David Maxwell has been living out his dream, buying nice horses and getting to ride them himself – but it will peak when he lines up in the Randox Grand National on Ain’t That A Shame.

Like many involved in the sport, the Grand National is seen as the pinnacle to Maxwell but for a man viewed as an old-fashioned Corinthian amateur, it is a summit his family has already scaled, at least in one capacity.

The 1988 Grand National won by Rhyme ‘N’ Reason is one of the more famous ones, given how he almost fell at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit only to work his way back into contention under Brendan Powell.

For the Maxwell family, it was an emotional and stressful day, as the property developer explained: “My main Grand National memory is Rhyme ‘N’ Reason. My mother bred the horse, then my dad trained him for his first bumper wins before he went to England to be trained by David Murray Smith and latterly David Elsworth.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. He was headed in the closing stages by Durham Edition, but he was a bit of an old rogue and as soon as he hit the front, he felt like he’d done enough – and Rhyme ‘N’ Reason was as game as a badger and won by four lengths.

“The entire Maxwell family were screaming their heads off, my mother was nine months pregnant with my now 35-year-old sister. Just 10 minutes after the race, the gynaecologist was sitting next to her!

“He actually broke three bones in his hock when he almost came down at Becher’s and he never raced again but it just goes to show how game he was.”

Maxwell has come close to glory over the famous fences already, and while it was not in the National, his second place on Cat Tiger in the 2022 Foxhunters’ should at least give him some confidence down at the start.

“Cat Tiger pings round there and was second to Latenightpass in the Foxhunters’ – and of course Latenightpass is in the National this year,” said Maxwell.

“He’s not over-big but he’s very game. The Foxhunters’ is actually the only race I’ve been down at the start thinking ‘this might not actually be a good idea’, but then you get called in, do a slap down the shoulder, as much for yourself as the horse, and just get on with it.”

There has been plenty said about Maxwell’s participation in this year’s race but having met all the requirements, and after amateur Sam Waley-Cohen’s win on Noble Yeats two years ago, there is still the fairytale element to the race that no other has.

“Racing for me has been a bit of a middle-aged man obsession. I started mucking around with point-to-pointers in my late 20s, then I got a few more and got a few more and just kept going. You keep finding the next iteration of the drug,” said Maxwell.

“It starts with what turns out to be slow three-mile chasers for pointing, then someone shows you a nice hunter chaser, then it’s novice hurdlers, so there’s another stage of everything, like being allowed to ride against pros. I suppose the ultimate of it all is riding in the National.

“I don’t know if there’s anything in the theory of amateurs having a good record in it because some liken it to hunting. My theory is, if you are in the National, you can win it, all the cards are thrown in the air.”

Every year there are meetings to see what can be done to make the race safer and following last year’s disruption, racing was forced into defensive mode more than it ever has in the past, but the 45-year-old believes the right steps have been taken.

“I wouldn’t say anything can happen anymore, as they’ve made it safer to navigate with the fences and they’ve made it more and more like a really good Saturday handicap,” said Maxwell.

“With that, I mean Corach Rambler is 4-1 favourite and he never looks like not winning, it’s less and less like Foinavon could win this – but you do still get rank outsiders winning.

“This year, there are three amateurs in the race, so there’s around a nine per cent chance of an amateur winning it.

“The race has changed, you’ve got to have a touch of class now. But the world changes all the time.

“In racing, we are fond of knocking ourselves but racing has done a really good job here of making it safer. Every year, a lot of thought goes into it and this year it is no exception, with the field reduced to 34 and perhaps the best idea is making the run to the first fence shorter.

“Nobody wants to see fallers, we’re all animal lovers, so these changes make it a bit safer, there’s no point us continuing with our head in the sand.

“If we proceed thinking the world is the same as it was before – it’s not. It’s right that the Jockey Club and the BHA have made these changes to make the race safer.

“If you have a horse who is a safe conveyance and stays four miles, the likelihood is these days that you will get round – and then you get the situation where the best handicapped horse wins.”

Maxwell’s mount, trained in Ireland by Henry de Bromhead, who has won the National with Minella Times, has already won one of Ireland’s most competitive races, the Thyestes Chase.

