Many Clouds is the favourite choice of Manx punters for Saturday’s Grand National, a leading island bookie says.
The popular nine-year-old brown gelding, owned by Trevor Hemmings of Andreas, appears to have captured the hearts of island residents.
He will be bidding for back-to-back victories in the four miles plus race, something last achieved 42 years ago by Red Rum.
Sid Cunningham, 63, director of Joe Jennings bookmakers, with five shops in the island, said the horse’s Manx connections were being latched on to by punters .
He said that last year the island shops lost in excess of £50,000 after Many Clouds’s first victory in the Aintree race. He said: ‘If Many Clouds wins we can expect to have a huge payout. Last year it slipped under the radar because it had not been touted so much. People had tended to write the horse off.
‘This year it’s very much the horse people are talking about without a doubt. And it’s not just the Isle of Man, everybody is tipping it up.
‘Many Clouds won its prep race at Kelso very well about a month ago.’
This will be Mr Cunningham’s 48th Grand National in the betting business. The final 40-strong field will be unveiled later today (Thursday).
See today’s Manx Independent for a full preview of the race.