Grands Crus, one of the best staying hurdlers and novice chasers of his generation, has been retired.

Richard Johnson is confident Wishfull Thinking is ready to run up to his best as he looks to defy top-weight in today’s Betfred Monet’s Garden Old Roan Chase at Aintree.

Noble Prince will cross the Irish Sea to make his seasonal reappearance in the two-and-a-half-mile Betfred Monet’s Garden Old Roan Chase at Aintree on Saturday.