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Johnson was last seen in the National in 2016, when he and Kruzhlinin pulled up four from home. He was on standby for the ride on One For Arthur a year later but missed out on that winning opportunity when Derek Fox recovered in the nick of time from a couple of bone breaks.

At 41, Johnson can’t have many more Nationals in him and it would be a hugely popular outcome if Rock The Kasbah could crown his career by bagging the prize. Philip Hobbs confirmed to me on Tuesday that the horse is on course for Aintree a fortnight on Saturday, and that Johnson will ride.Could series of recent controversies result in confidence vote in BHA? | Chris Cook Read more

Rock The Kasbah has the class to win a National and beat a big field around Cheltenham in November.Ideally, he seems to want good ground and I don’t suppose he’s going to get that. He’s 25-1.

Incidentally, I did wonder if Hobbs might be about to retire when a little bird told me that his long-serving assistant, Johnson White, was currently working through the modules necessary to qualify as a trainer. Hobbs, however, reassures me that he has no thought of stopping any time soon, but thought it prudent for White to jump through the necessary hoops now, so as to be ready when called upon at some time in an uncertain future.

Bristol De Mai, set to carry top weight, is not yet a definite runner after running third in the Gold Cup last week.Nigel Twiston-Davies sounds slightly doubtful about it, saying we must wait for the owners to decide, and I wonder if the Aintree Bowl will re-enter calculations, following this latest proof that the grey is not just a Haydock horse.

Twiston-Davies has two others who are going to the National, however. “Go Conquer’s a definite,” he told me. “We’ve laid him out for the race and he’s been fine. It’s very much the plan for Ballyoptic. He just didn’t run very well at Haydock. He wasn’t in great form after it but he’s in great form now. Something must have been quite wrong but we couldn’t put a finger on what it was.That was a one-off bad run, you can’t knock him for that.”

Turning to Wednesday’s action, Oneida Tribe (4.20) appeals at Haydock, where Robin Dickin’s veteran is having the third run of his season. The better for his opener, he put up a good effort when second at Warwick at 40-1 in January and can do better again here with Will Kennedy aboard.

At Market Rasen, Peppay Le Pugh (2.00) is napped to give the Skeltons a short-priced winner in the opening novice hurdle. Later, there has been some support for Hugo’s Reflection (3.05), making his chasing debut from a fair mark in a first-time tongue tie for the Festival-winning pair of Ben Case and Kielan Woods.He’s 5-1 as I type.Lalor expected to bounce back at Aintree after listless Cheltenham run

Nothing has come to light to explain the listless performance at last week’s Cheltenham Festival by Lalor, who had been strongly fancied for the Arkle for the previous four months.

Kayley Woollacott, who trains the classy chaser at her north Devon yard, said she could find nothing wrong with him and plans to run him again in just over a fortnight at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, at which he has won for the past two years.

“It’s a head-scratcher,” said Woollacott. “I think he is better on better ground but I wouldn’t be blaming the ground. He was obviously not going to win early on.Richard [Johnson] said he got bumped at the third and didn’t like it, so we’ll ride him a little bit differently at Aintree.

“We’ve gone right through him and he seems very, very well in himself. Horses have off days. It was exactly the same in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury last year; that was another complete head-scratcher as to why he didn’t perform. He put that behind him and we just have to hope that he does that again.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Richard Johnson pulls up on board Lalor in the Arkle Chase during day one of the Cheltenham Festival. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Lalor’s target is the £100,000 Maghull Novice Chase, run just two hours before the Grand National itself, so Woollacott’s 12-horse yard could soon enjoy another important day in the spotlight.Lalor won the Aintree bumper on Grand National eve two years ago at 33-1 and followed up in a Grade One novice hurdle there last year, when he was still not widely fancied at 14-1.

Meanwhile, it appears Tiger Roll will get his chance to win a second Grand National, something no horse has achieved since Red Rum in the 70s. “He’s come out of Cheltenham very well so I can’t see any reason why he won’t be running there next,” his trainer, Gordon Elliott, told the Racing Post. Quick guide Wednesday’s racing tips Show Hide