Sir Nick Faldo believes Rory McIlroy has at least another decade of opportunities to win the Masters, despite the scar tissue from his previous attempts.

McIlroy famously squandered a four-shot lead in the final round in 2011 and has recorded six top 10s at Augusta National since victory in the 2014 Open left him needing a green jacket to complete a career grand slam.

The world number two finished second behind Scottie Scheffler in 2022 thanks to a thrilling final round of 64 and is second favourite behind the same player this week after finishing third in the Texas Open on Sunday.

Asked if McIlroy, who will turn 35 next month, was running out of chances to win the Masters, Faldo said: “I disagree.

“The game has changed. We have brought the physical element in and we understand the physical side.

“It was always 30-35 when you were in your prime and he is still in his prime. They are so fit and trained now so he has got at least another 10 years I would say of being supersonically fit.

“I still think the problem is times gone by. We are nearly 10 years now since his last major. That is the problem.

“Unfortunately it’s just going on, time after time. It’s not just this season. There’s four or five or six years of scar tissue now, of Rory coming in as favourite, playing great.

“He has tried his best at times. ‘Can I re-set, can I literally forget the past, who I am? Look how talented I am and go and play golf again’. It is not that easy. Can you turn back the clock? Can you delete all the negativity that you have seen and felt?

“I think there is a way where he could find his stride because, as we know, when he finds that stride and gets that trust, then he is phenomenal. I bet that is all he wants to do – just set me free.”

To achieve that goal Faldo believes McIlroy has done the right thing by stepping down from his role on the PGA Tour’s policy board after almost two years of being the most prominent figure in the Tour’s fight with LIV Golf.

But the six-time major winner remains incredulous that McIlroy agreed to conduct a live “walk and talk” interview during the first round of last year’s Masters, an event in which he went on to miss the cut.

“I didn’t like it,” Faldo added. “I thought, ‘You’re kidding me! The Masters?’. Sure, do that any other week but why the Masters?

“I mean, that is one of the most beautiful things about the Masters. It’s you and your caddie, just the two of you and the other players. That’s all that’s inside the ropes.

“And to suddenly bring other people in? Because that’s got to be organised, hasn’t it? And this sort of thing, your manager is going to say to you before, ‘Will you do this?’. Gosh, no, you need 100 per cent concentration.

“I think he’s trying to put priorities into golf. You’ve got to look out. You have a window as an athlete, don’t you? You’ve got tons of time once you’ve stopped playing your sport to go and do all your other stuff.

“But while you’re an athlete, give it 100 per cent. That was kind of my attitude. You know, once you get your mind into other things, business and all sorts, then it’s hurting your golf. It really does.”

:: The Masters will be available on Sky Sports Golf and via a NOW subscription from 11th – 14th April, and you can follow all the latest news on Sky Sports social and digital channels throughout the week.

There was a chaotic end to the card at Wolverhampton on Monday night as a false start resulted in the original 12-strong field being reduced to just two runners.

The 8.30pm Download The Racecourse App Raceday Ready Handicap saw the starter flag for a false start after the stalls opened, but the majority of runners covered most of the seven furlongs before pulling up.

When they lined up again, the field had been reduced to Rose Fandango and A Pint of Bear.

The former, trained by John O’Shea and ridden by Rossa Ryan, prevailed at 25/1.

The mass withdrawal led to an 85p Rule 4 being applied.

Open champion Brian Harman believes his experience of handling a hostile Hoylake means he is better equipped to chase more major glory.

Harman was heckled by a minority of spectators at Royal Liverpool and even had one persistent offender ejected from the course before completing a comprehensive six-shot victory.

As a Georgia native and graduate of the state’s university, it will be a totally different story at Augusta National – although Harman insisted he would relish proving his doubters wrong again as much as hearing cries of support for his alma mater’s Georgia Bulldogs.

“It seems like I do better when everyone’s rooting against me than rooting for me,” Harman said. “That’s a new challenge.

“Around Augusta there’s a lot of Dawgs out here, and you hear it all week, and it’s fantastic. So I’ll have to try to channel it. Maybe I’ll just pretend that they’re yelling mean things instead of nice things.

“After The Open I feel as though I’m more prepared to handle whatever comes my way because at the Open and then the Ryder Cup, these pressure-packed situations, I’ve seen myself perform pretty well under that pressure.

