FORMER Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Imperial Commander (11st 10lb) heads the weights for this year’s John Smith’s Grand National on April 6 after 57 horses stood their ground following today’s scratchings deadline. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse  missed the chance to regain his crown at the Cheltenham Festival after a lung infection. But the 12-year-old could bid to try and give his handler a third success in the National following Earth Summit (1998) and Bindaree (2002).

Willie Mullins enjoyed an outstanding Cheltenham Festival with five wins and the Irish champion trainer looks set to have a strong hand at Aintree with four entries, headed by the Andrea and Graham Wylie-owned On His Own (11st) who is the ante-post favourite. Grade Two scorer Prince De Beauchene (11st 7lb) is also handy in the betting.

Ted Walsh, successful in the 2000 National with Papillon, has a pair of strong challengers this year including Seabass (11st 6lb & 10/1), who was third in last season’s race under the trainer’s daughter Katie, the best finishing position by a woman in the great race. Colbert Station (11st 1lb & 14/1) is also set to represent Walsh and the nine-year-old entered the reckoning for the John Smith’s Grand National with an impressive victory in a valuable handicap chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.

Like Imperial Commander, Sunnyhillboy (11st 4lb & 20/1) was a late absentee from the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Jonjo O’Neill-trained 10-year-old is set to head straight to Aintree having gone down by a nose to Neptune Collonges in the 2012 John Smith’s Grand National. Cappa Bleu (10st 11lb & 14/1), who came home third last year, is also set to return for Evan Williams.

THE 2013 JOHN SMITH’S GRAND NATIONAL
Class 1, Grade 3, £975,000 total prize fund. 4.15pm, Aintree, Saturday, April 6, 2013, about four miles, three and a half furlongs. For seven-year-olds and upwards who, up to and including March 18, 2013, have been placed first, second, third or fourth in a chase of three miles or more and which are allotted a rating of 120 or more by the BHA Head of Handicapping following a review of the horses entered and after taking account of races run up to and including February 10, 2013.

Form  Horse    Age/Wgt Owner    Trainer
1) 51U/1P/-2 IMPERIAL COMMANDER (IRE) 12-11-10 Our Friends in the North Nigel Twiston-Davies
2) P/33F0-0 WHAT A FRIEND  10-11-09 Ged Mason & Sir Alex Ferguson Paul Nicholls
3) 3PF-4PP WEIRD AL (IRE)  10-11-08 Brannon Dick Holden  Donald McCain
4) 51/51-12 PRINCE DE BEAUCHENE (FR) 10-11-07 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE
5) 1113-04 QUEL ESPRIT (FR)  9-11-07 Red Barn Syndicate  Willie Mullins IRE
6) 40/-U312 BIG FELLA THANKS  11-11-06 Crossed Fingers Partnership Tom George
7) 0-1U355 ROBERTO GOLDBACK (IRE) 11-11-06 Simon Munir   Nicky Henderson
8) 1113-23 SEABASS (IRE)  10-11-06 Gunners Syndicate  Ted Walsh IRE
9) 1/46-P03 BALLABRIGGS (IRE)  12-11-04 Trevor Hemmings  Donald McCain
10) P012-5P SUNNYHILLBOY (IRE)  10-11-04 J P McManus   Jonjo O’Neill

11) 11-0620 TEAFORTHREE (IRE)  9-11-03 T437    Rebecca Curtis
12) 3-11201 ACROSS THE BAY (IRE) 9-11-02 Scotch Piper Syndicate  Donald McCain
13) 1P3-02P JOIN TOGETHER (IRE) 8-11-02 Ian Fogg & Paul Barber  Paul Nicholls
14) 130654 BOB LINGO (IRE)  11-11-01 J P McManus   Tom Mullins IRE
15) 413-5211 COLBERT STATION (IRE) 9-11-01 J P McManus   Ted Walsh IRE
16) 214122 TOFINO BAY (IRE)  10-11-01 Gigginstown House Stud Dessie Hughes IRE
17) 2P1536 FORPADYDEPLASTERER (IRE) 11-11-00 Goat Racing Syndicate  Thomas Cooper IRE
18) P1/B1F-1 ON HIS OWN (IRE)  9-11-00 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE
19) 0-35233 JONCOL (IRE)   10-10-13 Kay Browne   Paul Nolan IRE
20) 10511-P LION NA BEARNAI (IRE) 11-10-13 The Lock Syndicate  Tom Gibney IRE
21) P0F1-12 BALTHAZAR KING (IRE) 9-10-12 The Brushmakers  Philip Hobbs
22) 6F2264 BOSTONS ANGEL (IRE) 9-10-11 Elder Scouller   Jessica Harrington IRE
23) 1334-22 CAPPA BLEU (IRE)  11-10-11 William & Angela Rucker Evan Williams
24) 2/4-4U60 OSCAR TIME (IRE)         12-10-11 Robert Waley-Cohen/Sir Martin & Steve Broughton Martin Lynch IRE
25) 44001-00 ALWAYS WAINING (IRE) 12-10-10 Mr & Mrs Peter Douglas Peter Bowen
26) 31P/PP-4 QUINZ (FR)   9-10-10 Andrew Cohen   Philip Hobbs
27) 15U-606 TATENEN (FR)  9-10-10 The Stewart Family  Richard Rowe
28) 1/U121/5- BESHABAR (IRE)  11-10-09 Middleham Park Racing X & Ann Burrows Tim Vaughan
29) 423F-01 TREACLE (IRE)  12-10-09 Bjorn Nielsen   Tom Taaffe IRE
30) 011611 LOST GLORY (NZ)  8-10-08 J P McManus   Jonjo O’Neill

