'Sundance Kid' has five shots at Grand National history

JP McManus could become the only owner with four winners to his name in Aintree's great steeplechase

- Greg Wood

For a man who is still most familiar to many fans as the most fearless gambler of recent decades, JP McManus does not seem to be leaving a great deal to chance before Saturday's Grand National at Aintree.

Three of the top six in the betting for the world's most famous steeplechase - Iroko, Perceval Legallois and last year's winner, I Am Maximus - will carry the owner's famous green and gold colours this weekend, along with a live each-way shot in Meetingofthewaters. The Sundance Kid - as he was nicknamed in Ireland's betting rings in the 1970s - is now in his mid-70s, but he shows no sign of slowing down.

Quite the opposite, in fact. He went into last month's Cheltenham festival as the meeting's all-time leading owner with 78 wins over the course of 43 years since Mister Donovan gave him his first festival winner in 1982. Over the course of just four days, he added six more, including a second Gold Cup victory with Inothewayurthinkin.

The nature of the competition in National Hunt racing has changed considerably since McManus bought his first horse in 1977. Owners including the Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, the former banker Rich Ricci and the construction magnate Brian Acheson have brought serious spending power to what was once a less money-driven cousin to the serious business on the Flat.