JOHN SMITH'S GRAND NATIONAL
Venue: Aintree Date: Saturday, 5 April Start: 1615 BST
Live coverage: Live video on BBC Two & BBC Sport website from 1300-1430 and BBC One and BBC Sport website from 1430-1700
Highlights: BBC One at 2340 plus extensive coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live

606: DEBATE Who's your pick for the National?

The experts give their tips for Saturday's big race

I'm going with Bewleys Berry. He ran well last year but he just didn't quite get round. I know that's a typical excuse but Hedgehunter managed to win after falling the year before, so I think Bewleys Berry has a good chance. He should jump round - it looks like Aintree brings out the best in him and he seems to enjoy the course.

He's just managed to creep into the field at the last moment, and Philson Run is a very lightly raced 12-year-old who finished fourth last year at 100-1. He's a very good each-way chance this year. He was brought down when going well at Haydock and prior to that ran a very good second. Cloudy Lane has won everything we've seen him in so far and is in 20lbs below his true handicap mark. Connections are very confident he'll be able to jump these fences.

I haven't backed the winner of the National since 1997 so I'm desperate to end my drought! This year my money is going on the David Pipe-trained outsider Madison Du Berlais, who I backed at over 100-1 just before Christmas. I also have some side bets on Simon, Snowy Morning and last year's fourth, Philson Run.

Cloudy Lane, the favourite, will take a lot of beating as he's been trained by the right people. Slim Pickings has a great chance too and Chelsea Harbour. Another Irish horse, he won the Grand National trial at Punchestown on very bad ground. Bewleys Berry can grab fourth. He ran very well last year before falling at Becher's Brook on the second circuit.

I'm tipping Slim Pickings. He can stay the distance and very few will have the stamina for a four-and-a-half mile course. He can jump fences, and he's been trained to perfection with this particular race in mind as he's only had four runs this year. Bear in mind in the last 50 years only five favourites have actually won.

The way Bewleys Berry jumped around here when running well over the big fences in November made it look to me he was an Aintree type. He fell last year but learned a lot. Snowy Morning is a pretty good horse at his best and his odds are really pretty long for a horse of that calibre - with a bit of luck in jumping he could come second. D'Argent is a really respectable horse who has upped his game late in his career, while Backbeat won at Sandown in January and can take fourth at a very big price.

Sue Montgomery (The Independent on Sunday)
1 Bewleys Berry 2 Simon 3 Hedgehunter Outsider: Idle Talk

Chris Goulding (Sunday Express)
1 Mr Pointment 2 Philson Run 3 Ungaro 4 Hedgehunter

Eddie Fremantle (The Observer)
1 D'Argent 2 Mon Mome 3 Slim Pickings 4 Ardaghey 5 Comply or Die

Pegasus (News of the World)
1 Chelsea Harbour 2 Slim Pickings 3 Comply or Die 4 Bewleys Berry

Alastair Down (Sunday Mirror)
1 Simon 2 Cloudy Lane 3 Mon Mome 4 Philson Run

Gary Nutting (Sunday Mirror)
1 Cloudy Lane 2 Black Apalachi 3 Slim Pickings 4 Hedgehunter

Ryan McElligott (Sunday Mirror)
1 Chelsea Harbour 2 Bewleys Berry 3 Slim Pickings 4 Hedgehunter.

David Williams (Ladbrokes)
1 Cloudy Lane 2 Comply or Die 3 Hedgehunter 4 Simon

It'll spell disaster for us bookies if the red-hot favourite wins but it's almost impossible to find a hole in Cloudy Lane. He's phenomenally well in at the weights, jumps for fun, finds more when he needs to and with conditions coming right for him, he looks set to secure his place in punters' affections as the most popular National horse since Red Rum.

The BBC pundits were talking to Oliver Brett and Zoe Kleinman