A 'maths genius' who won £14 million for horse racing fans picks outsider to win Grand National

A man who has an impressive success rate when it comes to betting on the Grand National has picked a 50/1 outsider to win the big race at Aintree.

Richard Brocklebank, known as 'The Squirrel', has won more than £14 million for his syndicates by using a formula that produces the maximum return for minimum risk.

Brocklebank – a physics graduate from Nottingham University – is said to have backed nine other winners at the Grand National, including Mon Mome [100-1] and Aurora's Encore [66-1].

So what is his punt for Saturday's famous race at Aintree? Brocklebank has backed 50-1 outsider Eva's Oskar for the crown, a Gelding trained by Tim Vaughan and owned by Sally and Richard Prince.

When the odds were at 66-1, he said: "I would certainly never put anyone off backing a long in the Grand National.

"This year I spotted a long shot at 100-1 when the weights came out but was unsure if the horse would get in due to the maximum field size of 40. However it is now in the top 40 remaining and is available at a still tasty price of 66-1."

Brocklebank, from Hyde, Cheshire, also fancies 16-1 shot Coko Beach in the big race.

"It was eighth last year after losing a left hind shoe and could go several places better barring any further issues with his hooves," he says.

"Everyone loves Aintree as a great sporting spectacle. But you love it a little bit more if you win."

A professional gambler added: "No-one knows his stuff like Richard. It's not just his knowledge of horses that make him successful but the way he calculates the odds and hones his bets to produce the maximum possible return.

"He's to betting what Red Rum is to racing."

The winners the syndicate have backed and prices taken in the Grand National are:

1999: Earth Summit 16-1 won at 7-1

2000: Papillon 33-1 won at 16-1

2003: Bindaree 20-1

2004: Amberleigh House 40-1 won at 16-1

2009: Mon Mome 100-1

2013: Aurora’s Encore 125-1 won at 66-1

2016: Rule The World 50-1 won at 33-1

2018: Tiger Roll 50-1 won at 10-1

2019: Tiger Roll 20-1 won at 4-1

The three-day festival kicked off with Liverpool Day on Thursday, following into Ladies Day on Friday and then the main event, the Grand National, on Saturday afternoon at 5:15pm.