Still not convinced about Monbeg Dude? What if I told you that he's been predicted to win the National by…a flock of sheep?

Well, last weekend, racing sheep at Warwickshire's Hatton Adventure Park, external were each given the name of one of today's favourites. And Monbeg duly won, ahead of Tidal Bay and Sunnyhill Boy. He's also been tipped to win by a Cambridge mathematician!, external

Go on…get to the bookies. I'll be here when you get back!

Image source, PA

Looking for a horse to back which has a royal link? Well look no further than Monbeg Dude, a horse which has some back story. It all started when a trio of international rugby players, Mike Tindall, James Simpson-Daniel and Nicky Robinson, together with trainer Michael Scudamore, bought the horse for £12,000 at Cheltenham bloodstock sales.

"James, me and Zara [Tindall, the Queen's grand-daughter and Mike's wife] were at the sale with 'Scu' and he was an impulse buy - all the other horses that night made £20,000-plus so I thought I would be out-bid," said former England captain Tindall.

"But the bidding suddenly stopped with him. Zara wasn't happy when I got landed with him! I went to look at him in the stable and he looked tiny. We then had to find a way of transporting him so Scu had to drive home and come back with the box."

Since then, Monbeg Dude has won the Welsh National in January 2013, all while being trained to jump fences better by Zara, who is a leading equestrian rider.

The Daily Mirror, external have devised an interesting way to pick a horse - by working out a link between one of the runners and your football team...

For example, in honour of Shaka Hislop, they reckon Newcastle fans should plump for Shakalakaboomboom, while Alvarado could represent Manchester City forward Alvaro Negredo. Perhaps the most contrived is for Stoke fans to back Monbeg Dude because goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is an "impressive dude himself".

Just allow yourself to imagine, for one minute, that you've backed a 100-1 winner of the Grand National. On the nose. Well, it's happened before with Mon Mome romping to victory in 2009, to join Tipperary Tim (1928), Gregalach (1929), Caughoo (1947) and Foinavon (1967) in folklore.

Last year's winner Auroras Encore was 66-1. See, it does happen!

Jim Harling, external selects his top five for this afternoon's big race: Long Run, The Package, Teaforthree, Mr Moonshine, Double Seven.

Image source, PA

So can Tidal Bay defy history and become the first top-weight winner since Red Rum in the 1970s?

"Tidal Bay is no normal 13-year-old," jockey Sam Twiston-Davies, 21, told BBC Sport. "Not many 13-year-olds will be carrying form like his into the race.

"His form is very solid. He was second in an English Hennessy, then an Irish one. His Lexus win [Leopardstown, December 2012] was an amazing feat, and if anything the handicapper has given him a bit of a chance."

Tidal Bay is currently seeing his odds drift to around 22-1.

Are you at the National this afternoon? Perhaps you know somebody who is there? Good luck trying to find them in this picture...

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Trainer of Balder Succes Alan King, who also has Walkon in the Grand National, on Channel 4: "Skipping Cheltenham was a good decision and I am thrilled with him [Balder Succes]. He could be a Champions Chase horse. Fences have made a man of him."

On Walkon: "He seems fine. He is going into the unknown stamina-wise but we will see what happens."

1. Balder Succes (W Hutchinson) 7-2

2. Simply Ned (Brian Harding) 12-1

3. Trifolium (A P McCoy) 11-4 Fav

Image source, Getty Images

AP McCoy fails to land his second victory of the day as Balder Succes, trained by Alan King, wins the Doom Bar Maghull Novices' Chase. Looking for National omens? Well, Balder Succes jockey Wayne Hutchinson has the hopes of Liverpool on his shoulders later when he rides Walkon.

We're under way in the second race of the afternoon, the Doom Bar Maghull Novices' Chase. Trifolium, with AP McCoy on board, goes off as the 11-4 favourite.

Channel 4 presenter Clare Balding is another going for Nicky Henderson's Long Run, saying he "is the classiest horse in the race and Sam Waley-Cohen rides the fences really well".

The Daily Express's, external Patrick Weaver though believes Teaforthree is a "safe each-way bet", pointing out he has never fallen and was third in the Grand National 12 months ago.

Whoever you go for... good luck and may the (winning) horse be with you.

Image source, Getty Images

As mentioned earlier, there are 30 fences in the grand old race, some of which are more famous than others. Fence six, Becher's Brook, is perhaps the most famous of them all because of its size and the drop on the other side of it. Meanwhile Fence eight, Canal Turn, is also one to look out for because of the sharp left-hand turn that immediately follows it.

The biggest fence is The Chair, described by the Racing Post as "a truly formidable obstacle" because of the 6ft ditch beforehand, the fact it stands 5ft 2in in height and is 3ft deep.

Ironically, I've just drawn Mountainous [1353] in the office sweepstake. He's definitely going to win now!

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Jockey Jamie Moore was the toast of Cheltenham last month, after his Champion Chase victory on Sire De Grugy, and the 29-year-old is looking forward to riding Richard Lee-trained Mountainous this afternoon - and improving on a mixed record in the big race which has seen him finish once in six starts.

"My record in the National isn't great," Moore told the Daily Telegraph., external "But he is by some margin the best horse I'll have ridden in it. He's a good jumper and, though you never know until you try it, he should stay four miles, three furlongs. The more rain for him the better."

AP McCoy, on winning the first race of the day on Lac Fontana: "It is a good tough horse. I wasn't sure how the ones behind were going. Splash of Ginge is a solid horse as well.

On riding Double Seven in the Grand National: "I am trying to convince myself fate is with double seven as he is number 14 and is also 14-1, he has it all going on. I am trying to convince myself it might work"

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree

Image source, Reuters

Aintree racecourse has a floral Hillsborough tribute to mark 25 years since the football stadium tragedy where 96 fans died.

A minute's applause was held before the first race to honour those who died, and their families.

My cabbie, a fierce Evertonian, told me earlier today of the match shortly after the disaster when Everton played local rivals Liverpool at Goodison Park.

"We are all Blues, but they played Reds songs. It's the only time I remember singing their anthem You'll Never Walk Alone, and I remember crying my eyes out," he said.

There are 30 fences which make up the most famous steeplechase in the world, but did you know that it takes 64 tonnes of Sitka spruce, grown in The Forest of Bowland but originally from north-west America, to make them look spiffing? You do now.

So precious is this spruce that some of it is carried by hand from the forest to the nearest road to prevent damage by machinery.

Suddenly, getting on top of the spring-time weeds in your back garden doesn't seem that big a job, does it?

Image source, AP

So who do you fancy then? Do you bet on the horse with the best name, use the pin technique or draw on a bit more expert knowledge? The National is traditionally the hardest race to gamble on but here are the views of some who should know what they are taking about.

The Daily Mirror's, external racing expert Dave Mitchell has plumped for The Package, ridden by Tom Scudamore and trained by David Pipe. Mitchell says of the 16-1 shot: "You can sense a degree of confidence about his chance emanating from Pipe's stable".

The Daily Telegraph's, external J A McGrath has a sneaky feeling for 20-1 chance Pineau De Re but, for those wanting a flutter on one of the long shots, he has also tipped Rose Of The Moon to run well at 50-1.

1. Lac Fontana (A P McCoy) 9-2 Fav

2. Splash of Ginge (Sam Twiston-Davies) 12-1

3. Dell' Arca (T Scudamore) 13-2