Bowen excited to get on Samcro - and reckons he has 'massive' chance in Topham

There is no denying Samcro has the class to be involved in the Randox Grand National and Sean Bowen hopes the unique Aintree test can spark the three-time top-level winner right back to form.

Bowen was on Monday booked to ride the dual Cheltenham Festival scorer in the £1 million contest, continuing his link with trainer Gordon Elliott having first ridden out at Cullentra as a teenager when pony racing in Ireland.

Samcro has failed to reach the heights of his novice days, when he won the Deloitte Novice Hurdle and Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle in 2018 and Marsh Novices’ Chase two years later, and is a general 66-1 chance on his first try over the unique fences.