Grand National 2006

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JOHN SMITH'S GRAND NATIONAL DECLARED RUNNERS 06/04/06
A full field of 40 and four reserves for the big race on Saturday

Form Horse Age/Wgt Owner Trainer/Jockey
1) 42F-51520 ROYAL AUCLAIR (FR) 9-11-12 Clive Smith Paul Nicholls/Christian Williams
2) 0611-0422 HEDGEHUNTER (IRE) 10-11-12 Trevor Hemmings Willie Mullins IRE/Ruby Walsh
3) 1332-330 CORNISH REBEL (IRE) 9-11-09 Graham Roach Paul Nicholls/Joe Tizzard
4) 330-001 THEREALBANDIT (IRE) 9-11-09 David Johnson Martin Pipe/Richard Johnson
5) 1042-404 IT TAKES TIME (IRE) 12-11-08 David Johnson Martin Pipe/Timmy Murphy
6) 225-5000 LE ROI MIGUEL (FR) 8-11-07 Green/Rose/Cowell Paul Nicholls/Liam Heard
7) 1-340253 NATIVE UPMANSHIP (IRE) 13-11-00 Sue Magnier Arthur Moore IRE/Conor O’Dwyer
8) 0210-011 INNOX (FR) 10-10-13 J P McManus Francois Doumen FR/Robert Thornton
9) P/111-4PP SILVER BIRCH (IRE) 9-10-12 Paul Barber & Des Nichols Paul Nicholls/Sam Thomas
10) 3112140 WHISPERED SECRET (GER) 7-10-12 David Manasseh & Dan Levine Martin Pipe/Rodi Greene
11) 65-04504 RINCE RI (IRE) 13-10-12 Frank Moriarty Ted Walsh IRE/Andrew McNamara
12) 5UU1/60- PUNTAL (FR) 10-10-12 Terry Neill Martin Pipe/Barry Geraghty
13) 111-P020 LORD OF ILLUSION (IRE) 9-10-11 Patrick Kennedy Tom George/Jason Maguire
14) 1401F10 EBONY LIGHT (IRE) 10-10-10 Roger Bellamy Ginger McCain/Stephen Craine
15) 2P2-5PUP FIRST GOLD (FR) 13-10-10 J P McManus Francois Doumen FR/Richard McGrath
16) 12/4C-531 CLAN ROYAL (FR) 11-10-10 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill/Tony McCoy
17) 330-02U LE DUC (FR) 7-10-10 Green/Rose/Cowell Paul Nicholls/Jamie Moore
18) 504-6511F SIR OJ (IRE) 9-10-10 Brian Keenan Noel Meade IRE/Paul Carberry
19) 115-UPP FOREST GUNNER 12-10-10 John Gilsenan Richard Ford/Miss Nina Carberry
20) 1-2U0440 JOES EDGE (IRE) 9-10-10 Chemipetro Limited Ferdy Murphy/Davy Russell
21) 22102-FP2 JUVEIGNEUR (FR) 9-10-09 Trevor Hemmings Nicky Henderson/Mick Fitzgerald
22) 400-P5000 AMBERLEIGH HOUSE (IRE) 14-10-09 Halewood International Ltd Ginger McCain/Graham Lee
23) 113050350 BALLYCASSIDY (IRE) 10-10-09 Roddy Owen & P Fullagar Peter Bowen/Leighton Aspell
24) 10-561511 INCA TRAIL (IRE) 10-10-09 Halewood International Ltd Ginger McCain/Brian Harding
25) 0065132 GARVIVONNIAN (IRE) 11-10-08 Angela Long Ned Mitchell IRE/Garrett Cotter
26) 1-504B443 NUMBERSIXVALVERDE (IRE) 10-10-08 Bernard Carroll Martin Brassil IRE/Niall Madden
27) F6/0200-00 IZNOGOUD (FR) 10-10-08 The County Stores & Avalon Surfacing Martin Pipe/Tom Scudamore
28) 1-3045351 JACK HIGH (IRE) 11-10-07 Brenda Ross Ted Walsh IRE/David Casey
29) 2-253615 HAUT DE GAMME (FR) 11-10-07 The Haut De Gamme Partnership Ferdy Murphy/Keith Mercer
30) 416-00P42 NIL DESPERANDUM (IRE) 9-10-07 Mike Shone Frances Crowley IRE/Tommy Treacy
31) 16216-P4P BARON WINDRUSH 8-10-07 The Double Octagon Partnership Nigel Twiston-Davies/Anthony Evans
32) 51P0-624 HEROS COLLONGES (FR) 11-10-07 Merchant Rentals Plc Paul Nicholls/J P McNamara
33) 101PP/-64 TYNEANDTHYNEAGAIN 11-10-07 Howard Johnson Howard Johnson/Peter Buchanan
34) U-2P62SR5 RISK ACCESSOR (IRE) 11-10-06 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill/Noel Fehily
35) P4/14-F1 DIRECT ACCESS (IRE) 11-10-06 The Direct Access Partnership Nicky Richards/Tony Dobbin
36) 235P-255 COLNEL RAYBURN (IRE) 10-10-06 Thatch (Ferns) Racing Syndicate Paul Nolan IRE/John Cullen
37) 11P2/-60F5 IRIS ROYAL (FR) 10-10-06 Sir Robert Ogden Nicky Henderson/Marcus Foley
38) 21411F31 ROSS COMM 10-10-05 Kevin Treanor Sue Smith/Dominic Elsworth
39) 1P5//0PP- SHOTGUN WILLY (IRE) 12-10-05 Paul Beck Richard Guest
40) P0-0P360 JUST IN DEBT (IRE) 10-10-04 Bill Hazeldean Martin Todhunter/Alan Dempsey

