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

It is easy to cast the Grand National picture in the typical terms of Britain versus Ireland. Yet issues specific to the National means the tension starts a little bit upwind from there.

With the field size reduced by 15 per cent this year, more than ever the Grand National is a race for good horses. It is thus a race for those who own good horses, and are willing to pitch them into Aintree's demanding arena. From that starting point, dominance by Ireland's superowners and supertrainers is inevitable.

What is disappointing is the entry list implies that British trainers have anticipated the tidal wave. If there were a literal tidal wave on the eve of the race, keeping the Irish-trained runners at home, the British cohort could not fill the new field limit of 34.