Bowen in the hunt for a rider

The official handicapper feels he is potentially thrown in at the weights and he lines up fresh from a career best effort in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

So why is Welsh trainer Peter Bowen struggling to find a suitable jockey to ride Take The Stand in Saturday's John Smith's Grand National?

The talented nine-year-old excelled himself to finish a clear second behind Kicking King at Cheltenham and would have fully 15lb more to carry if the British Horseracing Board chasing handicapper Phil Smith could frame the National weights again.

However, Take The Stand has taken a walk in the market over the last two weeks because of widespread fears that his erratic jumping will make him an accident waiting to happen over Aintree's daunting spruce fences.Tony Dobbin, who rode Take The Stand at Cheltenham, has committed himself to Just In Debt for Saturday's race.

Seamus Durack has opted to ride Bowen's other National runner Ballycassidy instead, but the trainer himself retains plenty of faith in his stable star as the big day approaches.

"He did make mistakes at the first two fences in the Gold Cup, but after that he jumped brilliantly," he said.

"He'll never get into the National on this weight again and you have to say that he's potentially the class horse of the race, but the National is the National and it takes a lot of jumping."

Bowen's hopes of good ground for Take The Stand seem set to be thwarted after rain arrived on Merseyside yesterday, while snow showers in the north west this morning threatened to soften the Aintree ground further.

Graham Lee is equally concerned about possible soft ground for last year's National hero Amberleigh House.

Ginger McCain's gelding, who drifted out to 17-1 on Betfair overnight as conditions eased further, has shown his form in the mud but is regarded as ideally suited by less testing conditions.

Lee said: "The rain is worrying me as he's only a pony. That said, I wouldn't swap him for the world. He's been there and done it before and you can't put a price on that round Aintree."

Meanwhile, Carrie Ford will finalise preparations for her National ride on the freewheeling Forest Gunner by walking the course with former top jockey Neale Doughty today.

Doughty won the 1984 National aboard Hallo Dandy and will be advising Ford about what tactics she should adopt in a race which features several other habitual front runners.