“He’s a nice horse, I went and schooled him last week and he’s a lovely horse. He must have a reasonable chance but I’m actually looking forward to going hunter chasing with him the year after next when he’s 12,” said Maxwell.

“The Thyestes is always a good race and the fact that he didn’t go to Cheltenham must stand him in good stead too.

“It’s clearly going to be soft ground and obviously we all hope it doesn’t rain too much, but what we really would want is for it to stop raining about three days before the race, as then the ground would start becoming really hard work. If it’s just wet and sloppy, then it’s much easier to get through it.”

Latenightpass could prove appropriately named if justifying Tom Ellis’ last-minute decision to join the professional training ranks in search of Randox Grand National victory.

A stalwart of the point-to-point scene, Ellis of course knows all about Latenightpass. Bred by his mother Pippa, the diminutive 11-year-old is part of the furniture at the handler’s Warwickshire base and with his wife Gina Andrews in the saddle, the trainer has shepherded a career that has yielded many special memories for the family.

Loaned to best friend Dan Skelton so his wife could fulfil her ambition of riding in the cross-country races at Cheltenham, success in that sphere – when downing Aintree rivals Minella Indo and Galvin in December – saw Grand National ambitions suddenly become more than just a dream.

The lure of a National runner in his own name proved too much to resist for the five-times national champion between the flags, with Ellis deciding to walk away from the pointing field that has long been his life to hastily ensure his name is listed against Latenightpass on the Aintree racecard.

He said: “It was definitely bittersweet to a point, going professional. Point-to-pointing has been a part of my life since the age of 16 really and has been very good to me.

“It’s taught me everything I know, I met my wife through it, we’ve built a good business through it and it has literally been everything to us. It’s what we’ve spent every weekend doing for the last 24 years, so it is sad to think I had my last runner at Brafield-On-The-Green the other weekend and it was the end of an era really.

“But however long I trained for, I doubt we will ever have another Grand National runner bred by my mother and ridden by my wife, so it made sense to try.

“We’ll give everything we can to this next chapter now and Gina is going to continue doing some of the pointers in her name and it would just be really nice if we could build on the success we’ve had in the point-to-point field and transfer that to the professional world.”

In a year lacking the traditional Aintree fairytale, a decorated point-to-point champion turning professional to saddle a horse owned by his mother and ridden by his wife is just the sort of story which captures the imagination on the day the nation goes to the races.

The Grand National can be very much a family affair and Ellis will not be the first husband to give his wife the leg-up in the race.

In recent years, Katie Walsh partnered Ross O’Sullivan’s Baie Des Iles to finish 12th in 2017 and Carrie Ford famously teamed up with her then husband Richard when fifth aboard Forest Gunner in 2005.

However, whereas Walsh’s best finishing position over the Grand National obstacles is third, like Ford, Andrews has tasted success over the big fences at Aintree and her husband is relishing the moment she tackles the famous spruce once again in the world’s most famous steeplechase.

“I’ll get some buzz out of it,” said Ellis. “I would love winning a maiden point-to-point with Gina on, so I will get some buzz watching a National with Gina in it definitely.

“I think anyone who has a connection to anyone in any race will get more of a buzz watching and we’re very privileged to be a part of the horse.

“Of course the nerves will build as the National gets closer, but in terms of Gina riding, I’m used to that.

“I watch it happen every weekend and I get more nervous if Gina is riding for other people than when she rides for us, because she knows our horses inside out and we would only run them if they have been well prepared or schooled well.

“If it’s someone I don’t know or a horse I don’t know, that’s more nerve-racking for me than watching her ride in a National I would say.”

Although this will be a first Grand National runner for Ellis, Andrews and Latenightpass, they are in fact seasoned regulars at Aintree competing over the National course.

In three appearances in the Aintree Foxhunters’, Latenightpass has finished no worse than fourth – when far from his best 12 months ago – and had previously finished second in 2021 before landing the spoils a year later.

Always among the favourites for that amateur riders’ contest, it is an annual feature for Ellis to be training Latenightpass with one day in April in mind, and this time around he is simply switching focus to a race over an extra circuit of the Merseyside venue.

