Paul Nicholls enters 10 for Grand National

Neptunes Collonges

Paul Nicholls has resorted to strength of numbers as he attempts to end his wait for a first winner of the John Smith’s Grand National.

The five-time champion trainer has saddled 48 runners in the National, his best showing thus far coming with Royal Auclair who finished second to Hedgehunter in 2005, and he has 10 of 102 entries for this year’s renewal, which will be worth a record £950,000.

Nicholls entry is headed by Neptune Collonges, who won the Grade Two Argento Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday, and What A Friend, who is part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson and won the Grade One totesport Bowl at Aintree last year.

Nicholls also has The Tother One, who finished fourth to Neptune Collonges, Taranis, the winner of last year’s Argento Chase, Tricky Trickster, ninth in last season’s Grand National and Niche Market, who was pulled up.

If all his entries make the line-up at Aintree on April 9th, Nicholls will match the 10 that Martin Pipe saddled in 2001 when Blowing Wind did best for the trainer by finishing third to Red Marauder.

Irish-trained runners have won six of the last 12 runnings of the National and one trainer bidding for glory with his first runner in the race is Co Tyrone-based Barry Potts. Notre Pere won the 2008 Welsh National and 2009 Grade One Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown for owners Pat and Tilly Conway when he was trained by Jim Dreaper. The 10-year-old most recently finished ninth to Pandorama in the Grade One Lexus Chase at Leopardstown but previously ran a good fifth behind Hello Bud in the totesport.com Becher Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree in November.

“The Grand National is definitely the aim for Notre Pere. He came to me just after the Lexus Chase and the owners hope that the change of scenery will do him good. We’ll probably look to give him one run over hurdles and then head straight to Aintree with him,” Potts said.

"I did his pre-training before he went to Jim Dreaper’s and he has always struck me as the kind of horse who was made for Aintree - he is such a monster and he seems to jump normal fences so effortlessly.

"He looked like he needed a change after running in the Lexus Chase but his run over the National fences in the Becher Chase was very good considering he was hampered several times. I know that the best of his form is on softer ground but he has also won a Grade One chase on good to yielding and the Grand National is a long old haul.

"I’ve been training for the Conways since August. I've trained a winner, Niki Royal, for them between the flags but I can't believe that I have been given a horse as good as Notre Pere."

JP McManus had spent nearly 30 years, and any amount of money, to find a horse good enough to win the National. Jump racing’s most fervent patron finally achieved a life’s ambition when Don’t Push It won last and the McManus colours are likely to be seen in profusion once more. Along with Don’t Push It the McManus entries includes Synchronised, the Welsh National winner, and the recently-purchased Quolibet, trained by François Doumen.

Quolibet is one of three French-trained entries along with Or Noir de Somoza, a triple Grade One winner trained by Jean-Pierre Totain, and the François Cottin-trained Quezac de la Roque.

Weights for the race are announced on February 15th.

Paul Wheeler

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