“I live to feel those moments. Like, that’s like the drug for me. I want to get in contention in big golf tournaments. So my goal is to try and get to those uncomfortable places as many times as I can.

“I think it just unlocks something (in me), like proving people wrong, or just being your back against the wall.

Harman is making just his sixth start in the Masters and has missed the cut in three of his five previous appearances, although he was one shot off the halfway lead in 2021 before fading to 12th.

The 37-year-old is also well aware that fellow left-handers Phil Mickelson , Bubba Watson and Mike Weir have all won the Masters in recent years.

“Lefties have done pretty well around here (but) I think the conditions kind of have to go in my favour,” Harman added.

“It’s a long golf course. I make no bones about that. I don’t make any excuses about how far I hit the ball or make any gripes about how long courses are. I just show up and try to be ready to play.

“The US Open I had a chance to win (in 2017) was the longest one in US Open history. So the length doesn’t scare me. I’ve just got to prepare myself.

“It’s evolved into a really hard golf course. It’s just one of those things where you want to fast-forward and be on the back nine Sunday making lots of birdies.

“But there’s a lot that happens in between teeing off Thursday and that back nine.”

Tiger Woods received a glowing review from playing partner Will Zalatoris after stepping up his preparations for the 88th Masters at Augusta National.

Woods has played fewer than five-and-a-half competitive rounds since undergoing ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round.

The 48-year-old returned to action in December’s Hero World Challenge and finished 18th in the 20-man field, but was forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February due to illness after six holes of the second round.

Woods had also suffered a back spasm which led to a dreaded shank on the 18th hole in round one.

However, having made a record-equalling 23rd consecutive cut in last year’s Masters, Woods will no doubt be keen to at least own that record for himself this week and he certainly impressed Zalatoris in their nine holes of practice.

Asked if the prospect of Woods making a 24th straight cut “blew his mind”, Zalatoris said: “It’s just everything the guy has done.

“You could just sit there and analyse the same stats for his entire career and put him in five different buckets and every one of them is never going to be broken.

“He played great today. He outdrove me a couple times so there was some chirping going on. So, you know, he looks great. He’s moving as well as he can be.

“With everything he’s gone through, it’s pretty amazing to see how good he’s swinging it.”

Jockey Paddy Brennan was banned for 18 days and trainer Fergal O’Brien fined £4,000 after Northern Air finished second in Golf Membership On Sale Now Maiden Hurdle at Wincanton.

The 5-1 chance was making her debut over hurdles having won a point to point at the backend of last year and had one bumper start at Newbury last month since joining the O’Brien team.

Brennan’s mount made up late ground having been held up in the early stages and was eventually beaten three and a quarter lengths by an odds-on favourite in the one-mile-seven-furlong affair.

The stewards inquired into the performance with Brennan stating his instructions were “to switch off” Northern Air as she had been keen last time and finished the race “fairly distressed” after “emptying out”.

Brennan also reported Northern Air had made a respiratory noise and he wanted to ensure she finished more positively, focusing on “keeping the bit up in her mouth, being patient and riding her up the straight to hit the line”.

Both O’Brien and his representative confirmed the instructions and were satisfied with the ride, with the stewards deciding to suspend Brennan and fine O’Brien for “schooling and conditioning the horse on the racecourse”. Northern Air also received a 40-day ban from running.

Senior steward Tom Evetts told Racing TV: “Mr Brennan’s case was that he wanted to hold her up, she raced keenly at Newbury and didn’t finish her race, so his and Mr O’Brien’s priority coming here today was to get her to finish her race strongly.

“I guess our concern came in that having turned out of the back straight at a time when we would like horses to be improving their position, Mr Brennan was very tender in his handling of the mare and then up the entirety of the straight we just felt he wasn’t doing enough on a mare that was passing horses and finishing off strongly.

“The question you could ask is where is the line between intent and schooling, we have done her under schooling. Intent is when the rider is doing the opposite of what we would expect, schooling is when the rider is just not doing enough and up the straight we felt Mr Brennan just wasn’t doing enough.

“The penalty (range) under schooling is 10 to 18 days for the jockey with an entry of 14, as she has finished second strongly, we have had to go to the top of that range and then that applies to Mr O’Brien.”

