Fiddlerontheroof finished second at Cheltenham a year ago but is set to bypass a return to the festival this time around in favour of a crack at the Randox Grand National at Aintree on 9th April.
The eight-year-old is a 20/1 chance with bet365 for success in the Merseyside marathon in which he will be bidding to improve trainer Colin Tizzard's modest previous record.
Tizzard star still has Cheltenham option
Fiddlerontheroof chased home Monkfish in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at Cheltenham a year ago and holds an entry in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup this season, for which he is a 50/1 chance. You can follow the action via our Sports Live Streaming platform.
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A strong seasonal return
Since then, Fiddlerontheroof won on his seasonal return at Carlisle before finishing runner-up in the Grade 3 Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury and then filled the same placing in the Listed Swinley Chase at Ascot last month under a big weight.
Joe Tizzard, assistant trainer to his dad, said: "I don't think we'll run Fiddlerontheroof in the Gold Cup unless he wows us next week, the plan is the Grand National. At Ascot last time it wasn't a pretty watch, he's normally a better traveller and he didn't jump or travel as well as he can. He's a class horse and he should be competitive off 155."
The yard's best previous placing in the Grand National was tenth. He added: "We haven't really had a proper stab at the National with the right horse. They've set up the [National] fences down at [David] Pipe's, we'll go down there a couple of times and give him a pop and do it all properly. We've got plenty of time."
