A total of 57 horses remain in the reckoning for the Randox Grand National at Aintree on 15 April after Tuesday's latest acceptance stage, with perennial champion Irish trainer Willie Mullins and his domestic rival Gordon Elliott responsible for more of the potential runners than their British-based peers combined.
Sixteen horses were scratched from the race this morning, including Elliott's Cheltenham Gold Cup third Conflated, who will be aimed at the Betway Bowl on the opening afternoon of the three-day meeting on Merseyside.
Corach Rambler, who won the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this month for a second consecutive year, is a best-price 7-1 favourite for the world's most famous steeplechase and hails from the Scottish yard of Lucinda Russell.
However, his nearest rivals in the betting are all Irish-trained. Thirteen of those 39 Irish entries are stabled at Elliott's Cullentra stables, with six trained by Mullins at Closutton.
Corach Rambler aside, only two of the British-trained contingent trade at shorter than 33-1 on the exchanges, namely Dan Skelton's Le Milos and the Sam Thomas-trained Our Power.
Ted Walsh's Any Second Now (pictured) – third and second in the last two renewals – now heads the weights on 11st 12lb, with last year’s winner Noble Yeats 1lb behind, while Corach Rambler is set to carry just 10st 5lb.
The final confirmations stage for the Aintree spectacular will be on 10 April, and declarations for field known on 13 April, with 40 going to post for the race.
Trainer Tim Vaughan was relieved and delighted in equal measure after Eva's Oskar was confirmed as the 40th horse in the field.
Vaughan said: "We definitely want to run – we’re eager beavers!
"What’s lovely is we’ve actually got in. A lad who works for me was counting them down and we were thinking we might be 41st and you’re still lingering then until the day.
"It’s quite nice as it feels like we can relax now, enjoy the process and just hope that he takes to the fences well on the day."
Since his Cheltenham success of early December, Eva’s Oskar has finished sixth at Sandown and fourth in the Eider Chase at Newcastle.
The grey is a big outsider to claim Grand National glory, but Vaughan insists he is not just there to make up the numbers.
"Of course I'm not naive enough to think we’re going there as a 10-1 chance, but as outsiders go he ticks a lot of boxes in that he’s good enough to win a £70,000 premier handicap at Cheltenham and he’s finished fourth in the Eider – we think he can do himself justice," the Welsh trainer added.
