Hedgehunter Heads Grand National Field Of 40
A field of 40 in the Grand National at Aintree is headed by last year’s winner Hedgehunter.
The 10-year-old will shoulder joint top-weight of 11st 12lb along with 2005 runner-up Royal Auclair.
Retiring Aintree legend Ginger McCain saddles three contenders - Ebony Light, Amberleigh House and Inca Trail.
Paul and Nina Carberry will be the first brother and sister to compete against each other in the race, on Sir OJ and Forest Gunner respectively.
The four-and-a-half mile marathon, over 30 demanding fences, will be watched by a racecourse crowd of about 75,000 and a global television audience of 600m.
Hedgehunter, trained by Willie Mullins in Ireland, will bid to become the first horse since Red Rum in the 1970s to land back-to-back victories.
He runs fresh from a fine second behind War of Attrition in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.
“Although statistics are against us, and there hasn’t been a winner with top weight for over 30 years, he jumps well and he’s as well prepared as he’ll ever be,” said Mullins.
Hedgehunter and Jonjo O’Neill’s Clan Royal - who was unlucky when carried out at Becher’s Brook in the 2005 race - have been vying for favouritism.
Ten-time champion jockey Tony McCoy is on Clan Royal as he seeks the one major race missing from his collection.
Clan Royal was runner-up to Amberleigh House in 2004 when his then jockey Liam Cooper dropped his whip on the run-in.
Royal Auclair’s trainer Paul Nicholls has six runners after withdrawing Eurotrek, who has a leg infection.
He also has Cornish Rebel, Le Roi Miguel, Silver Birch, Le Duc and Heros Collonges.
Both Le Roi Miguel and Le Duc have been leased for the day by a trio including TV’s Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell.
If either should win, they would net £1m for the NSPCC children’s charity after the three temporary owners struck a big wager.
Nina and Paul Carberry will help make the big race a family affair.
Irish amateur Nina bids to become the first woman to ride the National winner, with Forest Gunner, who came fifth when partnered by Carrie Ford, wife of trainer Richard in 2005.
“We’d both love to see each other do well,” said Nina.
Numbersixvalverde represents Martin Brassil, while the Ted Walsh-trained Jack High is another Irish raider.
McCain, who famously trained Red Rum to three victories in the 1970s, has three hopefuls as he bids for a record fifth triumph and glorious swansong.
Of a possible fairtyale end to his career, the 75-year-old said: “It would be too special to be true. We have three excellent chances.”
Champion trainer Martin Pipe, who won the race with Miinnehoma in 1994, has five runners - Therealbandit, It Takes Time, Whispered Secret, Puntal and Iznogoud.
Leading contender Sir Rembrandt missed out after trainer Robert Alner found the horse, rated a 16-1 chance, to be lame on Thursday morning.
Eurotrek, Ollie Magern and Ground Ball were ruled out on Wednesday, and the four withdrawals were replaced in the big race by Iris Royal, Ross Comm, Shotgun Willy and Just In Debt.
Spot Thedifference, who would have made the cut, was not declared by Irish trainer Enda Bolger.