31) U01-F430 SAINT ARE (FR)  7-10-08 David Fox   Tim Vaughan
32) P-P1440 SWING BILL (FR)  12-10-08 David Johnson   David Pipe
33) 1F2-110 WYCK HILL (IRE)  9-10-08 J P McManus   David Bridgwater
34) B-0U631 CHICAGO GREY (IRE)  10-10-07 John Earls   Gordon Elliott IRE
35) P-52202 MAGNANIMITY (IRE)  9-10-07 Gigginstown House Stud Dessie Hughes IRE
36) 010F-60 QUISCOVER FONTAINE (FR) 9-10-07 J P McManus   Willie Mullins IRE
37) F-63PP5 BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE (IRE) 10-10-06 Noel Glynn   Noel Glynn IRE
38) 12P-P00 HARRY THE VIKING  8-10-06 Sir Alex Ferguson, Ged Mason, R Wood & P Done Paul Nicholls
39) 3B0-643 RARE BOB (IRE)  11-10-06 D A Syndicate   Dessie Hughes IRE
40) 04-311P4 THE RAINBOW HUNTER 9-10-06 May We Never Be Found Out Partnership Kim Bailey

 

41) 236026 MR MOONSHINE (IRE) 9-10-05 Sue Smith   Sue Smith
42) 1133FP MUMBLES HEAD (IRE) 12-10-04 Karen Bowen   Peter Bowen
43) F2PP-44 PEARLYSTEPS  10-10-04 The Glazeley Partnership Henry Daly
44) 0P45F5 AURORAS ENCORE (IRE) 11-10-03 D Pryde, J Beaumont & D P van der Hoeven Sue Smith
45) 3F6042 NINETIETH MINUTE (IRE) 10-10-03 Dermot Cox   Tom Taaffe IRE
46) P11420 TARQUINIUS (FR)  10-10-02 Mary Furlong   Gordon Elliott IRE
47) 614U40 ANY CURRENCY (IRE) 10-10-00 Cash Is King   Martin Keighley
48) 2P-265P MAJOR MALARKEY (IRE) 10-9-13 Baker, Dodd & Cooke  Nigel Twiston-Davies
49) (0)6U1/-50 POKER DE SIVOLA (FR) 10-9-13 David Johnson   Ferdy Murphy
50) /5000/P-P BACKSTAGE (FR)  11-9-12 MPR & Capranny Syndicate Gordon Elliott IRE
51) 621B-001 SOLL    8-9-12  Derrick Mossop  Jo Hughes
52) F10203 ROMANESCO (FR)  8-9-11  Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott IRE
53) 023P25 VIKING BLOND (FR)  8-9-11  Caroline Mould   Nigel Twiston-Davies
54) 2161-30  CLOUDY LANE  13-9-10 Trevor Hemmings  Donald McCain
55) 000165 PENTIFFIC (NZ)  10-9-08 P Sinn, P Lawrence, L Sutcliffe, M Smith Venetia Williams
56) 0/44-060 GULLIBLE GORDON (IRE) 10-9-06 Yeh Man Partnership  Peter Bowen
57) P-22150 MORTIMERS CROSS  12-9-06 John Needham   John Needham

THE FOLLOWING 16 HORSES HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED: ALBERTAS RUN (IRE), QUITO DE LA ROQUE (FR), KATENKO (FR), CALGARY BAY (IRE), ROI DU MEE (FR), MIDNIGHT CHASE, PLANET OF SOUND, THE PACKAGE, JESSIES DREAM (IRE), PROBLEMA TIC (FR), FRISCO DEPOT, ALFIE SHERRIN, MATUHI, TARTAK (FR), SUMMERY JUSTICE (IRE), ODYSSEAS (FR)