Brennan’s suspension encompasses April 22-27, May 4 and May 6-16.

Cameron Norrie slipped to a straight-sets defeat against Karen Khachanov in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Norrie, playing on clay for the first time since February, started well and struck with the first break of the match but eventually went down 7-5 7-6 (3).

Khachanov broke straight back in the opening set and toppled the Norrie serve again at 6-5 to avoid a first-set tie-break.

Both players broke each other at the start of the second set and Norrie looked again to be in control when he went 5-3 ahead.

But once again Khachanov broke back when it mattered and took the tie-break 7-3.

Dan Evans suffered a straight-sets defeat to Sebastian Ofner as his struggles at the start of the clay-court season continued.

Evans’ second match on the surface this term was over quickly after he was blown away by the Austrian.

The British number three dropped the first four games en route to a 6-1 6-4 defeat.

Evans had lost his first clay-court match of the season in straight sets to Roberto Carballes Baena at the Grand Prix Hassan in Marrakech last week.

Caoilin Quinn can begin to dream of Randox Grand National glory aboard Nassalam after being given the all-clear to return to race riding following injury.

The 22-year-old has been somewhat the man for marathon events this season and as well as being aboard Gary Moore’s mud-loving stayer when romping to victory in the Welsh Grand National in December, he has also won the Surrey National for his boss aboard Movethechains and the Sussex National with David Bridgwater’s Dom Of Mary since the turn of the year.

However, Quinn has been out of action since the end of February after breaking his collarbone at Plumpton, sitting on the sidelines throughout the Cheltenham Festival where his star mount, Nassalam, was pulled up in his Aintree prep in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Now the young jockey is set to step off the treatment table and into the pressure cooker of Aintree on Grand National day as he receives the leg-up on not only Nassalam, but also aboard John and Yvonne Stone’s Botox Has in the JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle on the same card.

“It’s a big weekend and I have two very good rides on Saturday, I’m looking forward to it now,” said Quinn.

“Obviously I’ve been injured for the last few weeks, but I’ve just been to see the specialist and I have been given the all-clear to start riding from Thursday onwards. So hopefully I will be riding Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

“Looking at the weather forecast, it’s looking like it could be in our favour – if it’s right anyway. They are due a lot of rain over the next couple of days and that is only going to help Botox and definitely Nassalam. It will certainly increase their chances if it keeps raining.

“The two of them have been really important to me so far in my career, they have given me big Saturday winners and have got me into the good races and I’m delighted to be associated with them.

“I can’t thank John and Yvonne Stone enough, they have stuck by me and kept me on their good horses and I have to especially thank my boss (Moore) for having the faith in me in the first place and giving me the opportunities. Hopefully I can keep repaying them in some big races.”

Nassalam heads to Merseyside as the highest-rated British contender in the National and is set to carry 11st 7lb as he bids to join the likes of Corbiere, Bindaree and Silver Birch in supplementing Welsh National glory with success at Aintree.

As short as 14-1 with William Hill, the seven-year-old has already had a taste of the famous course when fourth in the Grand Sefton in November and his big-race pilot feels that experience will serve him well come 4pm on Saturday.

Quinn continued: “The way the season has panned out, it was probably a good thing he ran in the Grand Sefton.

“He has got that experience over the fences now and he seemed to take to them that day. He jumped very well late on and finished very well over a much shorter trip than it’s going to be on Saturday.

“I’m delighted going into it and it takes a bit of weight off your shoulders, knowing he took to them the last day and he’s been round there before.

“It’s a completely different scenario on Saturday, but hopefully everything goes to plan for us. If it all works out it will be great.”

King George hero Hewick has emerged as a surprise contender for the JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle, with trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon keen to keep options open with conditions at Aintree currently testing ahead of the three-day Grand National meeting.

Famously acquired for just €850, the nine-year-old’s rags-to-riches tale as seen him become one of the most popular horses in training and he has picked up prizes such as the Galway Plate and American Grand National en route to becoming a bona fide Grade One operator.

After striking at Kempton on Boxing Day, the wet weather has already scuppered Hanlon’s plans to run Hewick in both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Randox Grand National itself this spring and the continued rainfall has seen him searching for a Merseyside alternative to running in Thursday’s Aintree Bowl.

However, the County Carlow handler has no concerns about switching to the smaller obstacles, unwilling to expose his stable star to what could be the worst of conditions on Thursday.

