Nico de Boinville: “He is back over hurdles and off a mark we hope he can be competitive off.”

1.20pm Aintree

Jeriko Du Reponet

I obviously wasn’t on him in the Kim Muir but it is fair to say he didn’t run up to expectations there. He is back over hurdles here then and off a mark we hope he can be competitive off, for all he is 8lb higher than when winning so well at Punchestown in May.

3.05pm Aintree

Impose Toi

We have a strong enough hand in this and I ride Impose Toi. He cut out very quickly in the closing stages in the Stayers’ Hurdle and we were puzzled by the run, but if he returns to his early season form, which included a course win and a Grade 1 victory in the Long Walk, then he clearly has a good chance here. The cheekpieces that he wore to good effect last season are back on, and hopefully they will help.

4pm Grand National

I’d be lying if I said I had a strong opinion here, as you can simply make a case for too many. The fact that the top weight is rated 168 and you had to be rated 146 to get in shows you what a class contest it is these days.

Willie Mullins and JP McManus clearly have a very strong hand, and my idea of the winner is Grangeclare West, who may well have won last year but for that blunder at the last and who comes here in winning form.

I’ll take Monty’s Star, Gorgeous Tom and I Am Maximus to follow him home, in that order.

My 1-2-3-4: Grangeclare West, Monty’s Star, Gorgeous Tom, I Am Maximus