Niall Hannity, a former professional jockey who rode more than 100 winners, starts today as The Northern Echo’s Saturday racing analyst. The highlights of his career were riding George Moore’s Course Doctor to win a valuable handicap hurdle at Aintree in 2000 and riding a treble at Sedgefield. Living in Thornton Watlass and a well-known character in the racing town of Middleham, Niall continues to ride out regularly for local trainers. He is a respected racing analyst for the Racing Post and is on first name terms with all the local jockeys and trainers. Don’t miss his racing preview, with all the inside information, every Saturday in The Northern Echo.

TEENAGER Paul Townend can become the youngest jockey to win the Grand National since 1938 when he partners Arbor Supreme in the world’s greatest horse race at Aintree this afternoon.

More than ten million people in the UK will be glued to their televisions as the 40 runners charge down to the first of 30 famous fences just after 4:15pm.

And this year’s race looks as competitive as ever with many star horses in the lineup, including last year’s 100-1 winner Mon Mome and 2008 hero Comply Or Die.

No horse since Red Rum, in 1973 and 1974, has won the race two years in a row, but 10-year-old Mon Mome comes here in top form after finishing third in the Gold Cup at the recent Cheltenham Festival.

In a race so wide open, many of us will pick out a few runners on which to invest some hard-earned cash – and that’s exactly what I’m planning to do.

Arbor Supreme, with 19-yearold Townend in the saddle, has been my main selection for some time.

Townend has a great chance of being the youngest winning jockey since 17-yearold Bruce Hobbs entered the record books by steering Battleship to victory 72 years ago.

Trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, who was successful in this race with Hedgehunter in 2005, Arbor Supreme has been aimed for this race for a long time and eight-year-olds have a great record in the race.

Owned by legendary Irish gambler J P McManus, the horse was readily available to back at 40-1 a few weeks ago but is now down to around 16-1 after some significant cash arrived for him ten days ago.

After finishing second on Scotsirish in yesterday’s Topham Chase over the famous fences, Townend said: “It goes without saying I’m delighted to be riding Arbor Supreme in a race I’ve dreamed about riding in since I was a kid.”

A couple of northern raiders take their chance, including Cerium, who was fifth in last year’s race.

His Middleham-based trainer Paul Murphy is very much looking forward to the race getting underway, saying: “I couldn’t have him in any better shape at home and this has been his plan all year.

He’s coming here a fresh horse with only one run this season and with a bit of luck in running, which is what they all need, he can run another big race.

Howard Johnson has been bang among the winners of late and the Crook-based handler is represented by 11- year-old Royal Rosa, who finished third over these fences last November in the Becher Chase.

Royal Rosa was a very good hurdler before suffering from niggling injuries but Johnson is convinced he’s back to his best.

And although the County Durham trainer had other National entries, this was always his number one contender, and he has sneaked into the field at the bottom of the handicap.