Grand Value In Kimberlite Candy For The National

Kimberlite Candy surprised me today when winning the Classic Chase at Warwick.  I backed him two or three times in 2018 and lost faith after inconsistent performances. Headgear seems to have transformed him and that was the best Grand National trial I’ve seen since One For Arthur won the same race in 2017. Unlike that one, KC was in the van throughout off a sound pace, jumped better than I thought he would on a tricky track and absolutely powered away at the end.

Another unusual factor for me was watching him run through the whole race seemingly with the choke out, never looking relaxed or switched off in the way many stayers are. I had strong doubts he’d get home.

Trainer says he will only go to Aintree if the ground is suitable. Most of his racing has been on soft. The National has not been run on good ground since 2012. The last 7 runnings have met the course’s declared policy of having easy ground for the race. Even at good to soft they must surely take their chances with a horse who’s catching fire at exactly the right time.

Until now I fancied Elegant Escape strongly, but I fear trainer Tizzard will balls up his schedule. Even at his best I think he’ll struggle to beat the KC we saw today. One potential downside is that the effects of the headgear on Kimberlite Candy will wear off, but he looked the most genuine horse in the world today.

He’s available at 25/1 with quite a few bookies.

Kimberlite Candy 2* bet. 25/1. Win only

Good luck. Most tipsters are unreliable and inconsistent, including me. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose with a smile – whatever the source of the tip.

All the best
Joe