Grand National 2025 news: Aintree on radar for Inothewayurthinkin after Gold Cup glory
Inothewayurthinkin is a full stone 'well-in' for the Grand National on Timeform's ratings after posting a much-improved performance to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup by six lengths.
That effort earned Inothewayurthinkin a Timeform master rating of 174+ (from 164+) and, on Timeform's figures, was the joint-best performance at the Cheltenham Festival along with Fact To File's wide-margin win in the Ryanair Chase.
The only performance rated higher this season was Jonbon's emphatic Clarence House Chase success (175).
Historic double on the cards
If Inothewayurthinkin is given the green light for Aintree - where he has been allotted a BHA mark of 160 - he will bid to emulate Golden Miller and become only the second horse to complete the Gold Cup and Grand National double in the same season.
No reigning Gold Cup winner has tried to win the Grand National in the same season since Synchronised - who like Inothewayurthinkin was owned by JP McManus - sadly suffered a fatal injury in 2012.
Timeform chase handicapper Phil Turner said: "Galopin Des Champs might not have been at his very best but that shouldn't detract from a top-notch performance from Inothewayurthinkin, who was notably strong during the latter stages and comprehensively defeated the other runners in the field.
"History may not be in his favour when it comes to reigning Gold Cup winners tackling the same year's Grand National but it would be unwise to get bogged down by that.
“For a start, only a handful of horses have actually tried to complete that double and, significantly, none have attempted it since Aintree's fences were modified on safety grounds over a decade ago.
"Indeed, recent evidence is much more persuasive when it comes to assessing the chances of so-called handicap good things in a modern-day National.
“For example, the last two winners Corach Rambler and I Am Maximus were very well handicapped on account of landing big wins after the National weights had been released, and Inothewayurthinkin is much further clear of his BHA mark than that pair."
Superior rating
Corach Rambler was rated 9lb superior to his BHA mark before the 2023 Grand National.
The last time a horse was more than a stone clear of their BHA mark on Timeform's ratings was in 2008 when Cloudy Lane had a 17lb differential. He was only sixth behind Comply or Die after jumping carefully.
Inothewayurthinkin is not the only horse potentially 'well-in' in the Grand National, though nothing has such strong claims on form.
On Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings he is 6lb clear of Midlands National winner Mr Vango, but that rival is highly unlikely to make the cut.
Iroko is next on the list, 9 lb behind Inothewayurthinkin.
Softer ground than advertised
Timeform, meanwhile, believes that the Midlands Grand National was run on softer ground than advertised and has labelled the official description of good-to-soft as inaccurate.
Timeform's report for the feature Midlands Grand National, won by Mr Vango, read: "This is no place for a short-runner at the best of times yet an inaccurate going description that wasn't altered all day despite evidence to the contrary ensured one of those last-man-standing slogs so heavily associated with this race, with the times not reflective of heavy ground but still at least 6 seconds slower than when Timeform had described the going as soft at this meeting from 2021 to 2023, not to mention roughly 31s slower than the last time it had been assessed using times as good to soft back in 2014.
"Predictably, more failed to finish than not, with a specialist over extreme distances doing just enough to hold an improver 2 years his junior as the pair came clear of a regular on the staying handicap scene last sighted finishing third in the Eider."
Timeform's jumps editor Dan Barber said: "It ought to go without saying that going descriptions, in the interests of punters, racing professionals and breeders alike, must be as accurate as possible at all times, even if that means responding to evidence as the card is ongoing and issuing an updated version.
"And using objective time-based evidence, as Timeform has for decades, is always the most reliable method in what can be an imperfect pursuit."
About Timeform
Timeform is a sports data and content provider. Formed in 1948 and based in Yorkshire, UK, Timeform is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment plc.
They collect, analyse and package data for a broad range of customers. Their skilled team of analysts are globally-renowned for accuracy, credibility and judgement.
READ NEXT: Cheltenham racegoer wins dream trip to Las Vegas with BetMGM