“We know he is as good a hurdler as he is a chaser and I’m not worried about running him over hurdles,” said Hanlon.

“We ran him in the French Champion Hurdle and he ran a cracker, the ground was just too soft and if the ground was too soft there at Aintree on Thursday and we didn’t run him, it gives us the option to run him there on Saturday.

“They are giving the weather to dry up from Tuesday on and the ground could be good again on Saturday, so if the ground was OK we would run him.

“I’ve had it in my mind for the last fortnight and he wouldn’t mind a bit of cut in the ground over hurdles, it’s just that he’s not over big himself and over fences I would be afraid he would burst his heart trying to jump out of heavy ground, which over a hurdle he won’t. It’s not that he has to have good ground, it is just that a fence looks very big to him on soft ground.

“He’s in great form and he’s worked nice. We’re just going to wait now and see and it might be that (hurdles) division this year might not be overly the best. I just have to keep all my options open.”

There are a total of 20 entries for the three-mile Grade One with Stayers’ Hurdle champion Teahupoo one of four possible runners for Gordon Elliott alongside defending champion Sire Du Berlais, Irish Point and Beacon Edge.

Stayers’ Hurdle runner-up Flooring Porter will bid to turn the tables for Gavin Cromwell, while fellow Irish raider Buddy One could seek a first Grade One victory having also acquitted himself well at the Cheltenham Festival.

Fergal O’Brien’s Crambo is among the British hopes, with dual Coral Cup winner Langer Dan taking the leap into deep waters for the trainers’ championship-seeking Dan Skelton.

The Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle could see record buy Caldwell Potter make his debut for Paul Nicholls, with a collection of talented novices, including Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Slade Steel, amongst the 24 initial entries.

Meanwhile, there has been little to separate Elliott’s Found A Fifty and Willie Mullins’ Il Etait Temps this season and they could lock horns for a third time in the My Pension Expert Maghull Novices’ Chase – the last of three Grade Ones on the Grand National day card.

King George hero Hewick has emerged as a surprise contender for the JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle, with trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon keen to keep options open with conditions at Aintree currently testing ahead of the three-day Grand National meeting.

Famously acquired for just €850, the nine-year-old’s rags-to-riches tale as seen him become one of the most popular horses in training and he has picked up prizes such as the Galway Plate and American Grand National en route to becoming a bona fide Grade One operator.

After striking at Kempton on Boxing Day, the wet weather has already scuppered Hanlon’s plans to run Hewick in both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Randox Grand National itself this spring and the continued rainfall has seen him searching for a Merseyside alternative to running in Thursday’s Aintree Bowl.

However, the County Carlow handler has no concerns about switching to the smaller obstacles, unwilling to expose his stable star to what could be the worst of conditions on Thursday.

“We know he is as good a hurdler as he is a chaser and I’m not worried about running him over hurdles,” said Hanlon.

“We ran him in the French Champion Hurdle and he ran a cracker, the ground was just too soft and if the ground was too soft there at Aintree on Thursday and we didn’t run him, it gives us the option to run him there on Saturday.

“They are giving the weather to dry up from Tuesday on and the ground could be good again on Saturday, so if the ground was OK we would run him.

“I’ve had it in my mind for the last fortnight and he wouldn’t mind a bit of cut in the ground over hurdles, it’s just that he’s not over big himself and over fences I would be afraid he would burst his heart trying to jump out of heavy ground, which over a hurdle he won’t. It’s not that he has to have good ground, it is just that a fence looks very big to him on soft ground.

“He’s in great form and he’s worked nice. We’re just going to wait now and see and it might be that (hurdles) division this year might not be overly the best. I just have to keep all my options open.”

There are a total of 20 entries for the three-mile Grade One with Stayers’ Hurdle champion Teahupoo one of four possible runners for Gordon Elliott alongside defending champion Sire Du Berlais, Irish Point and Beacon Edge.

Stayers’ Hurdle runner-up Flooring Porter will bid to turn the tables for Gavin Cromwell, while fellow Irish raider Buddy One could seek a first Grade One victory having also acquitted himself well at the Cheltenham Festival.

Fergal O’Brien’s Crambo is among the British hopes, with dual Coral Cup winner Langer Dan taking the leap into deep waters for the trainers’ championship-seeking Dan Skelton.

The Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle could see record buy Caldwell Potter make his debut for Paul Nicholls, with a collection of talented novices, including Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Slade Steel, amongst the 24 initial entries.

Meanwhile, there has been little to separate Elliott’s Found A Fifty and Willie Mullins’ Il Etait Temps this season and they could lock horns for a third time in the My Pension Expert Maghull Novices’ Chase – the last of three Grade Ones on the Grand National day card.

Course specialist Mac Tottie could be rerouted from the Grand National to the Randox Supports Race Against Dementia Topham Handicap Chase if conditions at Aintree remain testing in the lead up to the weekend.

Peter Bowen’s 11-year-old is assured of his spot in the National’s final 34 on Saturday and has thrived at Aintree in the past, winning the Topham two years ago to supplement his victory over the famous spruce in the Grand Sefton earlier that season.

He was last seen scoring at the Merseyside track over the regulation fences on Boxing Day, but his quest to become the first Welsh-trained winner of the Grand National since 1905 will rest on how the track dries throughout the week, with a switch to the shorter Topham Chase a real possibility.

“We’re not sure if we’re going to run him yet,” said Bowen.

“We haven’t decided if he goes in the Topham or the National yet because the ground is going to be pretty bad. Probably if it is very soft he will probably go for the Topham.

“He loves the fences and he loves Aintree, but he’s not a lover of heavy ground though.”

Bowen has won the Topham five times in the past, but it appears both Sean and James Bowen – who have both won over the National fences aboard Mac Tottie – will be unable to receive the leg-up aboard the track regular in Friday’s two-mile-five-furlong event, with title-chasing Sean Bowen required by Olly Murphy and James Bowen inked in against defending champion Bill Baxter.

Crack Irish amateur Derek O’Connor is lined up to play the role of able deputy in the Topham, while it is James Bowen who will do the steering if Mac Tottie does go for the National on Saturday afternoon.

“I think Sean is going to ride one of Gordon’s (Elliott) in the National, it sounds like that anyway.

“If Mac Tottie runs in the National then James will ride him and Sean will be probably be on one of Gordon’s.

“James has got the favourite in the Topham and I think Sean will be riding one of Olly’s horses, Grandad Cottage, so I think Derek O’Connor will ride him if the boys don’t ride him in the Topham.”

David Menuisier’s Devil’s Point will take the first step in his three-year-old campaign in the Prix Djebel at Deauville on Tuesday.

The colt enjoyed a successful juvenile season, winning a Ffos Las maiden and then placing third and fourth respectively in the Solario Stakes and the Prix Thomas Bryon.

He then ended his year at Group One level in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, finishing second to Godolphin’s Ancient Wisdom over a mile.

He will now begin 2024 over a lesser trip of seven furlongs when he contests the Prix Djebel, a Group Three at Deauville where he will face six rivals.

“Devil’s Point seems well, it’s a prep run and the ground will be testing but we know he likes those sorts of conditions,” said Menuisier.

“It’s the first run of the season, he is at 80 per cent but let’s hope it is enough to win tomorrow.

“We will take his races one by one and we feel he might be more efficient over seven furlongs than a mile.

“Depending on how he goes, we can then make a decision on what he does next.”

Jerome Reynier’s unbeaten gelding Lazzat steps up in grade for the contest after striking three times in three runs so far this term.

All of those performances were at Cagnes-Sur-Mer, where he won the Listed Prix de la Californie on heavy ground in February.

“He is unbeaten in three starts, he won his maiden, a class one and a Listed race – all at Cagnes-Sur-Mer in testing ground,” said Reynier.

“Tomorrow will be pretty deep and sticky, he’s running around a straight course for the first time.

“The colt trained by David Menuisier (Devil’s Point) seems to be a good benchmark to compare Lazzat, so we will see how he runs in this one.

“I am very happy with Lazzat, he looks good, has been training very well and I’m very enthusiastic about him.

“It’s going to be a good test tomorrow, it’s very exciting to run an unbeaten three-year-old so fingers crossed.”

On the same card there is another Group Three in the Prix Imprudence, a fillies’ race run over seven furlongs for which a field of seven has assembled.

