There are plenty of factors to consider when trying to pick the winner of the Grand National but a new stat has emerged to indicate that the colour of a horse should be a real consideration heading into Saturday’s big race.

Seasoned punters will already know who they will be siding with, though those tuning into Aintree’s showpiece for their annual gamble may be looking out for a variety of eye-catching factors instead – from vibrant jockey silks to the funniest name.

Grey horses have also proved very popular among the public in years gone by, but research from William Hill suggests that punters should, in fact, be backing against those who stand out from the bays and browns.

Sixty-two greys have gone to post since 1962, with only seven of those runners finishing in the first five (11 per cent). There has also only been one grey winner in that time as well, with Neptune Collonges getting up on the line to win the 2012 Grand National by a nose.

However, several yards will be hoping their runner can buck that trend and ensure that Paul Nicholls’ 33/1 winner isn’t the only grey winner in recent history.

Despite greys having an underwhelming record in the race, eight are set to go to post at Aintree on Saturday, with two being very well-fancied in the market. Vanillier, Intense Raffles, Kandoo Kid, Hyland, Fil Dor, Coko Beach, Duffle Coat and King Turgeon are among the grey representatives this weekend.

Intense Raffles was instated as the favourite in the market last month following the scratching of Cheltenham Festival victor Inothewayurthinkin. Tom Gibney’s gelding has drifted over the past week though, but he remains well fancied following his impressive win in the Irish Grand National last year.

Vanillier has emerged as the most popular grey over the past few days though, sharing favouritism with some bookmakers at stages before settling at around 10/1. The gelding is bidding for victory for the third time in his career, and he heads to Aintree on the back of a very promising run in the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham.

Jockey Sean Flanagan almost took the wrong course after jumping the third, throwing away at least 10 lengths in a major mishap. Vanillier worked his way back into contention though and stayed on to finish third behind stablemate and fellow Grand National runner Stumptown.