With the now-retired Tiger Roll once again missing from the Grand National field, we have what looks a most open renewal, with plenty at bigger prices to consider in the search for the winner of the world's most famous horserace.
In this article, I'm going to take a look at five contenders who all possess the ability to outrun big odds and stake their claim to a small piece of racing history over the famous Aintree fences.
Martin Brassil's Longhouse Poet is a second-season chaser who has always shaped as if an extreme test of stamina would be right up his street.
Off the mark on his fourth start over fences at Punchestown in December 2020, where he beat Gordon Elliott's recent Cheltenham runner-up Run Wild Fred, Longhouse Poet was then off for over a year before returning with a seventh-place finish on handicap debut at Limerick, shaping as if better for the run.
With that under his belt, the son of Yeats went to Gowran in January, where he ran out a determined winner of a good handicap in soft ground off a mark of 144.
The main feature of that win was how well Longhouse Poet jumped on his way to getting the better of Franco De Port, a trait which should serve him well over the unique Aintree fences.
The Irish handicapper saw fit to raise him to a mark of 154 after that win, while he'll make his National debut off a mark just 1lb higher, which should be well within the compass of one who's still relatively unexposed as a chaser.
A run over hurdles last month when well beaten behind Thedevilscoachman should have served to keep him ticking over ready for a return to fences at Liverpool, where I'll be disappointed if he doesn't play a prominent role.
My colleague Nathan Joyes put up Farclas in this very column a year ago and Gordon Elliott's charge was far from disgraced in finishing fifth to Minella Times on his first crack at the National fences.
As a 7-y-o last year, Farclas very much had history against him in trying to claim the big prize and could well go closer this time around, likely to be a bit stronger with another year under his belt and crucially having gained experience around the course.
Going as well as any when unseating his rider three fences from home in the Kerry National at Listowel in September, Gordon Elliott's grey son of Jukebox Jury ran a cracker when second to Run Wild Fred in the Troytown at Navan in November.
Not seen since then, he will be coming into the race fresher than most. Farclas does have a mark 6lb higher to defy this year, but that seems fully merited given how well he ran in the 2021 renewal.
From a stable that knows what it takes to saddle the winner over these fences, his spin around the track last year could well set him up nicely for another bold bid.
I was waiting on the Scottish National declarations before finalising Fortescue as part of this list, but once it became clear he hadn't been declared for that, he was a shoo-in to get in this feature as a lively outsider.
A thorough stayer, Henry Daly's 8-y-o built on some solid placed efforts to win a valuable handicap in heavy ground at Ascot last time, seeing things out dourly to come home a length and a half clear of Fiddlerontheroof.
A big, lengthy gelding, if any horse looks tailor-made for the National fences it's Fortescue, who will have to concede some track experience but certainly has the build and jumping ability to take to this sort of test.
Another big plus point is that Fortescue took that Ascot handicap off a mark of 143 and gets to run off exactly the same perch for his first stab at the Aintree showpiece.
Available at 25/1 on the Sportsbook, those who fancy a win-only stab on Fortescue can avail themselves of much bigger odds on the Exchange at the time of writing, and I wouldn't put anyone off that, the only caveat being he will need a few to come out to a guarantee a run.
Discorama heads to Aintree with previous experience of the National fences under his belt having finished seventh last year, an effort where he shaped for a long way as though he was going to finish closer.
A strong stayer, it was something of a surprise to see Paul Nolan's gelding finish up quite tamely in last year's renewal having crept into the race on the second circuit.
It's entirely possible connections had just underestimated his fitness a touch as he went into the race cold on the back of a five-month layoff.
Campaigned sparingly since then, Discorama was a good second giving plenty of weight away in a rated chase at Fairyhouse in February, a run that should set him nicely for another tilt at this year's National.
He'll be going into the race relatively fresh, but without conceding quite as much race fitness to his rivals as last year, and a mark just 1lb lower than when competitive for a long way in 2021 could well see him outrun his current big odds.
Provided he takes up his entry, Kildisart has the potential to be one of the better-handicapped horses in the National field, certainly based on the best of his form from a couple of years ago.
The sticking point is that Ben Pauling's 10-y-o has clearly had plenty of problems since then and hadn't been seen in 462 days when finishing fourth to Paint The Dream in a good handicap at Newbury early in March.
There was lots of encouragement to be gleaned from that effort, however, with Kildisart shaping as if retaining plenty of ability despite the long layoff.
It's also worth noting that he 2m 4f trip there certainly wouldn't have played to his strengths and he was clearly entitled to need the run.
A return to a much stiffer stamina test in the National should certainly suit (he's unexposed at staying trips), and his best form from a couple of years when second in the Ultima at Cheltenham off a mark of 150 would seem to make him attractively weighted here off 148.
There'll be much worse 33/1 shots than this one.