Shark Hanlon

Hewick (11st 10lb - 169)

I knew he’d have top weight. You have to expect that. He probably deserves top weight. I think the trip will suit him. He’s going for the Gold Cup first and please God he comes out of the Gold Cup safe, and if he does, he’ll definitely head to Aintree.

We always said that he’d be a National horse and there’s a month between the Gold Cup and the National this year so I think it’s a big opportunity for him. The most important thing is that he gets good ground. With fewer runners in the race this year there won’t be quite as much weight between us and the horses at the bottom. In previous years the difference could be a fair bit more and we’d be giving more away.

He won the Galway Plate off nearly top weight, he won the bet365 (Oaksey Chase at Sandown Park) off a big weight. It’s not that he’s not used to carrying top weight and he carries it very well. All is great with him and he couldn’t be better. I’m very, very happy with him.

Gavin Cromwell

Vanillier (10st 8lb - 151)

I’d have to be happy enough with his rating. It’s a lovely racing weight and having been second last year it’s got to be expected. He’s been trained for this race really and it’s a case of him coming in the spring. He is a spring horse. He’s going to have to improve plenty but he does have the experience of last year.

We were obviously thrilled to be second in the Grand National but when you’re coming home well like that you do think about what could have been. But it was a great moment. We had lots of luck last year. He went round on the inside and got all the luck – you need luck in every National.

Letsbeclearaboutit (10st 10lb - 153)

He’s a possible for the race. He needs one more run to qualify. He’s likely to go to Cheltenham and hopefully that’ll qualify him but the plan is certainly to go to Aintree.

Limerick Lace (10st 4lb - 147)

Malina Girl (10st 2lb - 145)

Limerick Lace will probably go to Cheltenham. We’ll see how that goes as to whether we go to Aintree. Malina Girl, she’s a fair way down the list but I would like to run her if we can.

Gordon Elliott

Conflated (11st 9lb - 166), Coko Beach (11st 4lb - 161), Ash Tree Meadow 11st 2lb - 159), Delta Work (11st - 157), Galvin (10st 12lb - 155), Farouk D’Alene (10st 11lb - 154), Salvador Ziggy (10st 11lb - 154), Fury Road (10st 9lb - 152), Minella Crooner (10st 6lb - 149), Run Wild Fred (10st 6lb - 149), Chemical Energy (10st 5lb - 148), Favori Du Champdou (10st 4lb - 147), The Goffer (10st 4lb - 147), Embittered (10st 3lb - 146), Gevrey (10st 3lb - 146), Fakir D’Alene (10st - 143), Diol Kerr (9st 13lb - 142), Riaan (9st 13lb - 142), Samcro (9st 13lb - 142), Dunboyne (9st 11lb - 140), Tullybeg (9st 11lb - 140), Frontal Assault (9st 9lb - 138), Where It All Began (9st 6lb - 135)

It’s still a great thrill for us to be involved. We’d love to win it again, and if we did, it would be very special. It’s a great race - it’s one of the greatest races in the world. Tiger Roll winning the second was unbelievable.

Galvin looks like he could be well handicapped. He was nearly top weight last year and he’s one who could be there. He’ll definitely be going for the National. He’ll run at the Cross Country at Cheltenham first.

Chemical Energy is another. We’ve been keeping him for a bit of spring ground so this has been the plan all year. Coko Beach will go for the Cross Country at Cheltenham and then for the National. That’s the plan.

Ash Tree Meadow is probably not that well handicapped. I don’t know about him. Farouk D’Alene might go to the Irish National and Salvador Ziggy will go for the National Hunt Chase (at Cheltenham) and he could go for the Grand National afterwards. All is good with Fury Road. He’ll definitely run. Both Minella Crooner and Run Wild Fred will run if they get in.

Willie Mullins

Capodanno (11st 4lb - 161), I Am Maximus (11st 2lb - 159), Janidil (11st 2lb - 159), Asterion Forlonge (10st 11lb - 158), Stattler (11st 1lb - 158), Classic Getaway (11st - 157), James Du Berlais (10st 9lb - 152), Bronn (10st 8lb - 151), Mr Incredible (10st 7lb - 150), Adamantly Chosen (10st 5lb - 148), Meetingofthewaters (10st 4lb - 147), Glengouly (10st 3lb - 146), Ontheropes (10st - 143)

It’s possible we could run plenty of our National entries at Cheltenham. Once we get a look at the weights in more detail then we’ll be firming up plans for the National. There are some very interesting looking ratings there and we’d love to have horses with real chances for the race.

It would be an honour to have another winner of the Grand National on our CV, but we’ve already been very lucky to have won it once and been placed a couple of times. It’s a world-renowned race and always a great day out for anyone with a runner in it - it’s the day that Liverpool is on the world map.

The race is certainly an option for Capodanno. All the horses towards the top are at weights that they have a chance at. Mr Incredible is one who could come back this year. I’m very happy with his work at home. If Meetingofthewaters got in he’d be very interesting.

Emmet Mullins

Noble Yeats (11st 8lb - 165)

I suppose with a horse like Noble Yeats he always runs his race. He’s never going to have much up his sleeve with the handicapper so we can’t complain with our weight, and fingers crossed, he’ll show up on the day and run another cracking race.

He ran a cracking race off 166 last year so if we get him back in the same shape he might get into a place again. He’s had two goes at the course before and he enjoys it there. He should be bang there for the Stayers’ Hurdle with a good each-way chance, and fingers crossed, he runs his race in that as well.

John McConnell

Mahler Mission (11st 1lb - 158)

I knew he got up to 158 after the Coral Gold Cup so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s a nice weight. He’d be my first National runner. I had a first reserve about three years ago but he didn’t get in so at least we’ll get a run this time. It’s very exciting to be going there with a horse and maybe a horse with a chance as well. I didn’t expect him to be so high. I thought there would be more high quality horses entered.

He had a break after Newbury and he’s back now in full training. There is a possibility that we could give him a hurdle run maybe, but he’s fine and at the minute he’s very well. He definitely wouldn’t be going to Cheltenham though. He doesn’t need to be having a hard race before the National.

At the minute he’s still a little bit short of Gold Cup class so you have to go for one of the big, big handicaps and the way he jumps he looks like Aintree should suit him, so it’s an obvious target.

He probably does handle all ground but slow, good ground or good to soft is fine for him and he’s got a high cruising speed as well, so he shouldn’t be taken off his feet if they did go quick early. Obviously you need an awful lot of luck and you need to be 110% for it but he certainly ticks a lot of the boxes.