A significant number of trainers now choose to restrict their Grand National contenders to races over hurdles until two months before the big event itself when the official weights are published, after which they switch to fences knowing the official mark of their horse cannot be retrospectively adjusted and anyone looking to place a horse racing bet should bear this in mind.

Gordon Elliott knows exactly what is needed to win the Aintree spectacular having produced the former Paul Nicholls-trained Silver Birch to race to glory in 2007 at the odds of 33/1. Last year he had a leading fancy in the shape of Backstage and the nine-year-old was going nicely behind the leaders when a loose horse hampered him and he unseated his rider at the 20th fence. Connections will be hoping for better luck this time and have decided to prepare their charge by sending him point-to-pointing rather than racing under rules.

Backstage reappeared in mid-February after a near seven-month break to win a three-mile point-to-point at Kirkistown in his native Ireland, and his handler has confirmed that he will have another such outing at the weekend, a run that should bring him ever closer to peak condition ahead of the big race on April 9.

A 25/1 chance for last year’s race, Backstage is a best priced 18/1 shot in the ante-post market for this year’s renewal, and it is highly likely that those odds will be clipped again if he successfully comes through his latest prep race.

In 2007 Gordon Elliott proved that age, experience and reputation are not precursors for success at the Aintree Grand National. The novice trainer who had not yet had a single winner in his homeland of Ireland, won the steeplechase with 33-1 shot Silver Birch.

As the youngest ever trainer to win the race, at 29 years of age, Gordon Elliott had apparently just bought Silver Birch as a ‘fun horse for cross-country races.’ from legendary Champion trainer Paul Nicholls. The irony of course is that Nicholls, who is one of the best trainers in horse racing, has never won the Grand National despite his best attempts year on year.

Despite being a trainer at such a young age, Gordon Elliott was also an incredibly successful jockey in his own right. He moved to the Pipe yard in Somerset in 2002, where he went on to ride 200 winners and another 50 under Rules. He had hoped to enter the Grand National as a rider, but on his first attempt his license failed to come through on time and on his second attempt a more experienced rider came along and knocked him out of the running.

In July 2007 Elliot began training at Capranny Stables in Co. Meath, and it was here that he trained Silver Birch. The Grand National win proved Elliot to be a serious trainer, despite the fact that he had only trained three winners in Britain and none in Ireland. But he worked wonders with Silver Birch, and an impressive second place at the Cheltenham Festival convinced him that he should be entered in the National.

2010 will be interesting as Elliott is pinning his Grand National hopes on Backstage who is currently running middle of the pack with bookmakers ante-post odds which you can find at Paddy Power, Ladbrokes and Betfair. Robbie Power rode for him last year on Silver Birch and he’s a terrific jockey with great prospects so could this be Elliott’s second win?