The four reserves
R1) 1P3/44F-P4 LORD ATTERBURY (IRE) 10-10-04 David Johnson Martin Pipe
R2) 3PP-4215 KNIFE EDGE (USA) 11-10-02 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill
R3) 0-0FP21P PHILSON RUN (IRE) 10-10-01 Gale Force One Nick Williams
R4) 3/P-5050 MONTAYRAL (FR) 9-10-01 T Mannion Pat Hughes IRE

Taken out today
7) U12-10640 OLLIE MAGERN 8-11-06 Roger Nicholls Nigel Twiston-Davies
8) 2///1P-411P EUROTREK (IRE) 10-11-04 Paul Green Paul Nicholls
9) 3P-PPF230 SIR REMBRANDT (IRE) 10-11-01 Alan Hordle Robert Alner
11) F1-404436 GROUND BALL (IRE) 9-10-13 J P McManus Charlie Swan IRE
43) 10-010062 SPOT THEDIFFERENCE (IRE) 13-10-05 J P McManus Enda Bolger IRE
47) 410-0U50 LIBERTHINE (FR) 7-10-02 Robert Waley-Cohen Nicky Henderson
48) 111122 HAKIM (NZ) 12-10-02 T N Siviter John Spearing

Hedgehunter
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Hedgehunter is bidding to become the first horse to record back-to-back victories in the John Smith's Grand National since Red Rum secured the second of his three wins in 1974.

The Willie Mullins-trained 10-year-old was mightily impressive when scoring by 14 lengths last year and comes into the £700,000 race on the back of a fantastic effort in last month's totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, when beating all bar War Of Attrition.

A maximum of 40 runners can go to post at 4.15pm on Saturday for the 159th running of the Grand National at Aintree, which means that over half of those left in will not be able to take part.

The 40th horse currently in the list is Colnel Rayburn, one of four horses on 10st 6lb. The others are Risk Accessor, Direct Access and Iris Royal and it will not be known until tomorrow morning in which order they will be treated for elimination purposes. They will then be ranked from 38th to 41st in the list on their latest handicap ratings - the John Smith's Grand National weights were decided back in February.

