Image source, BBC Sport

Owner Darren Yates, who bought Don Poli at auction for £170k on Thursday, said: "I'd always been interested in racing and I won £550k as a punter and that helped me get involved. I'm not ashamed to say I'm still a punter.

"It was at the start of Godolphin getting horses ready in Dubai when I got into it.

"I wouldn't try to tell Phil (trainer) who to train but I like to speak to him about the entries, and if I can get there that's the one I will pick.

"We are hoping to have a great day today."

Tiger Roll, the 9-2 favourite, has made his way into the parade ring.

Jockey Davy Russell is one of a bumper squad from Michael O'Leary Gigginstown squad.

The Ryanair boss is just issuing some pre-flight instructions before the jockeys get on board.

Image source, BBC Sport

And this is what it is all about.

The jockeys are on their way down to join their mounts.

Image source, BBC Sport

Retired jockey Katie Walsh, who is Ruby Walsh's sister, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "I had loads of cracks at it and I have great memories of it. It was a race that was good to me but my best days are behind me.

"I never go out thinking I am doing it for Ireland - I was doing it for me, my husband and my trainer.

"Anything can happen in the National. It's exciting to be here."

Image source, Getty Images

Tune in at the top of this page as John Hunt calls them out and in and in again...

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Pleasant Company very nearly overhauled Tiger Roll in last year's race.

Since then he has suffered two wide-margin defeats, but could a return to Aintree ignite a spark?

The owner of Tiger Roll is not overly confident of Tiger Roll's chance in the Grand National...

Image source, Getty Images

Bobbyjo was the first Irish-trained challenger to succeed since the 1975 victor L’Escargot. Neatly it was L'Escargot's jockey that day - Tommy Carberry - who trained Bobbyjo, with his son Paul taking the riding honours.

Paul’s brother Philip and sister Nina both went on to ride in the Grand National too. Tommy Carberry died at the age of 75 in 2017.

UK number one at the time: Mr Oizo - Flat Beat

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree

Image source, Getty

Grand National gambles are often hard to fathom - and this year appears to be no different.

But there is one consistency. All three runners for Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins are being supported.

"My strong suspicion is it's because of the name proving popular with once-a-year winners, but Livelovelaugh is 25-1 from 50-1 this morning," said Alan Alger, of Betway bookmakers.

"Rathvinden, the mount of Ruby Walsh, is now 9-1 second favourite and Pleasant Company is down to 14s.

"Meanwhile, Anibale Fly got as big as 16-1 but is now back into 10s."

Image source, Getty Images

One of only two fences to be jumped only once, alongside the Water Jump, The Chair is the biggest fence on the National course at 5ft 2in, with a ditch before.

The obstacle was named after a chair which was situated next to the fence, from where a judge used to see if any horses had been beaten by a distance.

Daily Mirror

Image source, Getty

"Lake View Lad, trained by one-time London stockbroker Nick Alexander by the shore of Loch Leven is a safe conveyance with the stamina to see out the distance – and the raw ability to carry 11st 1lb to success.

"Although he fell twice in his days as a hurdler, the nine-year-old son of Oscar has completed all his 12 races over the larger obstacles, winning four of them."

Read more here, external

Tiger Roll has been the most backed horse on every single day since its victory at Cheltenham.

His popularity in the market peaked on the 13th March, where he received a mammoth 82.4% of all bets after winning the Cross Country and was cut from 12/1 to 5/1 favourite.

The only horse to come close to trumping last year’s champion was Anibale Fly and that was on Gold Cup day, where the JP McManus-owned nine-year-old finished second in the Gold Cup and accrued 31.8% of bets, 7% more than Tiger Roll.

Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek: "Plenty will think Tiger Roll is too short to back at 9/2, but you can't blame hordes of punters for putting their money on Gordon Elliott's star-making history. He's been consistently backed for months, but the performance at Cheltenham silenced any doubters."

Image source, Getty

Tiger Roll's trainer Gordon Elliott will break the record for horses saddled in the big race by a single trainer.

The Northern Irishman will have 11 runners, one more than Martin Pipe assembled for the 2001 staging.

And he is not apologising to anyone for taking up more than a quarter of the field.

"I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I don't come from a horse background," he told BBC Sport.

"Everything I have, I've worked very hard for it. I've got five or six different owners, they've all paid their entry fee, they're all entitled to have a runner in the race."

Image source, Getty Images

On Wednesday evening in the House of Commons as MPs wrestled with the paperwork around their latest Brexit vote, Sir Nicholas Soames, the Conservative representative for Mid Sussex, saw an opportunity to tip off his peers about the big race.

"In the spirit of the new regime of bringing the whole House together on these difficult matters, and while you are waiting to get these amendments circulated, I thought it would be helpful if I was to let the House know that the Grand National will be won by a horse called Tiger Roll," he said.

There you go.

Last year's winner Tiger Roll is back to defend his title, hoping to become the first horse to land back-to-back Nationals since Red Rum in 1973 and 1974.

Trainer Gordon Elliott believes he has had better preparation than he had before the 2018 race.

"But it is the Grand National, you have more than four miles to go and a lot of fences to jump and 40 other horses to take on, so the best horse does not always win," he added in an interview with BBC Sport.

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree

Tiger Roll looks set to go off favourite for the Grand National but at around 5-1 is a bigger price than he has been in recent days.

Anibale Fly, Jury Duty, Pleasant Company and Rock The Kasbah are among those being backed.

Approximate odds at 16:40 BST

5-1 Tiger Roll

9-1 Rathvinden

10-1 Anibale Fly

12-1 Jury Duty, Pleasant Company

14-1 Vintage Clouds, Rock The Kasbah

16-1 Bar

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, BBC Sport

Talking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Bob Champion, who won the Grand National in 1981 riding Aldaniti, said "There's half a dozen with good chances to win today.

"I get a buzz on days like this and it's getting on for 50 years of me coming here. The adrenaline comes back every year. I really enjoy it.

"I like Rock The Kasbah and I think he will win today - he's a fresh horse and has won everything else."

Frank Keogh
BBC Sport at Aintree

1 Vintage Clouds

2 Jury Duty

3 Rock The Kasbah

4 Rathvinden

A decent second at Cheltenham last month should put Vintage Clouds in position to go even better than his third-placed finish in last year's Scottish National.

Image source, Getty Images

Visually one of the most impressive sights in the Grand National, the 90-degree turn after the Canal Turn can cause jockeys a host of problems, especially if there are loose horses. Situated where the racecourse meets the Leeds-Liverpool canal, the obstacle has been the downfall of plenty, most notably in 2001 when the riderless Paddy’s Return forced 10 horses out of the race

Image source, BBC Sport

Those Tiger Roll fans are keeping a low profile...