Only one ride for multi-story Guest

It isn't hard to work out why Chives is among the market leaders for Saturday's £600,000 showpiece. The eight-year-old has jumped stiff fences with unerring accuracy and gave Guest "a blinding ride" at the Cheltenham Festival before fading into seventh in Best Mate's Gold Cup.

"I'm very lucky to be riding him and, although the National is a law unto itself, I can't see any chinks in his armour," he said. "He jumps beautifully and travels sweetly, and although he didn't have an easy race at Cheltenham he's flying at home according to the stable."

And what about the trio who will bid to give Guest a National winner just two months into his training career? Red Marauder, Red Striker and Red Ark are the horses in question.

Red Marauder needs little introduction after overcoming gruelling conditions to win the race two years ago.

Leg trouble sidelined him until a promising reappearance under kid-glove treatment at Newcastle in February, and although Guest has declared that he will not run him if the ground is too firm, he stressed that the 13-year-old is "in superb form."

That was emphasised yesterday at Guest's charity Open Day when Red Marauder, partnered by big-race jockey Henry Oliver, galloped impressively.

Red Striker is a full brother to Red Marauder with just as much ability, while Red Ark bowed out at the first in last year's National but looked back on song when sixth at the Festival.

"Red Striker ran a cracker at Haydock last time and will be ridden by Larry McGrath at Aintree. I reckon he must have a live chance, and although Red Ark departed early last year he's a brilliant jumper and has bounced out of Cheltenham in great style," he said. Guest's own unique style - which often involves dropping horses out way off the pace - has been the subject of some lively debate over the years. It certainly didn't go down well with the stewards, who banned him for six months after finding him guilty of not trying at Perth a few years ago.

But Guest has never had a moment's doubt about his way of doing things.

"There's too much pressure on young lads to conform these days and no loyalty if they do," he said. "My style might cost us a race now and then, but results show that it works and I've always said my riding career was just the means to an end before I started training."

Guest was "about 10 years old and five stone wet through" when he lined his coat with chains in order to persuade the Newmarket trainer Jeremy Hindley that he was heavy enough to ride out. Victory on Saturday would almost certainly see the 37-yearold bring down the curtain on his riding career, and the big day can hardly come soon enough.

"I'm riding one of the favourites and training a National winner plus two lively outsiders who have been laid out for the race," he said. "Chives, Red Striker, Red Marauder and Red Ark would be the order I rank them in. Who knows how it will work out, but one way or another I think we'll be playing some part in the finish on Saturday."