Last year’s winner Elegant Escape heads 25 confirmations for the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Friday.
The Colin Tizzard-trained seven-year-old warmed up for a repeat bid with a fine third place in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury.
Elegant Escape will have to shoulder top-weight of 11st 12lb, as the weights have gone up 7lb following the defection of his stablemate Native River.
Tizzard still has a second string to his bow in West Approach.
Elegant Escape has been top of the ante-post market and others prominent in the betting standing their ground include Now McGinty, Crievehill, Truckers Lodge, Steely Addition, Potters Corner and Yala Enki.
