Unioniste on course for Grand National Paul Nicholls has given Unioniste the green light to contest the Crabbie's Grand National after his third-placed finish behind Coneygree on Saturday. Nicholls and owner John Hales had been debating whether to head to Cheltenham with him this year as he is likely to be towards the head of the weights for Aintree and is still only seven, but the champion trainer is not concerned about his age. "I was delighted by the way he stayed on strongly to claim third place in the Denman Chase at Newbury behind Coneygree," Nicholls told his website. "He heads straight to Aintree for the Grand National, which is a race I could see him targeting for the next three or four years. He jumps well, has bags of stamina and is an ideal candidate for the unique challenges of the course. "Some people have suggested he is too young this time at the age of seven, but that is not something which gives me a moments concern. "He already has bags of experience and was winning over fences at Auteuil, Cheltenham and Aintree as a four-year-old. Immature he is not."