“I don’t get nervous as I’m used to it and we’ve been to three Aintree Festivals with him now,” added Ellis

“Everyone says to me ‘are you nervous’ and it sounds really weird but I don’t think I’m feeling as much pressure with him this year as I have the previous two years to be honest.

“Two years ago we were going there on the back of being second the year before and there was an expectation, probably on our own part, to run well. You were going there thinking he had a good chance and he obviously did and won.

“Last year we went there as defending champion and to be honest, we had a horrible run up to the race. We never had him right all season for whatever reason that was and we went there thinking ‘I hope he runs all right’ because everything hadn’t gone positive on our own part. He ran all right luckily, but I still think he ran a stone below his best that day.”

“But I cannot have any expectations this time and I can’t expect to win the National.”

Ellis may not expect to take home the Grand National trophy, but the general 20-1 shot could inadvertently play a significant role in deciding the destination of the trainers’ championship.

Having helped Latenightpass navigate the opening two-thirds of the season, a share of the Grand National’s £1million prize-fund would have been a significant boost to Skelton in his battle with former boss Paul Nicholls.

Ellis is now faced with the prospect of fulfilling his own dreams while preventing one of his oldest friends from accomplishing one of his own long-held ambitions.

He said: “I suppose the worst thing that could happen is if Latenightpass runs well in the National and Dan just misses out in the trainers’ championship, that would just take the edge off it slightly for me.

“It’s very good of Dan to have done what he has this year and I owe him an awful lot for that. At the end of the day, he’s my best mate and I would love to see him get his first title on the board.

“We were at school together literally a mile away from where my yard is now and we spent a lot of time together as kids growing up. We used to come home from school at lunchtimes and ride out two point-to-pointers I had in training and school them over fences and then go back to school in the afternoon.

“We grew up watching racing together and it’s great to have him as a mate to call on, definitely.”

Skelton will be back in his role of supportive best pal when Ellis – having won the race against time to ensure he is officially recognised as the gelding’s trainer – heads to the pre-parade to saddle up on April 13.

And with trainer modules and required paperwork now taken care of, the latest member of the training ranks can now look forward to Latenightpass’ shot at Aintree immortality with excitement.

“He’s in very good form and I couldn’t be happier with him at the moment. We’re nearly there really and so far we’ve had a nice run with him,” said Ellis.

“I got my modules done and then everything was quite tight time-wise as he needed to be in training with me 16 days before the National, which he has been. The British Horseracing Authority has been very helpful and worked with us well on that. I’ve got everything done and ticked all the right boxes hopefully.

“I hope he runs well and I think with a clear round and a bit of luck, he will be there or thereabouts turning in.

“After that it will be whether he is good enough really, so I’m just really enjoying the build up with him this time and I’m not feeling any nerves or pressure with him, as daft as it sounds. That might change nearer the day I imagine.

“Let’s hope we can do it for England because we don’t have many chances do we! It looks like complete Irish domination once again, but we’ll see and we’ll be giving it our best shot anyway.”

As a Randox Grand National winner Corach Rambler’s place in racing history is already assured. But superstar status awaits if he can make it back-to-back victories at Aintree.

A relatively inexpensive purchase at £17,000 from the Irish point-to-point field, the 10-year-old has given his trainer and the seven members of The Ramblers syndicate the ride of their lives.

Seven wins from 16 starts is admirable rather than amazing, but successive wins in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival followed by success in the world’s most famous steeplechase on Merseyside 12 months ago mean he has achieved far more than his connections could ever have dreamed of.

The current campaign got off to a poor start at Kelso, but a distant third in Haydock’s Betfair Chase suggested the tank was not empty and Corach Rambler hammered home that theory when picking up the bronze medal again in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, much to the delight of his proud trainer.

“We set him quite a stiff task (in the Gold Cup) really, but we wanted to give him a run and the timing works well for Aintree,” she said.

“I was absolutely delighted with the way he ran, to be third in a Gold Cup is fantastic in itself, whether you’re looking at the National or not.

