Paul Nicholls: Hoping Henri can go one batter than Second

Paul Nicholls has three runners on Grand National day

Just the three runners for Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls on Grand National day with his best chance of a winner coming in the closing contest of the meeting...

"I'm expecting a good run and he looks to be my best chance of the day."

- Paul Nicholls on Henri The Second

Better ground and flat track more to his liking

14:25 - Stage Star

We are putting a hood on Stage Star because he got a bit wound up in the preliminaries at Cheltenham and was a shade keen in the race, too. He'd won won his first three starts over hurdles including the Grade 1 Challow at Newbury on soft ground but Harry Cobden said he hated the testing conditions at Cheltenham. He seems fine and will be much happier now back on better ground around a flat track.

Kept fresh but this is a tough task

15:00 - Mick Pastor

He enjoyed a purple patch early in the season, winning four on the bounce over the minimum trip and deserved a decent mid winter break after he was well beaten at Cheltenham in November. He is only a novice until the end of the season and while we've kept him fresh for a spring campaign and he's had an away day he's got it all to do at the weights against some smart handicappers.

Trained with this race in mind and has a good chace

18:20 - Henri The Second

Henri is a lovely prospect who hacked up on his racecourse debut at Chepstow and then made all the running in a Listed bumper at Ascot just before Christmas. Those were the same races won by Knappers Hill before he completed the hat trick in this race a year ago. I've trained Henri with Aintree in mind, I'm expecting a good run and he looks to be my best chance of the day. But he is a fine, big horse and wouldn't want the ground to get too quick.