Royal Auclair
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The 2005 second, Royal Auclair will bid to go one better this time. He is 9lb better off with Hedgehunter from a year ago and will attempt to give champion jump trainer-elect Paul Nicholls his first victory in the world famous event.

Nicholls' seven other horses in the John Smith's Grand National include Cornish Rebel, 16th in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup last month, the lightly-raced Eurotrek, twice a winner this season, Silver Birch, who landed the totesport Becher Chase and Coral Welsh National in 2004, Le Duc, Le Roi Miguel, Heros Collonges and Lou Du Moulin Mas. They are all set to get a run except the last-named.

Heros Collonges has been sold to race in the colours of Haydock-based Merchant Rentals plc. One of the company's directors, Andy Peake, has been a long-time patron of the Reveleys, Norma Macauley and Paul Nicholls, most notably as joint owner of Colourful Life.

Andy said: "Merchant Rentals specialises in the provision of outsourced finance for Chip'n'Pin terminals to the banking industry and, as a company, we are delighted to have a runner in the world's greatest race.

"Heros Collonges is an ideal National type, having finished a very creditable eighth to Hedgehunter in last year's event and we are hopeful of a bold show on Saturday."

The Martin Pipe-trained It Takes Time, fourth in last year's renewal, is one of a 13-strong team going forward for the Nicholashayne handler, who could also be represented by Therealbandit, Whispered Secret, Puntal, Iznogoud and Lord Atterbury, with the others unlikely to get in.

Ginger McCain, whose four triumphs in the race equals the record set by Fred Rimell, is set to have three runners this year - his final as a trainer. They are headed by 2004 hero Amberleigh House, with Peter Marsh Chase victor Ebony Light and the recently-purchased Inca Trail completing his trio.

Clan Royal
© racing-images.co.uk

Clan Royal, unluckily carried out when in the lead at Becher's second time around last year having been second in 2004, will represent the powerful J P McManus/Jonjo O'Neill/Tony McCoy combination.

J P McManus has nine others still in the chase, which is run over 30 fences and four and a half miles, and Ground Ball, Innox, First Gold and Risk Accessor in the top 40, with Spot Thedifference and Knife Edge also having some chance of running.

Robert Alner relies on Sir Rembrandt, a staying-on seventh in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, and Nigel Twiston-Davies, successful with Bindaree in 2002 and Earth Summit in 1998, is likely to be represented by Ollie Magern and Baron Windrush.

The Irish have a great recent record in the John Smith's Grand National, with Hedgehunter's romp last April providing their fourth victory in seven years, and they have a strong hand again, with 15 horses left in.

Jack High
© racing-images.co.uk

Garvivonnian, trained by Ned Mitchell, landed the totesport Becher Chase in November, Ted Walsh's Jack High took the Betfred Gold Cup last season and won at Down Royal on his latest start and Numbersixvalverde gave Dunmurray-based Martin Brassil his biggest success as a trainer when prevailing in the 2005 Irish National.

Champion Irish jump trainer Noel Meade intends sending Sir Oj over, Nil Desperandum, a never-nearer sixth in 2005, is due to have another go for Frances Crowley, Paul Nolan relies on Colnel Rayburn, while Charlie Swan has left in Ground Ball.

French maestro Francois Doumen has never won the John Smith's Grand National and has two chances this year with Innox, who finished seventh last year, and 13-year-old First Gold.

The confirmations also include Sue Smith's Ross Comm, an easy winner at Bangor last time, Ferdy Murphy's pair Joes Edge, last year's Scottish Grand National winner, and Haut De Gamme, and Nicky Richards' Direct Access, who fell at the first on his only previous attempt over the Grand National fences in the totesport Becher Chase in 2005.

Nicky Henderson's Juveigneur, owned like Hedgehunter by Trevor Hemmings, Tom George's Lord Of Illusion, and Forest Gunner, ridden into fifth last year by Carrie Ford and the mount this time of Nina Carberry, are other fascinating contenders for this year's Aintree showpiece.