Christopher Head’s highly promising Ramatuelle makes her seasonal debut in the race after a juvenile term than included successes in the Prix du Bois and the Prix Robert Papin and a second-placed run at Group One level behind the impressive Vandeek in the Prix Morny.

Charlie Appleby’s Romantic Style also kicks off her campaign in the race after wrapping up last year with a Listed victory in the six-furlong Bosra Sham at Newmarket, where she beat Cammidge Trophy fourth and subsequent Bath winner Adaay In Devon.

“We have been very pleased with how Romantic Style has done through the winter,” Appleby said via the Godolphin website.

“She won the Bosra Sham Stakes on testing ground, so similar conditions shouldn’t be an issue, but the step up to seven furlongs is the slight question mark.”

Ground conditions will be the deciding factor in whether top-weight Conflated will line up in the Randox Grand National at Aintree on Saturday – with the weather pointing towards Delta Work as the number one contender for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud.

The 10-year-old Conflated, who holds alternative entries in the Aintree Bowl on Thursday and Friday’s Melling Chase, is one of 13 contenders for Gordon Elliott following the confirmation stage, with Coko Beach, Delta Work and Galvin also part of the three-time Grand National-winning trainer’s squad.

Conflated, Coko Beach and Delta Work all carry the colours of Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud, who are also responsible for Farouk D’Alene, Run Wild Fred and Frontal Assault, although the latter is almost certain to miss the cut.

When asked whether the first five were intended runners Gigginstown’s racing manager Eddie O’Leary said: “I would think at the moment yes, maybe Conflated might not, we’ll see how heavy the ground is going to be. If it’s very heavy he might come out to go in the Bowl or even the Melling.

“Would we chance him (in the National) over that trip on good ground yes, would we chance him over that trip on heavy ground, probably no. We’ll see what Gordon thinks.

“Coko Beach likes soft ground, but he mightn’t like what the handicapper’s done to him. He’s a lovely old horse, but he’s run it he race twice and failed to get home twice.

“We’ll obviously give him a bit more of a chance this year, rather than trying to make the running with him, but he got a big hike for winning the Troytown and off that weight (11st 7lb) it’s hard to fancy him. Conflated has to give him 5lb and Conflated would carry him.”

The Gigginstown colours have been carried to Aintree glory three times – twice by Tiger Roll and once by Rule The World. Like Tiger Roll, Delta Work is a winner of the cross-country chase at Cheltenham, although that race was called off this year, meaning a slightly less smooth preparation than had been hoped for.

O’Leary is still hopeful, however. He said: “I’d say of ours Delta Work would be the one. He’s a good horse and he’ll love the ground. It was a pity he didn’t get to run in Cheltenham after they called the cross country off as horses were trained for that to come forward for the National, but we are where we are now.”

Willie Mullins is also heavily represented, as he seeks a second victory in the world’s most famous steeplechase, having previously struck with Hedgehunter in 2005.

The Closutton handler’s nine-strong team features last year’s Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus, fellow JP McManus-owned runner Meetingofthewaters and Mr Incredible.

Other leading hopes for Ireland include last year’s runner-up Vanillier, trained by Gavin Cromwell, the Emmet Mullins-trained 2022 National hero Noble Yeats, Martin Brassil’s Panda Boy, Mahler Mission from John McConnell’s yard and Henry de Bromhead’s 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo.

The home team is led by Corach Rambler, victorious 12 months ago and the current favourite to strike gold again following an excellent third place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month.

Kitty’s Light would be a popular winner for Welsh trainer Christian Williams, as would Gary Moore’s Welsh Grand National scorer and proven mudlark Nassalam.

Others of note among 51 confirmations include the Tom Ellis-trained Latenightpass and Dan Skelton’s mare Galia Des Liteaux, with the latter one of six horses on 10st 6lb at the bottom of the weights.

Empire Steel, Fantastic Lady, Angels Dawn and Fury Road were the four horses not left in at Monday’s confirmation stage, while Classic Getaway, Bronn and Full Back had all been scratched.

Corach Rambler is the 4-1 favourite with Coral, with I Am Maximus and Vanillier also single-figure odds.

Coral’s David Stevens said: “Fifty years on from Red Rum’s second National victory, Corach Rambler looks set to start a warm favourite to emulate the Aintree legend and win the race in successive years, although soft ground performers like I Am Maximus and Meetingofthewaters continue to attract support in the betting.”