NOEL MEADE has decided to sidestep Sunday's Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown with Harchibald and Iktitaf will do duty for the stable instead.

CLAN ROYAL is set to make his seasonal reappearance in the bet365 Handicap Hurdle at Wetherby tomorrow.

Bookmaker William Hill today said it won £17.5m (€25.6m) from punters betting on the football World Cup in Germany.

Connections of Innox will wait until tomorrow morning before making a decision on where to run the early Aintree casualty next.

Irish raider Numbersixvalverde won the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree.

Jonjo O’Neill is relying on the “Aintree factor” as Clan Royal tries to make it third-time lucky in tomorrow’s John Smith’s Grand National.

WILLIE MULLINS is hoping the rain stays away to give Hedgehunter every chance of completing back-to-back victories in the John Smith’s Grand National.

CHRISTIAN WILLIAMS sees last year’s winner Hedgehunter as the main threat to his mount Royal Auclair - one of seven Paul Nicholls runners - in the John Smith’s Grand National on Saturday.

Ground Ball may bypass the John Smith’s Grand National – with connections eyeing one of two other races at Aintree this week.

RICHARD JOHNSON is set to ride either It Takes Time or Therealbandit in the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week.

Richard Johnson is set to ride either It Takes Time or Therealbandit in the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week.

ANTE-POST favourite Clan Royal and Racing Post Chase hero Innox are among 122 contenders remaining after the first forfeit stage for the John Smith’s Grand National.

Ante-post favourite Clan Royal and Racing Post Chase hero Innox are among 122 contenders remaining after the first forfeit stage for the John Smith’s Grand National.

Tony McCoy believes Innox will have a good chance in the John Smith’s Grand National following the French raider’s classy success in the Racing Post Chase at Sandown.

LAST YEAR’S winner Hedgehunter heads a healthy entry of 148 for the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on April 8.

Paul Nicholls has a powerful 10-strong team entered in the John Smith’s Grand National as he continues his quest for his first trainers’ championship.

Leading John Smith’s Grand National candidates Clan Royal and Silver Birch are set to clash – weather permitting – over hurdles at Warwick tomorrow.

Clan Royal, ante-post favourite for the John Smith’s Grand National, will continue his preparation for the Aintree showpiece with an outing over hurdles at Huntingdon tomorrow – weather permitting.

Clan Royal is set to continue his build-up to a third crack at the John Smith’s Grand National with a second run over hurdles later this month.

HEDGEHUNTER received a rapturous welcome at Leopardstown yesterday afternoon following his heroics in the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday.

Connections of the luckless Clan Royal will give the gelding a week to get over his exertions in the John Smith’s Grand National before deciding on his next target.

Willie Mullins believes the Betfred Gold Cup might come “a bit quick” for Hedgehunter after the nine-year-old’s brilliant victory in the John Smith’s Grand National on Saturday.

Richard Ford has issued an upbeat bulletin ahead of Forest Gunner’s run in the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree tomorrow.

All the big guns have stood their ground following the final 48-hour declaration stage for Saturday’s John Smith’s Grand National.

NATIONAL favourite Hedgehunter will travel to Aintree today, with his trainer Willie Mullins satisfied about the ground conditions at Liverpool.

WHO will be able to muster the enthusiasm to change channels to look at the National on Saturday, after the intoxication of viewing the eagerly-awaited union of Charles and Camilla?

PRINCE Charles's wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles was postponed yesterday because it clashed with the Pope's funeral.

LE COUDRAY is the new top-weight for the John Smith’s Grand National after 85 horses were confirmed at yesterday’s five-day stage for Saturday’s Aintree spectacular.

Jonjo O’Neill enjoyed a welcome confidence-boost just before Aintree’s prestigious John Smith’s Grand National meeting when Schapiro landed the opening event at Newbury this afternoon.

Howard Johnson has had two Grand National-style fences built as he prepares his big-race possibles for a tilt at Aintree.

All of the leading fancies remain in the John Smith’s Grand National following the first forfeit stage.

TONY MARTIN is praying for a dry spring to improve the chances of Davids Lad fulfilling an ambitious spring campaign.

Punters pinning their hopes on the favourite for the John Smith’s Grand National received a boost yesterday as trainer Jonjo O’Neill said that he would be doing everything in his power to see that Clan Royal makes the starting line-up on April 9.

A record total of 92 horses are on 10st or above in the weights published today for the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on April 9.

A RECORD entry of 152 has been received for the John Smith’s Grand National on April 9 with legendary owner JP McManus responsible for no less than 19 of those engaged.

Jonjo O'Neill's Grand National runner-up Clan Royal finished out of the places on his return to action at Bangor yesterday – but did his big-race prospects no harm at all in the process.

EDREDON BLEU, who dominated the Peterborough Chase for four years from 1998 to 2001, heads the entries for this year’s contest in the likely absence of stablemates Best Mate and Impek.

Grand National winner Amberleigh House could continue his build up to another crack at the Aintree marathon with an outing at Wetherby on Saturday.

Liam Cooper has announced his retirement after admitting: “One more heavy fall and I could have been history.”

Amberleigh House recorded a famous victory in the £600,000 (€914,000) Martell Cognac Grand National at Aintree today.

It’s 31 years since Red Rum’s first Grand National victory, but trainer Ginger McCainis still as twitchy about his latest charge at Aintree today. He spoke to Ray Gilpin.

WILLIE MULLINS has been pleased with the preparation of his two Martell Cognac Grand National challengers, long-time ante-post favourite Hedgehunter and Alexander Banquet.

Following the defection of First Gold at today’s final declaration stage, the weights for the Martell Cognac Grand National will go up 3lb to leave Le Coudray at the top of the handicap for Saturday’s race.