Katie Walsh gunning for Grand National history on board husband's horse in Aintree today

Kildare's Katie Walsh will be looking to make horse racing history in Aintree this evening when she races in the English Grand National.

The Kill native will be on board Baie Des Iles, a horse trained by her husband Ross O'Sullivan, and there are plenty of pundits tipping her for a good run in the historic race. Should she claim victory, it would be the first time that a female jockey has ever won the English Grand National.

Walsh rides a grey horse in the big race at 5.15pm, something that has helped see her odds tumble as plenty of people get swept up in the potential romance of her story and the fabled notion that grey horses stand a better chance in the Grand National.

“They have noticed that the horse is grey, and that she’s ridden by a woman, it’s a husband and wife team, and there has been a huge weight of money for her," said her father Ted this week.

"It’s the sort of thing that just gathers momentum.

“Really, 16-1 is not now an impression of her true chance. The horse was a 50-1 shot, and then 33s and that was more accurate – she’s not a 16-1 shot.

“People like a story, and I think they’d love it to be like National Velvet with Elizabeth Taylor. ”

Walsh will be taking on the 30 fences over 4 and a quarter miles of heavy Aintree turf, with Gordon Elliott's Tiger Roll the current favourite. Should he win this evening it would represent a double in the Irish and English Grand Nationals after General Principle won under JJ Slevin in Fairyhouse on Easter Monday.