National remains on Rocker radar

Before the John Smith's Grand National,West End Rocker will not run again after being pulled up on stamina-sapping ground at Haydock on Saturday.

The nine-year-old drifted out to as big as 33-1 in places, from a general price of 20-1, for the Aintree feature on April 9 after failing to complete the course in the totesport.com Grand National Trial .

Wayne Hutchinson pulled him out after making a bad blunder at the second-last fence when well behind in sixth place.

Only four runners finished the three-and-a-half-mile slog, won by Silver By Nature.

"It was just too testing for him. Wayne did the right thing pulling him up in the end but he was fine on Sunday morning." said trainer Alan King.

"I shouldn't think he'd run again. He'll go straight to Aintree."

Russell wishes for Haydock repeat

In Saturday's totesport.com Grand National Trial at Haydock,Silver By Nature will look back-to-back victories ahead of a possible challenge for the big race itself.

In the Welsh National,Lucinda Russell's finishing second and taking this event when it was known as the Blue Square Gold Cup.

When being prepared for the Scottish National,Silver By Nature faces an injury and has raced twice this season with a 10th in the Hennessy at Newbury and a seventh back at the Welsh National.

He was allocated 10st 12lb at the unveiling of the Aintree weights on Monday and the Kinross-based handler said: "Silver By Nature has not been quite right this season and we had a lot of hassle with the snow but he still ran quite a good race in the Welsh National."

Pipe National team grows to six

With the news that Or Noir De Somoza has joined the Pond House squad,David Pipe's John Smith's Grand National team has been extended to six.

I am very grateful to the new Swiss owners of Or Noir De Somoza for sending him to me to prepare for Aintree's great race," said Pipe.

"We have had Or Noir De Somoza in the yard before and he finished fourth in Ascot's Victor Chandler Chase behind Master Minded. He stays very well and I have always thought he looked like an ideal Grand National candidate.

"I am delighted to have him and he is a very exciting addition to our team of entries for the big race that consists of I'msingingtheblues, Comply Or Die, Piraya, Faasel, and Junior," he told his website, www.davidpipe.com.

Merigo returns at Ayr

Andrew Parker is happy to be getting a much-needed run into his smart staying chaser Merigo at Ayr.

For the totesport.com Grand National Trial at Haydock on February 19,Scottish National hero was warms up for the totesport.com,with a spin over the smaller obstacles in the Bet Now At victorchandler.com Novices' Hurdle, in which he will face five rivals.

"It's something we do now and again with him. If you look in the past we give him a run over hurdles just to sharpen him up when we're struggling with a race for him," said Parker.

"We'll then go to Haydock in a fortnight for the big chase. It's a case of getting some race sharpness back into him. We had a lot of hard frosts and we were struggling for six weeks.

"Two years ago we ran him in a three-mile hurdle at Ayr at around the same time when he was second, but we're not going to go for the Eider this year. Hopefully he'll go to Haydock for the Grand National trial in 12 days' time."

Finger will be kept cross by the Lockerbie trainer as Merigo will get a run in the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree on April 9.

If not, he will bid for back-to-back victories in the Scottish version the following Saturday.