Junior: There are not many horses that have won at Royal Ascot, Cheltenham and the Grand National meeting, Junior already has the first two in the bag and will attempt a rare treble on Saturday. A good run last time behind Ikorodu Road at Doncaster should put Junior spot on for the big day; he was 20 lengths clear of the third that day. He is the right age and is officially 5lb well in at the weights with more improvement to come trainer David Pipe has had nothing but good things to say about this horse in recent weeks. He is currently very close to the top of the market and will no doubt be shorter on the day. All positives and a definite chance you may think, I don’t. The reason is I have watched the re-runs of his last few races and he does not seem to get to high at his fences, if you do not respect the Aintree fences you will soon be on the deck, his stamina is promised but not guaranteed and for these reasons there will be no value at backing the horse at single figures. If he does manage to get his jumping right he may well be in with a chance on the final circuit but if I was to take on one of the favourites Junior would be the one. Rating 5/10

On His Own: I can only imagine Ruby did not look at the long term weather forecast when he chose this horse over Seabass, most of his better form has come on better ground. Now I am sure Ruby has more knowledge in his little finger than I have and I do not want to doubt his judgement but this horse will now be over bet and I would love for his sister to short-head him on the line. We can only dream. On His Own has been pretty lightly raced for an eight year old and may well improve again, he was brought down when well fancied to win at Leopardstown two runs back but showed no ill-effects from that experience when he came back to beat an average looking field in heavy ground last time out. I am going to stick my neck out and suggest Ruby is on the wrong horse and will not be winning this year. Rating 5/10

Cappa Bleu: Another entry from the Welsh wizard Evan Williams, distance should not be a problem but the ground will be and how the bookies have him in at 16/1 is a mystery to me. Paul Maloney has been making positive comments about the horse recently but it is a long time since the National went back to Wales and I am happy to dismiss them again this year. Rating 3/10

West End Rocker: Alan King’s 10 year old has already won over the National fences as he took the Becher Chase at the course in December. The problem with that form is it was on heavy ground and they crawled for the first half of the race. It will be a totally different proposition for the horse on Saturday. Before his Aintree victory he was pulled up twice and brought down in last year’s renewal. He has won once on good ground but that was a poor race and he beat a rival rated just 123 that had only won one race in the previous 5 years. He was 33/1 in the race last year when he didn’t make it past Bechers and I feel you can expect a similar result this year. Alan King had a pretty average Cheltenham by his usual high standards, the rained softened ground may help but I do not see him having a change of fortune on Saturday. Rating 4/10

Ballabriggs: I doubt that there would be a more popular winner than Donald McCain and his team if Ballabriggs was to double up after last year’s victory, we all know the history this family has with the race and it looks as though it is set to continue for a very long time to come. Ballabriggs will have to lump around 11st 9lbs this year and stable jockey Jason Maguire is riding at the top of his game at the moment. Mr McCain has been quite bullish about the well being of his charge but a recent pipe opener at Kelso told us nothing as he had the same quiet preparation before his victory last year so perhaps we should listen to the trainer. I can only go with the statistics and I have decided that this horse is will not be winning this year, he will be very popular in the betting but will running for the bookies who will be hoping that they can get this horse beaten and I think they may get their wish. Rating 6/10

Giles Cross: This horse is a great jumper and really flies at his fences, sometimes that is not always an ideal tac-tic at Aintree. However he stays as well as any and jockey Paddy Brennan is more than a safe pair of hands in the saddle. Time-form have him as one of the best handicapped horses in the race and although he will give a good account of himself I am not sure the ground will be soft enough to make the difference. Rating 6/10

Grey horse.Chicago Grey: I backed this horse when he won last year at the Festival, his amateur jockey Derek O’Connor gave the horse a great ride from the back and he steadily picked his way through the field to win going away. Paul Carberry may well pick up the ride and adopt similar tactics in the National. He carries just 10st 13lb so the weight should not be an issue, we know he stays and has only ever fallen once in his career. Yes, he will need a little bit of luck in running but that can be said for all the main contenders. If the ground stays good and does not get too soft, I can’t see Chicago Grey being out of the frame. Rating 8/10

Seabass: Ted Walsh’s 9 year old has done nothing but improve this season and I get the feeling there is more to come. I like the way he battled on to win when challenged by Zaarito up the Naas run in last time at and I got the feeling there was more left in the tank than the final distance of one length suggests. If he improves again he may well be the ‘good thing’ of the race. Ruby Walsh has now confirmed he will be riding On His Own which will leave his sister Katie a great chance to be the first Lady winner of the race. And what a great story that would be for the National that Ruby, gave up the ride for his sister to take the victory. It has been raining for three days at Aintree and as the ground is now soft, so now I like this horse even more. Yes I would have preferred Ruby to be riding but Katie Walsh is a more than capable deputy. Rating 9/10

