Paul Nicholls Grand National Team

The Paul Nicholls Grand National team is made up of seven top class horses and gives him an excellent chance this year. The Champion British trainer Paul Nicholls has yet to win the John Smith’s Grand National and he has the current ante post favourite Mr Pointment heading his charge. The nine-year-old put himself firmly in the picture for the extended four and a half mile contest when landing the totesport Becher Chase at Aintree on November 25 when he was a length too good for Bewleys Berry one of four entries for the Andrea & Graham Wylie/Howard Johnson team. Nicholls’ seven also includes Thisthatandtother, Turko, Opera Mundi, the 2005 runner-up Royal Auclair, Cornish Sett and Le Duc.

Jonjo O’Neill went close to winning the John Smith’s Grand National with the 2004 runner-up Clan Royal and the Gloucestershire handler’s quintet this year includes last season’s Irish Grand National victor Butler’s Cabin, who looks to be the standout among the 11 entries owned by the legendary Irish owner and gambler J P McManus. Butler’s Cabin is also likely to be the mount of Tony McCoy. The pick of Ferdy Murphy’s five entries are the 2007 William Hill Chase winner Joes Edge and Nine De Sivola, runner-up in both Scottish and Irish Grand Nationals last season.

Gloucestershire-based Nigel Twiston-Davies is the only current trainer to have saddled more than one winner of the John Smith’s Grand National (Earth Summit 1998 & Bindaree 2002) and he has eight engaged this year including Knowhere, successful in the Letheby & Christopher Chase at Cheltenham on January 26, as well as Ardaghey, Baron Windrush, the smart Fundamentalist, Irish Raptor, Naunton Brook, Patman du Charmil and Grade One winner Ollie Magern.

5 Previous Articles

Irish 2008 Grand National Entries	30 Jan 2008
2008 Grand National Entries	30 Jan 2008
Backing a Grand National Outsider	22 Jan 2008
Bewleys Berry Grand National Odds	22 Jan 2008
Philson Run on target for Aintree Grand National	15 Jan 2008