Grand National meeting continues at Aintree, plus cards at Lingfield and Sedgefield

First race 2.00pm, last race 5.40pm.

Naylor's Nag: Copeland Recommended stake: £5 win

Yesterday's Naylor's Nag, Bellator was unplaced.

Running total on an initial tax-free £100 bank

Naylor's Nag: £89.08 (down £11.92)

Brave Highlander can bring the Martell Grand National Trophy back to Sussex at the third attempt tomorrow. His Findon trainer Josh Gifford believes that age will be no barrier for the 12-year-old in the four-and-a half-mile Aintree race.

Gifford said: "Several horses of this age have won the National. I know Brave Highlander has already had two attempts to win but I remember Team Spirit was successful in 1964 when running in the National for the fourth time."

The trainer believes his horse is ready. Gifford said: "Unlike last year, when he had a problem three weeks before the race, Brave Highlander has had perfect preparation.

"As long as the word firm is not mentioned in the going report I will be happy, but any more rain will be welcome because that would help to slow down the faster horses."

Brave Highlander finished sixth to Bobbyjo last year and in 1998 was travelling well with the leaders when knocked over six fences from home. Gifford also points out the record of Findon in producing National winners.

He said: "Between the wars Bob Gore trained three here and afterwards my old guv'nor, Ryan Price, trained Kilmore, while I sent out Aldaniti in 1981."

Gifford and jockey Philip Hide feel this year's race is special with all, bar half-a-dozen of the runners, carrying their correct handicap weight. There are no Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup winners in the race to depress the weights and it should make for the most competitive National in years.

Gifford rode Honey End to finish second to Foinavon in the year of the great pile-up at the fence after Beechers Brook in 1967. He said: "Whether you are a jockey or a trainer it's a wonderful and exciting race. Everyone with a runner thinks they have got a chance of winning and this year it is more true than ever."

Brave Highlander has a serious chance of getting into the top three, especially if it rains overnight. I expect Red Marauder to bounce back to form and win the National despite his wretched performance at Kempton Park in February.

His entry for the Gold Cup missed the deadline but may prove to be a blessing because he goes to Aintree a fresh horse following a sparkling gallop last weekend. Red Marauder won his first five races this season ridden by Richard Guest.

The ten-year-old Red Marauder is an experienced chaser, having won nine times over fences. He is bred to stay and, since coincidence seems to play a part in Aintree success stories, it's worth noting that horses with Red in their name have won a lot of Nationals.

Red Rum won three, and was second twice and his jockey Brian Fletcher also won on Red Alligator in 1968. Dark Stranger, another coincidence horse, certainly has a chance. A horse of the same name, who raced point-to-point, won the Liverpool Foxhunters' Chase over the National course in 1954.

Victory for today's Dark Stranger would be a consolation for his owner Terry Neill whose Gloria Victis was fatally injured when falling in the Gold Cup.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.