Noel Glynn confident over Grand National bid

Noel Glynn has revealed that he had faith in Becauseicouldntsee's chances in the forthcoming Grand National.He further expressed that Peter Marsh Chase guests of horse racing packages could give a good indication.

Glynn claimed the eight-year-old was in "good form" in the run-up to the big day and revealed his camp had been looking for opportunities to test his fence-jumping.

"We'll give him this run this weekend and that might be his last over fences, but we'll see how we get on," he explained. "He's a tank of a horse and although they say weight stops trains, he can carry it."

It has been predicted by Glynn that he has full confidence that Becauseicouldntsee will perform "well" at Haydock and revealed that Nina Carberry would be fined with riding the horse, although he had initially considered handing the job to a professional jockey.

National route beckons for Rocker

Haydock is continues along the road to the John Smith's Grand National.

Alan King's nine-year-old showed plenty of stamina to land the totesport.com Classic Chase at Warwick, just prevailing by three-quarters of a length from Minella Boys in a thrilling finish.

The Barbury Castle handler is now eyeing the totesport.com National Trial at Haydock on February 19 before heading for the Aintree extravaganza in April.

He was always travelling and jumped great, and I thought it was a super run. He'll now take in the Grand National Trial at Haydock en route to Aintree," he told www.alankingracing.co.uk.

King is planning a trip to Cheltenham with his other Warwick winner, Call Me A Legend.

"We were really pleased with Call Me A Legend, who won the two-mile handicap chase," he added.

"She has come back well, having fractured a pelvis last year, and, though she will go to stud at the end of the season, it would be a fairytale if she could bow out by winning the Grand Annual at Cheltenham. She won't run again before the Festival."

Grand National hero Tony McCoy eventually won the race

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Grand National

awards eventually won the Tony McCoy previous month, he spent a time after that there was still one clear forget on his CV.

The perennial champion jockey had never won the Welsh National past at Chepstow.

This separation due the meeting have been always clashes with Kempton's fixture at Christmas it meant that McCoy had not reality had that many rides in the race.

After a 15 year at Aintree he wait for first win, it would be ironic were McCoy to win two in a row but he himself harbours doubts about the winner's suitability for the unique fences.

McCoy said: “I've won the English, Irish and now Welsh Nationals for Jonjo and JP (McManus), so that's very special. He took a long time to learn how to jump normal fences and he doesn't jump out at me as a typical National horse. He might take to it, he might not. This was the ideal race for him, three miles five furlongs round here on soft ground. I don't know if he has the scope for the Grand National fences, but he did jump better than he has ever done.

“He's achieved his big target — this was his Gold Cup.”

Merigo still on National trail

At Aintree, Merigo's fall in the Becher Chase has not effected Andrew Parker to have a rethink about aiming for the John Smith's Grand National.

The bitter weather at his Lockerbie stables has been the more significant concern for Parker's.

"We've been severely held up by the weather, with the temperature getting down to minus 14C on quite a lot of nights, and that has scuppered a lot of our plans," said Parker.

"He'll be entered for the Grand National and for the Scottish National again.

"Timmy said he was jumping very well up to the point he fell in the Becher Chase. Basically he asked him for a long one and he came down too sharply when he's really a horse that you just leave alone at the fences.

"I schooled him myself a couple of days later and he was absolutely brilliant again.

"If he runs again before the weights come out for the National it will probably be over hurdles, which won't move his chasing mark up or down. But if he gets 137, it would make it difficult to get in."

Merigo is a general 25-1 shot at this stage.

Grand National first prize tops £950,000 for 2011

An augment first prize in this year's John Smith's Grand National creates the legendary steeplechase by far the richest jump race in Europe.

On 9 April,2011 race, which takes place the first prize for which will increase to a record £950,000, a rise of £25,000 on last year's race.

Under the sponsorship of John Smith it will going to be a seventh Grand National race and total prize-money for the three-day meeting, which starts on 7 April, will be £2,540,000.