CHARLIE SWAN will ride Wylde Hyde in Saturday's Aintree Grand National. The champion jockey had been booked for Lo Stregone bin the race but Graham Bradley will take over on that horse now that Swan has switched to the Arthur Moore-trained stayer.
Paul Carberry had originally been linked with Wylde Hyde, but he faces a struggle to be fit in time for Aintree and is likely to be committed to the Gordon Richards-trained Buckboard Bounce if he makes it.
Other jockey news for Aintree is that David Casey will ride the "Mouse" Morris trained New Co in Saturday's spectacular. Morris had been left looking for a new rider when Jason Titley switched to Jenny Pitman's Nahthen Lad over the weekend.
Martin Pipe is still keeping his options open for the race. Challenger du Luc remains his best-fancied horse at around 25 to 1 but the seven-year-old holds an alternative engagement in Thursday's Martell Cup.
Pipe said: "Challenger du Luc could run in the National but we'll have to see what Master Oats does." Should Master Oats be withdrawn then Challenger du Luc would be set to carry top weight.
All For Luck, a 66 to 1 shot, will not run in the National because Pipe favours a tilt at Friday's Perrier Jouet Handicap Chase, which the 12-year-old won last season.
That means that Pipe may only be represented with outsiders Mugoni Beach and Evangelica, who are both intended runners.
Pipe has also yet to decide whether to run Champion Hurdle winner Make A Stand in Thursday's Seagram Top Novices' Hurdle over two miles or Saturday's prestigious two and a half mile Martell Hurdle.
Warren Marston yesterday picked up the ride on Christmas Gorse in the big race. The 26-year-old jockey, who split with dual National-winning trainer Jenny Pitman earlier this year, has been booked by Nick Gaselee for the half-brother to 1992 Aintree scorer Party Politics.
"Christmas Gorse will almost certainly run and Warren Marston will ride him," the trainer said. "He ran a little bit flat at Cheltenham last time but he seems better now and worked well yesterday."
Christmas Gorse is quoted at 50 to 1 by William Hill for Aintree, where he currently has 8st 7lb in the handicap. He won at Warwick in November and was in the lead when coming to grief at Haydock and Warwick on his next two starts.
"He has been very unlucky in two of his races this season and if he had won three times he would be going there with a real chance," Gaselee reflected.
"He is a long way out of the handicap and we hope the weights will go up, though we are not alone in that!
