'Nothing to hide and we want to win' - National hopes given a chance to shine

Tuesday’s publication of the weights for the Randox Grand National mean that trainers can now run Aintree candidates without fear of ‘blowing their mark’.

Many of the 104 entries won’t have been in racecourse action over the last few months for solely that reason – Colin Tizzard’s Fiddlerontheroof, who reappears at Ascot tomorrow, is a prime example – but now trainers can run in the knowledge winning a race will not affect the weight they carry in the world-famous steeplechase.

The meetings at Haydock and Ascot will feature a plethora of National hopes in action, including the Evan Williams-trained Secret Reprieve, who narrowly missed out on a place at Aintree last year.