Williams steps up National plans Alvarado is due to make his seasonal reappearance at Newbury next weekend as he is prepared for a third tilt at the Crabbie's Grand National at Aintree on Saturday, April 9. The 11-year-old, who has finished fourth in the last two runnings of the £1-million spectacular, is set to race off 10st 2lb this time around at Aintree. He carried 10st 3lb (rated 140) when staying on well to be fourth to Many Clouds in 2015 and also finished strongly with 10st 2lb (rated 139) behind Pineau De Re in 2014. Alvarado is out to continue the remarkable record of his owners, William and Angela Rucker, and jockey Paul Moloney in the big race at Aintree which this year has a later off-time of 5.15pm. Moloney, on horses owned by the Ruckers, has been placed for the last seven years in the Crabbie's Grand National, most recently on Alvarado and also on Cappa Bleu (second 2013 & fourth 2012) and State Of Play (fourth 2011, third 2010 & fourth 2009). Alvarado's Gloucestershire-based trainer Fergal O'Brien said: "Alvarado is in great form and the plan is to go to Newbury on Saturday (March 5) for the veterans' chase. "He is on a higher mark (143) for Aintree than the last two years but I am not too worried about that. "I have always said that we will never see the best of Alvarado because he is a little bit quirky. "He will be running off the same mark Pineau De Re had when he won the Crabbie's Grand National, which just shows you how competitive the Aintree race is this year." O'Brien's other Crabbie's Grand National entry Perfect Candidate has also been allotted 10st 2lb. The nine-year-old stayed on strongly to win an extended three and a quarter mile handicap chase by eight lengths at Cheltenham on January 1. The trained added: "Aintree is the plan for Perfect Candidate as well. "I know Many Clouds is set to run, but Perfect Candidate might go to Kelso on Saturday for the Premier Chase. That should set us up nicely for the National. "The ground was very testing last time but this horse genuinely goes on any ground. He ran a very good race over hurdles at Chepstow one day on ground that was verging on good to firm." There are 126 horses entered for the 2016 Crabbie's Grand National with both the weights and betting headed by Many Clouds (Oliver Sherwood). The nine-year-old is set to carry 11st 10lb as he bids to become the first back-to-back winner since Red Rum in 1973 and 1974. He is Betfred's 12/1 favourite. A maximum of 40 runners can line up in the Crabbie's Grand National and it could be touch and go for Alvarado and Perfect Candidate to get in the race. The cut-off weight is likely to be between 10st 3lb and 10st 1lb. The first scratchings' deadline for the Crabbie's Grand National is on Tuesday, March 1, details of which will be revealed the following day. This year sees the 169th running of the Crabbie's Grand National and the first with the new starting time of 5.15pm. The great race takes place over 30 fences and four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards.
