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Is the Grand National becoming predictable after consecutive favourites win for first time in 130 years?

A smaller field and the willingness of jockeys to spread out were factors that led to two-thirds of runners completing the course in Saturday's Grand National.
A smaller field and the willingness of jockeys to spread out were factors that led to two-thirds of runners completing the course in Saturday's Grand NationalCredit: GROSSICK RACING

It was an unusual Grand National on several fronts, one of which seemed to attract little immediate comment. For the first time since 1894, the great race has been won by favourites in consecutive years.

In case you can't immediately recall the victories of Cloister and Why Not, I should mention that those 19th century races had just 15 and 14 runners respectively. When the average field size soared in the decades that followed, the race acquired its reputation for unpredictability, which in turn has been a key part of its popularity. 

Are those things now at risk following the widely foreseen successes of Corach Rambler (8-1) and I Am Maximus (7-1)? Perhaps once-a-year punters will be pleased to find themselves getting a return more often. Anyway, cutting the field size by 15 per cent was naturally bound to improve the betting market's chance of identifying the right horses.

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