“We were really pleased and I was actually quite touched as the reception he got from the crowd around the parade ring was amazing. He’s phenomenal and absolutely deserves it.”

There is just over four weeks between the Gold Cup and Grand National and Russell could not be happier with how Corach Rambler has both recovered and subsequently prepared for his return to Merseyside.

“It was a great run at Cheltenham and we were delighted, but at the same time we couldn’t rest on laurels at all as we had to get ready for Aintree,” she said.

“He had a nice, quiet 10 days. Normally we just give them a week, but we gave him a little bit longer after Cheltenham as the ground was a little bit soft for him that day.

“Time seems to have passed very quickly, but everything has been going according to plan.”

Corach Rambler’s staying-on effort behind reigning champion Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup can be taken one of two ways.

While on the one hand it may be seen as the perfect preparation for the defence of his Aintree crown – certainly a line bookmakers have taken by slashing his odds for a Grand National repeat – others have questioned whether what the handicapper considered a career-best performance may leave a mark.

Russell appears to be in the former camp, adding: “I think back to last year when he won the Ultima and he certainly had a hard enough race there before going on and winning at Aintree.

“We’ll see what happens on the day, but I think the way he has felt since Cheltenham, Scu (Peter Scudamore, partner and assistant) has been very happy with him.”

Corach Rambler is out to emulate the great Tiger Roll and the legendary three-time winner Red Rum by winning two Grand Nationals in succession, while Russell is out to notch a third win, having also struck gold with One For Arthur in 2017.

The Kinross handler has also enjoyed Grade One success at the Grand National meeting in recent years with Ahoy Senor and Apple Away, so it is no surprise she holds the three-day fixture in high esteem.

“I’ve always loved Aintree and it’s very much in my heart,” she said.

“I love Liverpool and love the people there. They look after the horses and owners so well and it’s a track I like winning at.

“I always said I wanted Corach Rambler to go down in history, and he has gone down in history by winning the National once. If he could do it twice, it would really establish him as one of the great racehorses in the country.”

Mouse Morris has already been fortunate enough to win the Randox Grand National once with Rule The World in 2016. But that will not stop him dreaming of winning it again with Foxy Jacks.

Morris, known as a real target trainer and one of the most respected men in the game, had come close on numerous occasions before he hit the heights eight years ago.

Cahervillahow, who famously won a Whitbread Gold Cup but lost it in the stewards’ room, crossed the line second in 1993 but thankfully or not for connections that was the dreaded void race ‘won’ by Esha Ness.

Lastofthebrownies went close twice when fourth to Little Polveir and fifth to Mr Frisk while Attitude Adjuster also finished fifth behind Rhyme ‘N’ Reason in 1988.

As changes to the race began to be made at the turn of the century, though, Morris realised the requirements needed on the equine front had also changed.

“We sent some very nice horses to Aintree back in the 1980s and 90s, horses like Attitude Adjuster and Lastofthebrownies, real old-fashioned three-mile chasers,” said Morris.

“Look at Cahervillahow, now he was a really good horse but he wasn’t a Grade One horse, he was a top-class handicapper that suited races like the Whitbread and the National.

“Nowadays you have to send a different type to Aintree.”

So that is what Morris did. In 2015 he ran his multiple Grade One winner First Lieutenant, who might not quite have been the force of old but was still a fine racehorse.

“First Lieutenant was one of the best I’ve had. He won a Grade One over hurdles at Cheltenham beating a Champion Hurdle winner (Rock On Ruby), was second in an RSA (now Broadway) and was second in a Ryanair as well as winning other good races,” he said.

“We ran him in it as a 10-year-old when he was just starting to struggle against the best, he made a couple of early mistakes and was on the back foot.”

The following year First Lieutenant was back for another go, joined by a stablemate who, despite running countless good races over fences, had incredibly yet to win one in 13 previous attempts.

Rule The World had finished second in the Irish National as a novice in 2015, but that was not out of the ordinary as novices do have a decent record in the Easter Monday Fairyhouse showpiece.

The following season a novice chase looked a formality but he kept on finding one or two too good and as both he and First Lieutenant were owned by Gigginstown House Stud, their retained jockey Bryan Cooper had a decision to make.

