Evan Williams can't wait for play time

Evan Williams says State Of Play, who finished fourth in last season's Grand National at Aintree, has an even better chance of winning the great race on Saturday.

Though the 10-year-old has run only once since that effort behind 100-1 shot Mon Mome, pulling up behind Denman in the Hennessy at Newbury, trainer Williams is confident his challenger can defy the odds this weekend.

Williams, who will be attempting to become only the second Welsh-based trainer to win the Grand National, following Kirkland in 1905, is adamant that State Of Play is in good shape.

He said: "State of Play ran a magnificent race last year and I thought he'd win two out. But he had lost 12 lengths when making a bad mistake at Becher's Brook and that probably made the difference between fourth and first.

"The National was an afterthought last year, whereas we have set our stall out this time with one race in mind. Everything has been planned with 10 April in mind, and the fact that the forecasters are talking of sunshine and rising temperatures for the next few days only goes to increase our hopes as he bounces off the dryer ground.

"Some horses need a prep race but State Of Play, who won a Hennessy and a Charlie Hall Chase first time out, is so much better when he is fresh, so when we walked off the stand last year I made a vow that I would run him at Newbury in November and then put him away until the National, and his preparation could not have gone better.

"The Hennessy blew the cobwebs away, he enjoyed himself, and we are all getting excited now."