’ll have had a smidge of experience over the ‘National Fences’ at Cheltenham.

There’s only a three-week break between Cheltenham and Aintree this year, but the plan remains to pull off an audacious double. Based on his Cheltenham win, he’s running off a mark of 157 at Aintree, which looks doable.

Vanillier @ 12/1

Another horse that ran in the Cheltenham Cross Country and is set to line up in the National is Vanillier, also trained by Gavin Cromwell.

The Irish trainer has two of the first five in the betting for the National and also had the antepost favourite Inotheywayurthinkin, who was scratched from the race on Tuesday following his heroic win in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The 10-year-old was third in the Cross Country at Cheltenham, beaten eight-and-a-quarter lengths by his stablemate. He was sent off 15/2 third favourite that day and is a 12/1 chance for the Grand National, a race he finished 14th in last year.

He was second in the race in 2023 and took the same route in last year’s race but couldn’t make any progress from the second last fence.

Broadway Boy @ 40/1

Elsewhere at Cheltenham, at bigger prices for the National, Nigel Twiston-Davies trains Broadway Boy, who is a 40/1 chance. 

The seven-year-old ran in the Ultima at Cheltenham but was pulled up without making much of an impression. He’s a big price here as a result, but does have some form in the book, most notably finishing second behind Kandoo Kid in the old Hennessy at Newbury. 

He was beaten just a length-and-three-quarters that day, giving away three pounds off a mark of 148. He’ll line up at Aintree off a mark of 150, two pounds less than Kandoo Kid, who has a much shorter price of 25/1.

Stay Away Fay @ 66/1

66/1 chance Stay Away Fay is trained by Paul Nicholls, who also ran in the Ultima at Cheltenham.

The eight-year-old was well beaten in 11th, towards the rear of the field throughout. He’s yet to build on his Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle win at Cheltenham in 2023.

Pulling up in last year’s Scottish National, he’s dropped nine pounds in the handicap from his best chase rating.

Conflated @ 100/1

Finally, the Gordon Elliott-trained Conflated jumps out at a huge price. This should come with the caveat that I backed him at Cheltenham in the Plate, where he was sent off a 40/1 chance and finished eighth.

I’m clinging on to the fact that he has a classy CV. He’s 11 now, but past glories include dual Grade 1 wins in the Irish Gold Cup and Savills Chase in 2022.

He’s also finished twice in Grade 1s at Aintree, most recently 12 months ago, finishing behind Jonbon in the Melling Chase.

I’m not saying for one minute that he’ll win the Grand National, but at 100/1, he certainly has the profile to hit the frame.

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