Horse names Brit punters shun – and the reason why – revealed ahead of Grand National
PUNTERS are likely to avoid backing horses with French names in this weekend’s Grand National, analysis has shown.
A betting company said Brits love placing bets on runners with simple monikers — which means Gallic gallopers fall at the first hurdle.
Its research found horses which sound like they come from across the Channel are the least popular because gamblers struggle to write foreign words on betting slips.
Last year’s French runners — Galia Des Liteaux, Farouk D’Alene and Eklat De Rire — were among the least backed of the bunch.
And 2023 runner-up Vanillier was only the 20th most selected choice in a field of 32.
Tim Smith, senior trading manager at gambling group Entain, said: “If a horse features a common name such as Bob’s Great, that will be one of the most popular names on the day.
“But if a horse has a French name, especially a long one that nobody can write out on a slip, then regardless of whether that horse might have a great chance, it’s unlikely to be popular. All the trading rules go out the window.”
Drones have been banned from flying over the Grand National Festival at Aintree, Merseyside, as their live video feed may be faster than TV — and give “in play” bets an unfair advantage.
Last month, The Sun revealed some of the daftest horse names.
Some of the horse included were Teahupoo, Live Conti and Kala Conti.
One, Wear The Fox Hat, was twigged by a race official on his debut outing and had to run identified as “Noname” at Nottingham, Sandown and Wolverhampton back in 1995 and early 1996.
Aussie thoroughbred Fuchu — aptly the son of All Too Hard — won at Kensington racecourse in Sydney in May 2019, while Irish gelding Noble Locks was a favourite flutter back in the Nineties.
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.