Synchronised tops National weights

Lexus Chase winner Synchronised has been allotted top weight of 11st 10lb for this year’s John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree.

The nine-year-old, who is trained by Jonjo O’Neill and owned by JP McManus, landed the Leopardstown Grade One over Christmas to supplement his previous win the Welsh National at Chepstow.

Next on the list is last year’s winner, the Donald McCain-trained Ballabriggs, who shouldered 11st to victory but will be saddled with 11st 9lb should he line up on April 14.

Neil Mulholland’s Midnight Chase and another McCain contender, Weird Al, both sit on 11st 8lb while Nicky Henderson’s Burton Port and Willie Mullins’ Irish Hennessy winner Quel Esprit are on 11st 7lb.

The Henrietta Knight-trained Calgary Bay and Paul Nicholls’ Neptune Collonges are both on 11st 6lb while John Hanlon’s Alfa Beat and Philip Hobbs’ Planet Of Sound have been allotted 11st 5lb.

The David Pipe-trained Junior, the 14-1 market leader with Betfred, failed to get in the field last year but has a certain place in 2012 with 11st 2lb.

Irish-trained raiders have a tremendous recent record in the Grand National, winning six of the last 13 runnings, and they have strength in numbers this year, accounting for 31 entries.

Along with Quel Esprit, Mullins has Thyestes Chase winner On His Own (10st 11lb), Blazing Tempo, the only mare entered, (11st 4lb), Apt Approach (11st 1lb), Scotsirish (11st 2lb) and Prince De Beauchene (10st 6lb) among his 12 possibles.

Other notable contenders include Henderson’s other pair of Shakalakaboomboom (10st 12lb) and Quantitativeeasing (11st 2lb) while Mon Mome, who sprang a 100-1 surprise in the 2009 Grand National, has been given 10st 8lb this time.

The rapidly-improving Hold On Julio, who has won both his starts for trainer Alan King, has been given 10st 7lb, while his stablemate West End Rocker, winner of the Betfred Becher Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree on December 3, has a weight of 10st 12lb.

High-class hunter-chaser Roulez Cool, owned, trained and bred by Robert Waley-Cohen and ridden by his son Sam, who finished second on Oscar Time last year, has been allotted 10st 5lb.

Evan Williams has strong representation with his three entries, led by State Of Play (10st 3lb) who has run in the Grand National for the last three years and finished fourth, third and fourth.

His owners, Angela and William Rucker, also have the fancied Cappa Bleu (10st 10lb), while the Welsh trainer’s third possible representative is Deep Purple (11st 3lb).

Julian Thick, Aintree’s managing director, said: “It is tremendous to see 69 of the 82 entries in the handicap and the 2012 renewal of Grand National promises to be a race full of quality, with more horses rated over 135 entered than ever before.”