Nicholls to be triple-handed in Sandown showpiece
The West Country trainer, who sent out Ad Hoc to win the race under the Whitbread banner two years ago, intends to saddle the Sir Robert Ogden-owned gelding again with Ruby Walsh booked for the ride.
Also set to line up are stablemates Whitenzo and Montifault, for whom Barry Geraghty and Joe Tizzard are pencilled in.
"Ad Hoc had plenty of cuts, scrapes and bumps after he came down in the National," said Nicholls. "I said to Sir Robert immediately after the race that it would only be 50/50 for him to make it to Sandown, but he responded well to treatment and he has been cantering for a week now.
"Any rain would be a definite plus for him but he is a relatively fresh horse, who has not had many miles on the clock since Christmas, and I'm looking forward to running him.
"Whitenzo tends to make a mistake at a crucial time in his races but he jumped very well when he was fifth at Aintree last time and going right-handed might just suit him better although he would prefer more cut in the ground ideally.
"Montifault was very tired after the Grand National, where he ran a great race to be fifth, but he came out of it very well.
"Sometimes you just don't really know how much a hard race has taken out of these horses we shall just have to see."
Nicholls confirmed that jockey arrangements at his Ditcheat base were set to remain unchanged for next season with Ruby Walsh, Timmy Murphy, Barry Geraghty and Joe Tizzard all set to be used when available.
"I shall sit down with Ruby after Punchestown and talk it through but if it remains the same as this season I will be perfectly happy," he said.
Richard Phillips confirmed that the unexposed Another General is also on target for the big race.
"He has had a light campaign and we have always been fascinated to find out how the stamina we suspect he has will come in to play in a big race like this," Phillips said.
"We may well declare him and make a final decision late on as he would probably prefer some cut in the ground.
"If Foxchapel King comes out of the race he would be an interesting contender off bottom weight."
Going conditions are also foremost in the mind of many of the others trainers with runners engaged in the contest.
Champion trainer Martin Pipe, who took the race 12 months ago with Bounce Back, said: "We have nine entries and what we run will depend upon the ground and what happens to the top weight.
"But Bounce Back will like the fast ground and we are hoping he will "bounce back" to form."
But however, Killusty's trainer Charlie Egerton commented: "He would be unlikely to run unless it was genuinely good ground or slower. I am dying to run him as he is in very good form."
Sundown supremo Andrew Cooper had few comforting words for Egerton.
"We are now entering our fifth week of watering the course, for up to 18 hours a day," he revealed. "Our last meeting was the Imperial Cup in March and we have had just 6mm of rain in total since then.
"The challenge for me has been to produce some decent ground for the jumpers at this meeting and to do that the watering will continue, until at least Thursday night and possibly later.
"We are forecast to receive some rain over the weekend although it is actually unclear exactly how much and when it will arrive.
"If it was to come on Friday, I still could not imagine the ground on Saturday being any slower than good."