“I remember saying to Alastair Down (TV presenter and journalist) the night before I thought Bryan had picked the wrong one,” said Morris of Cooper’s decision to go for Rule The World.

“In fairness, he had won a Grade One at Aintree (the Bowl) on him so I suppose he was being loyal and it was hard to get off him.

“That didn’t meant I thought Rule The World was going to go and win, though. I thought he’d run well but he hadn’t won a race over fences before.”

Adding to Morris keeping his feet on the ground was the fact he had won the Irish National a month earlier with Rogue Angel and for a yard his size to win two of the biggest races of the season just did not happen.

All this emotion came on top of Morris tragically losing his eldest son Christopher (known as Tiffer) to carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday in Argentina the previous year.

After Rule The World, under David Mullins, had galloped to a 33-1 success Morris said: “We got a bit of help from somewhere. Tiffer was working overtime for me.”

Reflecting on the win eight years later Morris said: “He’d always been a good horse but had his issues. He was Grade One class on his day.

“The race has changed now, you’ve got to have a bit of class about you, the old handicappers get left behind.

“I didn’t go there that day thinking he’d win, you can’t in a National, but I thought he had a chance of being in the money.”

This year’s contender from the yard, Foxy Jacks, has a different profile.

“If someone had told me this time last year Foxy Jacks would have 11st 3lb in a National I wouldn’t have believed it. I thought we’d have a job on to get him in the race.

“But he won the Midlands National at Kilbeggan in the summer and got hit hard for that and his big aim then was the Cross Country at Cheltenham in March so we took him there in November.

“He was poetry in motion that day, he absolutely loved it and while that was a handicap and the one in March is level weights, we were looking forward to it.

“He ran well over hurdles at Christmas but of course the Cross Country race was abandoned at Cheltenham. So, like a few of Gordon’s (Elliott, Delta Work, Coko Beach and Galvin) and Minella Indo, we are coming here fresh.

“Gavin Brouder gets a great tune out of him so he’ll ride him again. I can’t help thinking his handicap mark (157) is ridiculous but we’ll give it a crack anyway, the horse is in great form and has come right back to himself this year.”

They say the best thing about memories is making them and Patrick Mullins and his good friend and owner Paul Byrne will undoubtedly enjoy a special moment together when Mr Incredible takes a second crack at the Randox Grand National.

There will be a strong Mullins presence at Aintree for this year’s running of the world’s greatest steeplechase.

As well as Willie Mullins’ plethora of Grand National challengers, Emmet Mullins will be in town with 2022 National hero Noble Yeats, while Danny Mullins will be expected to receive the leg-up aboard one of the leading Closutton hopefuls.

Patrick Mullins could also be at the start line aboard Stattler – but half an eye will be looking across to Mr Incredible, the enigmatic eight-year-old with very much his own ideas about life.

Having arrived at Closutton on the back of refusing both at the start and then mid-race in consecutive outings, the Mr Incredible project seemed somewhat mission impossible.

But the apple does not fall far from the tree in County Carlow and the heir to the Closutton kingdom has conjured up some of his father’s wizardry to consistently deliver Mr Incredible to the start line both in top form and, most importantly, good spirits.

“He’s Patrick’s project and he pretty much trains him,” explained Byrne.

“If he did win, I would like to see him get the credit, as he does a lot with him. He deserves a lot of credit for even getting him to where he’s got him to. This was a write-off case to begin with

“He’s very frustrating and every day I get an update to say he consented on the gallop is good news. Every day is a battle with him, but he’s been fun to own and we’ve been lucky to own him.

“He does deserve to win the race, as he’s been some reformed character. He’s run very well every time for us and we just need to get a win into him, but the National would be a nice one to win.”

Mullins added: “He’s trained very differently to all the other horses and you have to do something different with him every day.

“Some days, he gets out of the wrong side of the bed and decides he’s not going to go at all, but you just need to work around him and he’s a horse with huge ability.”

Mr Incredible is one of a select number of horses trained by the Mullins team for Byrne – widely regarded as one of the shrewdest owners in the game and someone who has already had an influence on the history of the Aintree showpiece.

