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Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has 10 of the 102 entries for the Grand National at Aintree in April.
Nicholls has never won the race and his hopes include recent Cheltenham winner Neptune Collonges and What A Friend, part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson. The Midnight Club is among nine entries for Irish trainer Willie Mullins. Jonjo O'Neill has three contenders - Don't Push It, who won the National for Tony McCoy in 2010, plus Synchronised and Can't Buy Time. Entries for the Grand National closed on Wednesday, with the weights announced on 15 February. Of the 102 contenders, 34 are trained in Ireland and three in France. Neptune Collonges and What A Friend are joined by stablemates The Tother One, Tricky Trickster, Taranis, Tatenen, Niche Market, Just Amazing, Gullible Gordon and Meanus Dandy. McCoy won the National at the 15th attempt last year, and was voted the 2010 BBC Sports Personality. It seems likely he will choose between Don't Push It and January's Welsh National winner Synchronised. The Northern Irish jockey is retained by owner JP McManus, whose other entries are the recent purchase Quolibet (50/1), trained in France by Francois Doumen, as well as Arbor Supreme and Quiscover Fontaine, representing Willie Mullins Ballabriggs, trained by Donald McCain, hardened as ante-post National favourite after winning over hurdles at Ayr on Monday. The 10-year-old, ridden by Jason Maguire, was scoring his fifth straight victory as he took the novices' hurdle over two miles and four furlongs. Ballabriggs is rated a 16-1 chance for the Aintree marathon on 9 April. McCain's father Ginger won the National four times - three with Red Rum in the 1970s, plus Amberleigh House in 2004. Hoping to win the National for a second time will be David Pipe, whose five hopefuls number the 2008 scorer Comply Or Die, now aged 12. The Evan Williams-trained State Of Play, Howard Johnson's Tidal Bay and Ferdy Murphy's Big Fella Thanks are other interesting contenders. The Irish entries include the 2008 Welsh National winner Notre Pere, the Edward O'Grady-trained Tranquil Sea, Noel Glynn's stable star Becauseicouldntsee, the Martin Lynch-trained Oscar Time and Gordon Elliott's Backstage, who unseated his rider in the 2010 race. But one Irish challenger who will not be making the trip is the 2010 Grand National runner-up Black Apalachi, who has been ruled out for the season. But Irish trainer Dessie Hughes fears he will never win the big race with Black Apalachi. Now a 12-year-old, Black Apalachi was going ominously well when unseating Denis O'Regan at Becher's Brook on the second circuit in 2009 before finishing second to Don't Push It last April. He was being prepared solely with the race in mind again but has sustained a tendon injury. "Can you imagine it? He jumps around Aintree with not a bother year after year and then he gets a leg," said Hughes. "I've no idea how it happened, it just appeared. We were lucky we didn't run him the other day. "He might come back, but he's 12 now. He'll have to stand in his box for a month or two. This probably would have been his year. "But maybe his year was the year he unseated - you don't get too many chances." Another horse set to miss the race is David Pipe's The Package, who has suffered a setback. Hew as creeping into contention before unseating Graham Lee at the 19th fence in the 2010 National. "Fortunately he is a relatively lightly-raced eight-year-old so there is still plenty of time for him, and I look forward to getting him back on track next term," said Pipe on his official website. Grand National entries 0P1-006 ALWAYS WAINING (IRE) 10 Peter Bowen 60U0-60 AMBOBO (USA) 11 Martin Brassil IRE 2212-52 APT APPROACH (IRE) 8 Willie Mullins IRE 0U2F-0P ARBOR SUPREME (IRE) 9 Willie Mullins IRE 256-021 ASKTHEMASTER (IRE) 11 Robert Tyner IRE 0BP-500 BACKSTAGE (FR) 9 Gordon Elliott IRE 3111-11 BALLABRIGGS (IRE) 10 Donald McCain 40F-044 BALLYFITZ 11 Nigel Twiston-Davies 0100-03 BALLYTRIM (IRE) 10 Willie Mullins IRE 2212-42 BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE (IRE) 8 Noel Glynn IRE 1F4/22-1 BELON GALE (IRE) 8 Wylie Howard Johnson 2U14-2F BIG FELLA THANKS 9 Ferdy Murphy 0C21-04 BLUESEA CRACKER (IRE) 9 James Motherway IRE P12-UPP BURREN LEGEND (IRE) 10 Richard Rowe 4-56242 CALGARY BAY (IRE) 8 Henrietta Knight 16F-0P5 CAN'T BUY TIME (IRE) 9 Jonjo O'Neill 635P-6P CANE BRAKE (IRE) 12 Conor O'Dwyer IRE 12/- CARRONHILLS (IRE) 9 Rebecca Curtis 000-305 CHARACTER BUILDING (IRE) 11 John Quinn 30011-0 CHIEF DAN GEORGE (IRE) 11 Jimmy Moffatt 2/000-06 COMPLY OR DIE (IRE) 12 David Pipe 1P46-3U DEEP PURPLE 10 Evan Williams 363221- DEV (IRE) 11 Gordon Elliott IRE 23P1-P0 DON'T PUSH IT (IRE) 11 Jonjo O'Neill 01F24-4 DOONEYS GATE (IRE) 10 Willie Mullins IRE 21PP-PP DREAM ALLIANCE 10 Philip Hobbs 05241P DUERS (IRE) 9 Paul Magnier IRE 3/402P-0 FAASEL (IRE) 10 David Pipe 1500-10 FAIR ALONG (GER) 9 Philip Hobbs 1F3U-P1 FRANKIE FIGG (IRE) 9 Howard Johnson 313-355 FROM DAWN TO DUSK 12 Philip Hobbs 5/2613-P GALANT NUIT (FR) 7 Ferdy Murphy F123-P2 GILES CROSS (IRE) 9 Victor Dartnall 1-P1440 GLENCOVE MARINA (IRE) 9 Eoin Griffin IRE 421001 GOLDEN KITE (IRE) 9 Adrian Maguire IRE 11FP10 GRAND SLAM HERO (IRE) 10 Nigel Twiston-Davies P22-41F GULLIBLE GORDON (IRE) 8 Paul Nicholls 005P-1P HELLO BUD (IRE) 13 Nigel Twiston-Davies P0-24U3 I'MONCLOUDNINE (IRE) 8 Neil Mulholland F42040 I'MSINGINGTHEBLUES (IRE) 9 David Pipe 566U-34 IN COMPLIANCE (IRE) 11 Dessie Hughes IRE 3131-32 JUNIOR 8 David Pipe 121616- JUST AMAZING (IRE) 8 Paul Nicholls 315F-0(3) KHACHATURIAN (IRE) 8 Donald McCain P2P-253 KILLYGLEN (IRE) 9 Stuart Crawford IRE 3211-11 KING FONTAINE (IRE) 8 Malcolm Jefferson 3P-0204 LE BEAU BAI (FR) 8 Richard Lee 16-1155 LITTLE JOSH (IRE) 9 Nigel Twiston-Davies U62/1-31 MAJESTIC CONCORDE (IRE) 8 Dermot Weld IRE P1P-41U MEANUS DANDY (IRE) 8 Paul Nicholls 0D61-0F MERIGO (FR) 10 Green Andrew Parker 1-41111 MIDNIGHT CHASE 9 Neil Mulholland 15P-614 MOBAASHER (USA) 8 Venetia Williams 1-122B0 NEDZER'S RETURN (IRE) 9 Gordon Elliott IRE F14/-B01 NEPTUNE COLLONGES (FR) 10 Paul Nicholls 520P-F5 NICHE MARKET (IRE) 10 Paul Nicholls 331-P31 NICTO DE BEAUCHENE (FR) 10 Victor Dartnall 021-062 NOBLE CONCORDE 9 Jim Culloty IRE P-55004 NORTHERN ALLIANCE (IRE) 10 Tony Martin IRE 4UP-250 NOTRE PERE (FR) 10 Barry Potts IRE 1P0-053 ONE COOL COOKIE (IRE) 10 Charlie Swan IRE 2F1425 OR NOIR DE SOMOZA (FR) 9 Jean Pierre Totain FR 1215/1P/- ORNAIS (FR) 9 Paul Nicholls 3152-26 OSCAR TIME (IRE) 10 Martin Lynch IRE 013111- OUR MONTY (IRE) 8 Willie Mullins IRE 00P-234 PIRAYA (FR) 8 David Pipe PF4-536 POMME TIEPY (FR) 8 Willie Mullins IRE 321112 PUTNEY BRIDGE 9 Keith Goldsworthy 012P51 QUEZAC DE LA ROQUE (FR) 7 Francois Cottin FR 510-113 QUINZ (FR) 7 Philip Hobbs 0/1160-2 QUISCOVER FONTAINE (FR) 7 Willie Mullins IRE 2F-FF25 QUOLIBET (FR) 7 Francois Doumen FR 560-P23 REGAL HEIGHTS (IRE) 10 Tom George 3P6/454- ROLL ALONG (IRE) 11 Nigel Twiston-Davies P5U-42P ROYAL ROSA (FR) 12 Howard Johnson 111U0-6 SADDLERS STORM (IRE) 9 Tony Martin IRE 31-PP11 SAGALYRIQUE (FR) 7 Donald McCain 6-22000 SANTA'S SON (IRE) 11Howard Johnson 20-3534 SCOTSIRISH (IRE) 10 Willie Mullins IRE 5121-00 SILVER BY NATURE 9 Lucinda Russell 41/313-0 SKIPPERS BRIG (IRE) 10 Nicky Richards 032236- SNOWY MORNING (IRE) 11 Colin Bowe IRE 11P61/0/- STARZAAN (IRE) 12 Hughie Morrison 0/144/P3- STATE OF PLAY 11 Evan Williams PP2/111/- SURFACE TO AIR 10 Chris Bealby 131-561 SYNCHRONISED (IRE) 8 Jonjo O'Neill 14P//1-0F TARANIS (FR) 10 Paul Nicholls UP-3631 TATENEN (FR) 7 Richard Rowe 301050 THAT'S RHYTHM (FR) 11 Martin Todhunter U3133-2 THE MIDNIGHT CLUB (IRE) 10 Willie Mullins IRE 00-5064 THE SAWYER (BEL) 11 Bob Buckler 204/12-P THE SLIOTAR (IRE) 10Philip Hobbs 205-244 THE TOTHER ONE (IRE) 10 Paul Nicholls 104-322 TIDAL BAY (IRE) 10 Howard Johnson 4F2P-43 TINAKELLYLAD (IRE) 7 Mouse Morris IRE 311120- TOBY JUG 10 Sarah Humphrey 2106-11 TRANQUIL SEA (IRE) 9 Edward O'Grady IRE F/116PP- TREACLE (IRE) 10 Tom Taaffe IRE 1/2100-P TRICKY TRICKSTER (IRE) 8 Paul Nicholls 501B-00 VIC VENTURI (IRE) 11 Dessie Hughes IRE 2P/00-11 WEST END ROCKER (IRE) 9 Alan King 61/211-5 WHAT A FRIEND 8 Paul Nicholls
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