Treacle: Winner of the Munster National a couple of seasons back but then his form dropped away until he ran a creditable third in Grade 1 race at Leopardstown last time out. Apparently he was purchased at the age of three with the National in mind, there is nothing like forward thinking but I think this 11 year old would prefer a softer surface and the owners will be praying for more rain this week but I think they may have to go shopping again before the realise their dream of victory in the big race. Rating 4/10

Sunnyhillboy: If Jonjo O’Neil is coming back into form as his runners at Fairyhouse this week suggest he is, Sunnyhillboy maybe the one, a good winner of the Kim Muir at the Festival the ground and distance will not be an issue with this horse, he only carries 10 5lb so is well in at the weights and after lumping 11st 11lbs to victory last time he will think he has broken free with his weight on Saturday. Another runner who will be staying on towards the finish, but may just come up short and would be a place bet at the most for me. Rating 6/10

Killyglen: Fell in last year’s race when still in contention, a winner last time out at Down Royal but that race was run in a terribly slow time and that form would not be good enough to win this race. Another horse that is available around the 16/1 price but I do not see Killyglen reaching the frame. Rating 4/10

Shakalakaboomboom: May be a commentator’s nightmare but anything that Nicky Henderson does at the moment must be taken into account. He has been steadily stepping this horse up in distance and although his form is hardly standout/run to the bookies form, he is consistent if not flashy in his races. I just don’t think he has the form in the book to trouble the judge. Rating 5/10

Organisedconfusion: Winner of last year’s Irish Grand National under Nina Carberry and obviously needs extreme distances, has had a spin over hurdles before falling at the first fence against Seabass at Naas. Then last time out was a pretty lacklustre performance under a tender ride, probably with the National in mind. Nina Carberry winning the National would be great for racing and although I do rate the jockey I am more concerned that no seven year old has won the National this side of WW2. Rating 6/10

Beacauseicouldntsee: Front running 9 year old who may well take some pegging back if he gets loose on the front end with his low weight. Second last time out to Sunnyhillboy and then before that he ran second over hurdles at Fairyhouse. He was quietly fancied last year but went off far too fast and if he can relax a little more at the beginning of the race he may be my ideal back to lay horse. Currently around 20/1 if he gets into a rhythm over the first few fences he should trade a lot shorter than 25’s and I will be able to trade out a small profit before the cavalry moves in. Rating 6/10

Neptune Collenges: Champion trainer Paul Nicholls’s 11 year old is one horse you will be able to spot in the cavalry charge as he is the whitest horse in the race, unfortunately his best days are behind him and although he has a cracking strike rate over fences with eleven wins in chases to his name I think the best he can hope for in this better than average quality race will be a clear round and to come home safely. Rating 3/10

Calgary Bay: Henrietta Knight’s 9 year old has been a revelation for the stable this year and has picked up 2 Grade 1 Chases and over 64k in prize money since the turn of the year. He beat Nicky Henderson’s Shakalakaboomboom last time out over 3 miles and will be another horse that will be hoping for more rain to get into the ground before next Saturday. He fell at the tricky fourth fence last year but is not without a chance and may pop up at a big price if a few of the more fancied runners fail to shine. Rating 6/10

Planet of Sound: Philip Hobbs’ 10 year old has not troubled the judge for nearly two years. His best recent run came in what I believe was a 2nd place run in this year’s below par Hennessey. Jockey Richard Johnson rides but I don’t think this horse will have the desire to win a race like this, he tends to throw the towel in when things are not going well and the fact that he has had limited appearances on the track in the last couple of years leads me to think that he has had more problems in training than he has on the track and he is definitely not one for my shortlist. Rating 3/10

Always Right: The fact that this horse has been pulled up in his last two races may not be a major concern, before that he has shown pretty good and consistent form over long distances in some pretty good races at Kelso, Ayr and Doncaster. He was going pretty well in the Scottish National before clouting the fence two out and is not without a chance. I will put his last two disappointing performances down to the ground being too soft for his liking and at expected odds of around 33/1 he could be another outsider at a big price that may hit the frame. Rating 6/10

Quiscover Fontaine: Probably the least fancied of the Mullins team, best run was a 4th place finish in the Irish National when he was behind Organised Confusion and Sunnyhillboy. That was the only time he has run over a testing distance and it does not inspire me to be checking the odds for the big race. Rating 4/10

1. Seabass

2. Chicago Grey

3. Giles Cross

4. Always Right (EW)

5. Neptune Equestor (Outsider Each Way)