Ballabriggs among 82 entries for National

Last year’s Aintree hero Ballabriggs features among the 82 entries for the John Smith’s Grand National on 14 April, and is the 16-1 ante-post favourite to retain his crown.

The 11-year-old gave trainer Donald McCain, son of the legendary Ginger McCain, an emotional first triumph in the world’s most famous steeplechase. And the success was even more poignant given that Ginger, trainer of four Grand National winners including three-time scorer Red Rum, passed away later in the year. McCain also has Charlie Hall Chase winner Weird Al and Wymott engaged at this stage.

This year’s race will be the first since entry requirements were tightened. Only horses aged seven or more can now compete and they must be rated 120 or above and have been placed in the first four of a chase of three miles or more by 20 March.

Joining Ballabriggs at the head of the betting are the David Pipe-trained Junior and Jonjo O’Neill’s Lexus Chase winner Synchronised.

Calgary Bay won Saturday’s Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster and is an interesting contender for Henrietta Knight, as is Malcolm Jefferson’s rejuvenated Rowland Meyrick and Peter Marsh Chase winner According To Pete. Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins has 12 contenders, including last year’s sixth home and beaten favourite The Midnight Club, Thyestes Chase winner On His Own and the talented Quel Esprit. In all there are 31 Irish-trained entries.

Meanwhile, Steve Gollings will chart a route towards the Grade Two Premier Kelso Novices’ Hurdle with Into Wain. The five-year-old gelding has made solid progress over hurdles since switching from David Simcock’s yard and looked especially sharp winning at Wetherby last Monday. Gollings will not run Into Wain at the Cheltenham Festival but will instead head to Kelso on 3 March. “He’s a lovely horse,” said the Lincolnshire handler. “The plan is to possibly take him to Exeter in the middle of the month en route to Kelso for the top novices’ race. I don’t want to think about Cheltenham this year but there might be something for him at Liverpool if he runs well in Scotland.”

Also Kelso-bound is Lucinda Russell’s Tap Night. When Ramon Dominguez guided the horse home at Belmont Park a couple of years ago, the STP Construction Novices’ Hurdle at Newcastle could not have been further from his mind and the five-year-old will have had something of a culture shock at a bitter Gosforth Park yesterday.

He was sent off the 8-13 favourite to follow up a 15-length win at Carlisle in November and despite a few hairy leaps, the result was never in any doubt. It was a family affair, too, as Peter Buchanan did the steering for his sister, Jane, who bought the horse from America for $26,000. Their father, Alan, said: “My daughter is a bloodstock agent in America and keeps an eye out for horses that could run over here.”

Russell added: “He’s very exciting. We might take him to Kelso for the Grade Two in March.”