Keith Melrose's surprising Grand National entrants and notable omissions - including a Gavin Cromwell dark horse

The entries were published for the 2024 Grand National on Tuesday and here Keith Melrose runs through the most under-the-radar entrants, as well as the most surprising absentees.

Unheralded entrants

Adamantly Chosen
Trainer: Willie Mullins
Second in two Grade 1s as a novice and quietly campaigned this season. He was last seen finishing seventh in a race at last weekend's Dublin Racing Festival that often informs the Grand National. He still needs to make the frame in a staying chase before March 26 to qualify.

Classic Getaway
Willie Mullins
A smart novice chaser and won a Listed chase in November. The Racing Post Rating for the latter, 156, puts him on the premises of what is expected from a modern Grand National winner. He is unexposed, too, so much so that he needs to run once more before March 26 to qualify for Aintree.

Its On The Line
Emmet Mullins
Emmet Mullins is always on the lookout for ways to keep the handicapper guessing. Aiming a hunter chaser at the Grand National is a bit of a throwback, but this horse was only six when finishing second in last year's Cheltenham Festival Hunters' Chase. He would struggle to get in off his last published BHA mark (136), but has improved on RPRs since then.

Letsbeclearaboutit: a fascinating entry in the Grand National for Gavin CromwellCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Letsbeclearaboutit
Gavin Cromwell
Like Mullins, Gavin Cromwell has horses on the list of surprising absentees so it's interesting to note those he has entered. This lightly-raced nine-year-old went off favourite for the Drinmore and finished fourth in a Grade 1 novice hurdle at last year's Grand National meeting. He needs one more run over fences, but is otherwise qualified.

Macs Charm
Colm Murphy
You can guarantee that a horse with this profile, trained by a Mullins or an Elliott, would not have made it this far unremarked upon. Macs Charm's campaign started quietly, but came to life when he was fifth in the Thyestes last month and he remains unexposed. He's also bred for extreme tests, being out of a half-sister to the Eider and Scottish National winner Win My Wings.

Surprising omissions

Any Second Now
Ted Walsh
Andy Roddick at Wimbledon. Greg Norman at the Masters. Any Second Now in the Grand National. Twice placed, once despite being virtually wiped out on the first circuit, this horse could have won Grade 1s but was instead campaigned to win the Grand National. He is 12 now and it looks like his chance has gone.

Corbetts Cross
Emmet Mullins
The wise-guy selection for the race who started the season with shades of his most celebrated stablemate Noble Yeats. He has only run three times over fences, so has surely run out of time to qualify.

Gaillard Du Mesnil: last year's third will not return to Aintree in 2024Credit: John Grossick

Gaillard Du Mesnil
Willie Mullins
According to the market, last year's third is the most surprising omission of all. He has only made the track once this season, so it is inferred that he has had setbacks.

Stumptown
Gavin Cromwell
I was among those who took Cromwell's statement in the autumn that Stumptown 'prefers English fences' as a coded message of his Aintree aims for the season. However, it seems connections are likely to prioritise the Ultima with last year's Kim Muir runner-up.

Thedevilscoachman
Noel Meade
Having gone off second-favourite for last year's Irish National, been campaigned over hurdles since his reappearance and being owned by JP McManus, the signs were all there that Thedevilscoachman would head for Aintree. Yet it looks likely that, with just five entries, McManus will not be excessively represented in this year's National.

Read more:

'He's coming alive' - Corach Rambler camp confident of bold showing in bid for repeat Grand National triumph 

41 per cent of entries to 64 per cent in three years: the numbers behind Ireland's increasing Grand National dominance 

'Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott can run them out of town' - the latest worrying Grand National trend  

Record 61 Irish-trained runners dominate as 94 entries are revealed for the 2024 Randox Grand National  

'The 26 entries are for 14 different owners' - Gordon Elliott could field biggest ever Grand National team  

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