Housewives Hoping Nina Will Clean Up In National!

‘Girl Power’ is making the bookies quake in their boots as top lady jockey Nina Carberry takes the ride on leading contender Character Building in tomorrow's Grand National.

Bookies William Hill fear a ‘housewives’ gamble on Nina and her grey horse, a 16-1 shot for the race and she could cost them a pretty packet if she wins, with over £250 million predicted to be gambled industry-wide on the action tomorrow.

To add to the spice, Nina will also be competing against her brother Paul, who is riding 2008 runner-up King Johns Castle in the big race - and took the 1999 Grand National aboard Bobbyjo - trained by the duo's Dad Tommy Carberry.

William Hill spokeswoman Kate Miller said, “This reads like a Hollywood story - and punters love nothing better than a fairytale. Character Building - injured when hotly fancied for last year's race - with the first lady of racing aboard! The payouts could stretch long into the night if the pair make it a historical National win.''

One William Hill customer will be cheering on Nina the loudest of all as their £1500 bet at 20-1 could win them £30,000 if she wins.

Nina Carberry Grand National Special Bets

4/5 To Complete the course

9/2 A Top four finish

16/1 To win the race

Who will go furthest in the race? 4/7 Nina Carberry, 5/4 Paul Carberry

*See below for record of female jockeys in the Grand National

Latest William Hill Grand National Betting: 8-1 Big Fella Thanks, 10-1 Mon Mome, 12-1 The Package, 14-1 Black Apalachi, 16-1 Arbor Supreme, Character Building, Snowy Morning, State Of Play, Tricky Trickster, 18-1 Comply or Die, Niche Market, 20-1 Don’t Push It, Vic Venturi, 25-1 Backstage, Can’t Buy Time, 28-1 Irish Raptor, 33-1 Ballyholland, Dream Alliance, Hello Bud, King Johns Castle, Maljimar, 40-1 Cloudy Lane, Eric´s Charm, My Will, 50-1 (correct at 13.30pm, subject to change)

GRAND NATIONAL FACTS & FIGURES

Hills estimate a £1billion betting week with the World watching Tiger’s return in the Masters golf, plus Champions League, FA Cup Semi-Finals & Football league fixtures at the weekend.

Nearly half the UK adult population will have a flutter on the National, either in a shop, over the phone or on the internet, at an average of £8 per bet

Grand National Day is the one day of the year where women bet nearly as much as the men. One in three Grand National bets are placed by women

WILLIAM HILLS 24-hour telephone betting centre will be staffed with 600 operatives who will receive over 250,000 calls. Making them busier than both the emergency services and American Express combined!

IF ALL THE BETTING SLIPS from the National were placed end-to-end they would stretch all the way from Liverpool to Las Vegas the Worlds gambling capital and back. A distance of over 5000 miles!

THE HORSES WILL COMPLETE almost two circuits of the 2 mile Grand National course, but if the £250million in stakes was arranged in 20 notes around the Grand National course, they would circle the famous track over 1000 times!

The total weight of £250million pound coins exceeds 2375 tonnes, outweighing the English Capital’s iconic London Eye by nearly 300 tonnes!

THE GRAND NATIONAL is truly a world event as Hills have taken bets from as far afield as Australia, Bermuda, China, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan with the British troops joining in the British tradition.

TWENTY FIVE BETS per second will be struck on William Hills website in the hour leading up to the National, a total of 90,000 in the sixty minutes before 4.15pm.

RECORD OF WOMEN JOCKEYS IN THE GRAND NATIONAL

1977 Charlotte Brew on Barony Fort, Refused 4 out

1979 Jenny Hembrow on Sandwilan, Fell 1st

1980 Jenny Hembrow on Sandwilan, pulled up 19th

1981 Linda Sheedy on Deiopea, refused 19th

1982 Geraldine Rees on Cheers, completed, 8th (last)

Charlotte Brew on Martinstown, unseated 3rd

1983 Geraldine Rees on Midday Welcome, fell 1st

Joy Carrier on King Spruce, unseated 6th

1984 Valerie Alder on Bush Guide, fell 8th

1987 Jacqui Oliver on Eamons Owen, unseated Chair

1988 Gee Armytage on Gee-A, pulled up 26th

Venetia Williams on Marcolo, fell 6th

Penny Ffitch-Hayes, fell 1st

1989 Tarnya Davis on Numerate, pulled up 21st

1994 Rosemary Henderson on Fiddlers Pike, completed 5th

2005 Carrie Ford on Forest Gunner, completed 5th

2006 Nina Carberry on Forest Gunner, completed 9th (last)