Age: 9
Weight: 11st 1lb
Latest odds: 50/1 with William Hill.
Owner: Mills & Mason Partnership
Grand National record:
No previous runners
Trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies
Grand National record:
1994 Young Hustler (BD 11th)
1995 Young Hustler (UR 3rd), Dakyns Boy (UR 10th), Camelot Knight (FELL 21st)
1996 Young Hustler (5th), Captain Dibble (11th)
1997 Camelot Knight (3rd), Dakyns Boy (8th), Grange Brake (Refused 27th)
1998 Earth Summit (WON)
1999 Earth Summit (8th), Camelot Knight (BD 22nd)
2000 Camelot Knight (15th)
2001 Spanish Main (FELL 1st), Beau (UR 20th)
2002 Bindaree (WON), Frantic Tan (UR 5th), Beau (UR 14th)
2003 Bindaree (6th)
2004 Shardam (UR 3rd), Bindaree (UR 6th)
2005 Bindaree (11th)
2006 Baron Windrush (UR 3rd)
2007 Knowhere (UR 8th); Naunton Brook (PU 23rd)
2008 Fundamentalist (FELL 3rd), Ardaghey (FELL 4th), Naunton Brook (PU 19th), Knowhere (UR 25th)
2009 Battlecry (16th), Ollie Magern (FELL 2nd), Fundamentalist (PU 21st), Knowhere (PU 25th)
2010 Hello Bud (5th), Irish Raptor (FELL 10th), Beat The Boys (PU 19th), Ballyfitz (FELL 22nd), Ollie Magern (PU 28th)
2011 Grand Slam Hero (FELL 13th), Hello Bud (PU 29th)
2012 Hello Bud (7th), Viking Blond (FELL 1st)
2013 Major Malarkey (11th), Viking Blond (PU 15th), Imperial Commander (PU 22nd)
2016 Double Ross (PU 26th)
2017 Blaklion (4th)
2018 Blaklion (BD 1st), Double Ross (PU 30th)
Form
5111/1F2F4P5/5124142-F6P
Ballyoptic was a high-class novice chaser last season, capturing the Grade 2 Towton over 3m at Wetherby, before finishing a good fourth in the Grade 1 RSA Chase over the same trip at the Cheltenham Festival.
Ran a cracker when a gallant second and beaten a nose in the Grade 3 Scottish Grand National over 4m at Ayr in the spring of 2018.
This season, he fell at the 11th on his first attempt over the Grand National fences when making progress and travelling well in the Grade 3 Becher Handicap Chase in December.
Ballyoptic went on to finish a decent sixth in the Grade 3 Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on December 27.
His biggest victory of his career so far came at the 2016 Grand National Festival, when defeating Bellshill in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle.
Outsider and needs to prove jumping stands up to rigours of Aintree fences, but on the pick of his form could well outrun his huge odds and make the frame, so one to consider each-way.
Jumps race record
Starts: 21
Wins: 6
2nd: 3
3rd: 0
Win & Place Prize Money: £214,452
OpenOdds five-star rating
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