Alongside the genial Emmet Mullins, he first came up with the plan to aim the novice Noble Yeats towards Liverpool.

And although the cheque had already been cashed and the colours of Robert Waley-Cohen donned by the time his new owner’s son Sam was rounding the elbow, the first seven-year-old Grand National winner in 82 years had all the hallmarks of the Byrne/Mullins thinktank.

Byrne has again recently passed on the ownership of another leading National fancy, with Meetingofthewaters now in the famous green and gold of JP McManus.

However, he harbours few regrets about seeing his pale blue silks dispersed, at least at this stage of his ownership career.

“We have our fingerprints over a few of them and it’s a fabulous race really – and one I would be looking to build a horse towards all the time,” explained Byrne.

“You have to be extremely wealthy to hold onto a horse of that value (a National contender) and where I’m at with my age, I would love to, but at the stage where I’m at in my career, it’s too early to hold onto a horse of that value.

“With all the best luck and best will in the world, I would love to see them go on and do well for whoever buys them. I would be over the moon if any of them could win.”

Mullins also has fond memories of the Merseyside marathon and was only a teenager when his father joined the National roll of honour with Hedgehunter in 2005.

He has since seen his cousins David and Emmet both enjoy special days in the Aintree spotlight and for one split-second thought his own Liverpool dreams would come true on a day solely remembered by most for Rachael Blackmore’s heroics aboard Minella Times.

He said: “There’s been some great days at Aintree, obviously Hedgehunter and then David on Rule The World and Emmet with Noble Yeats. I got a super spin on Burrows Saint the other year behind Rachael Blackmore, which was also a special year as well.

“Crossing the Melling Road, I was taking a pull and for a couple of moments I thought I might win it. But once we had to go up a gear down to the second last, that dream evaporated pretty quickly unfortunately.”

Now he has the chance to dream again and is relishing a return to Aintree with some of the Closutton squad he knows well.

He added: “I think Paul enjoys having Mr Incredible and it would be great if we could get a win with him, that would be magic. Myself and Paul have been friends since we were teenagers and he’s a great person to work with and get on with and we’ve been very lucky together.

“We’ve got Meetingofthewaters there as well, which is another one of my projects and I owned him at the start of the season, so I’m really looking forward to the race this year.”

But what of Mr Incredible’s chances? Sent off at 14-1 last year, he was in the ideal position before disaster struck and rider Brian Hayes’ saddle slipped rounding the Canal Turn for the second time.

The enigmatic eight-year-old seemed to relish the unique challenge of the Grand National course in 2023, but faces a further test of his mettle this time around, with a standing start to overcome, giving Mr Incredible the opportunity to repeat misdemeanours of old.

However, if overcoming that brand-new 31st obstacle, then an encouraging prep when second in the Midlands Grand National would suggest a bold second Aintree bid is on the cards.

“He’s been very well behaved on the track last season and at Uttoxeter,” explained Mullins.

“It’s a standing start this year in the National and I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. We’ll find out on the day and hopefully it won’t negatively affect him.

“Brian said he really enjoyed the track, jumped really well, just the second time round at the Canal Turn, when he had him in a nice position, his saddle slipped. So we decided we would try to get him back and have another go, because he’s not an old horse.

“It was a huge run at Uttoxeter under that weight for a first run of the season. He should come forward for it and he’s going to be at the other end of the weights come the National, so if he puts his best foot forward, he has to have a super chance.”

Byrne concurs with his friend that Mr Incredible could be a major player, but also ponders if last year was his opportunity gone begging.

He said: “I think he has a chance and if we were able to train him properly, then he could be a Grade One horse, but we just can’t train him properly unfortunately.

“He’s creeping up the weights and he’s a bit more than last year. I just wonder how much he would have in hand off the mark, but he should improve fitness-wise for Uttoxeter.

“If he gets going, he will jump and will give a good account, but does he have the 10 or 12lb in hand you need to win that race? I don’t think he does.”

As for Byrne’s idea of the winner, he added: “For a modern-day National horse, a profile like Noble Yeats had is what you want – and I think Meetingofthewaters has that, he’s young and progressive.”