GRAND NATIONAL: pinsticker's guide to all the runners

Blaklion, fourth last year and ready to run a big race again.

Finding the winner of the Grand National is often likened to finding the numbers you need to land the National Lottery.

Indeed it’s surely no coincidence that the very first winner of the great race, way back in 1839, was a horse called Lottery.

Forty runners, 30 fences, four-and-a-quarter miles. Where do you start?

Most of us rely on names we like, or jockey’s colours we like. Many of us just stick in a pin and hope for the best.

Total Recall, one of the leading fancies for Saturday's race.

To help all the pinstickers, I’ve pieced together this mini-guide to all the runners for Saturday’s race at Aintree, which is being shown live on ITV at 5.15 pm.

Removing all the technical jargon, it just gives you a bit of extra inside information on each horse, their jockey, trainer and owner that you might find useful or interesting.

The horses are listed in racecard order, complete with their prices in the betting market, which were the best available at the time of writing. Good luck!

MINELLA ROCCO (18/1)

Gold Present (hooped colours) in action over the Aintree fences last season.

Burdened by top weight, but one of the class acts of the field, having finished second in last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup. Owner JP McManus and trainer Jonjo O’Neill teamed up to provide Tony McCoy with his sole National success (Don’t Push It) in 2010. Has long been considered a National natural, potentially, but can be a dicey jumper, and definitely prefers Good ground.

BLAKLION (12/1)

Superb fourth in last year’s National after jumping and travelling through the race like a dream. Also won over the Aintree fences in December, and has triumphed at the Cheltenham Festival too. Was put through a hard race in Heavy ground last time, but has had an operation on his wind since, and trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies saddled Earth Summit (1998) and Bindaree (2002) to National glory. His son Sam rides.

ANIBALE FLY (12/1)