Birch on target for National

GORDON ELLIOTT thinks there are worse each-way bets in the John Smith’s Grand National than his former winner Silver Birch after the weights were announced earlier this week.

The 12-year-old was victorious in the Aintree spectacular two years ago but was forced to miss all of last season with injury.

Silver Birch has been allotted 10st 6lb by the handicapper, the exact weight he carried to victory in 2007, and he returned from his injury with a victory in a point-to-point last weekend.