Double-chasing Tiger Roll tops big race line-up with Lake View Lad prominent

Last year’s winner Tiger Roll tops a maximum field of 40 for tomorrow’s Randox Health Grand National at Aintree

Gordon Elliott’s charge will bid to become the first back-toback winner of the race since the legendary Red Rum completed the feat back in 1974.

He is one of 13 runners for Elliott, with his team also numbering last year’s third Bless The Wings, the well-fancied Jury Duty and the 2018 Irish Grand National victor General Principle.

The odds for Joe Farrell to win the extended four-anda-quarter-mile contest have tumbled in recent days and trainer Rebecca Curtis was thrilled to see him sneak into the field at declaration time.

Last year’s Scottish National hero had been sitting in the first reserve position, but got in after the withdrawal of Pairofbrowneyes. The absence of Pairofbrowneyes means Willie Mullins will now have four runners in the field as he bids for a second National success. Rathvinden leads the Mullins squad with the 2018 runner-up Pleasant Company aiming to avenge his head defeat.

Cheltenham Gold Cup runner up Anibale Fly carries top weight for trainer Tony Martin, with the Trevor Hemmings-owned pair of Vintage Clouds and Lake View Lad, trained at Kinneston in Fife by Nick Alexander, also prominent in the betting.

Champion jockey Richard Johnson has yet to win the National and he will team up with the Philip Hobbs-trained Rock The Kasbah.

Becher Chase winner Walk In The Mill, 2017 Grand National hero One For Arthur and Step Back for Gold Cupwinning trainer Mark Bradstock are other names to note.

Mall Dini was withdrawn yesterday with a leg injury which means Just A Par now gets a place in the line-up, while three more reserves – The Young Master, Isleofhopendreams and Exitas are also poised to join the field should there be any non runners before today’s 1pm deadline.

At Aintree today, Lostintranslation seems sure to be suited by the step up to three miles in the Betway Mildmay Novices’ Chase.

Collin Tizzard’s likeable seven-year-old was just on the wrong end of the result in a thrilling finish to the JLT Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last month. That was the culmination of a trilogy that Hobbs’ Defi Du Seuil just edged twoone after an earlier clash at Cheltenham and in the Scilly Isles at Sandown.

On the last two occasions, Lostintranslation appeared to do very little wrong but could just not handle the superior speed of Defi Du Seuil. So stepping up to three miles seems the logical step.

You would have been hard pushed to have found a horse, particularly a novice, who jumped better all Festival than Lostintranslation and, if he gets into a similar rhythm, he will be hard to peg back.

Lisnagar Oscar was ultimately a bit disappointing in the Albert Bartlett for Rebecca Curtis. He is now in the Doom Bar Sefton Novices’ Hurdle, and the flatter track and better ground can help him return to winningwaysafterhelookeda top-class recruit on his previous run at Haydock.

The JLT Chase, better known as the Melling, can go to Ruth Jefferson’s Waiting Patiently.