It could be a Grand old day for The Midnight Club

I HAVE had it in my head for a long time that The Midnight Club could be an ideal Grand National candidate and am obviously very much looking forward to riding him at Aintree this afternoon.

I’ve been lucky enough to win the race twice before, on Papillon and Hedgehunter, so have a very good idea of the difficulty of the task facing us today. How could you be in any way confident, with 40 horses in the field, over four and a half miles, and with all sorts of obstacles to be crossed along the way?

That said, The Midnight Club has a lot going for him. He has a super weight, 10-13, will love the ground and is relatively unexposed. It is just possible he has a little bit in hand.

All of that, however, won’t matter unless we have luck on our side. Anything can happen at any stage and you simply need that little rub of the green to be with you.

There are so many dangers, starting with last year’s winner and top weight, Don’t Push It. He was impressive then and races now off a mark just 5lbs higher. Don’t Push It has been given an ideal preparation, having enjoyed a pop over flights at Cheltenham.

What A Friend would be a massive result for the game, with Alex Ferguson involved with him. He has the class to win, having been fourth behind Long Run in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham. He won a Grade 1 at the meeting a year ago and it really is a question now of whether or not he takes to these obstacles.

Backstage has been a big mover in the ante-post market and I know both Gordon Elliott and Paul Carberry fancy him to go close.

He was running a big race here a year ago, when falling, but can he really win now off the back of landing just a point-to point?

I could have ridden Niche Market and he has a life. He gave me a good feel at Newbury and is a winner of an Irish National. Fairyhouse success stories have a decent record at Aintree.

Becauseicouldntsee and Bluesea Cracker are two others I’d have on my short list. Becauseicouldntsee is a fine big horse, who stays really well.

I’d respect Bluesea Cracker for the same reason as Niche Market, on the basis she is a previous winner of an Irish National.

Quinz, successful in the Racing Post Chase, is only seven, but is a rapidly improving novice and clearly not without hope.

If you want a lively outsider then why not Killyglen? He ran a blinder one day over hurdles at Thurles and will love the drying ground.

The bottom line for me is I would not get off The Midnight Club for anything else in the contest. If the hidden ingredient smiles on us, luck, then he will run a big race.

I had a hard choice to make in the opening novice hurdle between Sam Winner and Rock On Ruby and have gone with the former.

They both ran out of their skins at Cheltenham, Sam in the Triumph and Ruby in the Neptune. The reason I am with Sam Winner is that I believe he is a really, really good horse.

I just love him and he could never get into the Triumph, his jumping was too slow and too high. He has an extra three furlongs to travel now and that will be help, although I would not want the surface to get any quicker.

But this is a particularly hot heat, with Spirit Son and Cue Card coming here on the back of decent efforts at Cheltenham as well.

Ghizao has a lot to find with Finian’s Rainbow, on their running behind Captain Chris in the Arkle at Cheltenham, in the novice chase.

But it’s a different day and a different track and we will be giving it our best shot. Ghizao doesn’t half attack his fences, so let’s see if we can put it up to Finian’s this time.

Celestial Halo returns to the scene of the crime in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle. A year ago I though we were going to win this, until he crashed two out, breaking my arm in three places.

He won well enough at Fontwell last time, but this is big ask, against the likes of Peddlers Cross, Binocular, Oscar Whisky and Thousand Stars.

Peddlers Cross is the form horse, on his second to Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle, but he had a hard race then and I favour the fresher Binocular.

Take The Breeze, in a handicap chase, has nothing in hand and, you’d imagine, probably faces an uphill battle.

Last weekend Willie Mullins gave us a winning nap in a bumper with Samain at the Curragh and let’s head back down that road again.

My recommendation is Willie’s Allure Of Illusion in the last at Aintree.

He will love the track and did some smashing work at the Curragh recently.

Ruby’s rant

I cannot understand how the BBC is allowed to bring cameras into the jockeys’ room at Aintree and Channel 4 afforded the same facility at Cheltenham.This is our sanctuary and we should be able to have a moan, a groan or come to terms with something that might have happened in a race in private. You don’t see cameras in the dressing rooms at Croke Park, the Aviva Stadium or Old Trafford.