Caoilin Quinn gets green light to ride Nassalam at Grand National 2024

Jockey Caoilin Quinn has been given the all-clear to ride Nassalam in the Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday.

The 22-year-old jockey has never ridden in the world's greatest steeplechase before and has been out injured since breaking his collarbone in a fall at Plumpton in February. But now he has been cleared to return to race-riding and renew his partnership with Gary Moore's mud-loving Nassalam.

Quinn and Nassalam cruised to a wide-margin victory in the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow over Christmas. The jockey has also had other 'National' wins when landing the Surrey National for his West Sussex-based boss on Movethechains and the Sussex version with David Bridgwater's Dom Of Mary earlier this year. But his injury meant he missed the Cheltenham Festival where Nassalam was pulled up in his Aintree prep run behind dual winner Galopin Des Champs in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup. But Quinn is now back and will partner Nassalam as well as John and Yvonne Stone's Botox Has in the Grade One JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle before the Grand Natonal at Aintree on Saturday.

Nassalam is as short as 14-1 with Paddy Power but is a best-priced 20-1 chance with William Hill, Coral and bet365 having been backed in following the recent rain on Merseyside and the likelihood that he will get the soft conditions he relishes.

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Quinn said: "It's a big weekend and I have two very good rides on Saturday, I'm looking forward to it now. Obviously I've been injured for the last few weeks, but I've just been to see the specialist and I have been given the all-clear to start riding from Thursday onwards. So hopefully I will be riding Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

"Looking at the weather forecast, it's looking like it could be in our favour - if it's right anyway. They are due a lot of rain over the next couple of days and that is only going to help Botox and definitely Nassalam. It will certainly increase their chances if it keeps raining. The two of them have been really important to me so far in my career, they have given me big Saturday winners and have got me into the good races and I'm delighted to be associated with them.

"I can't thank John and Yvonne Stone enough, they have stuck by me and kept me on their good horses and I have to especially thank my boss (Moore) for having the faith in me in the first place and giving me the opportunities. Hopefully I can keep repaying them in some big races."

Nassalam is the highest-rated British contender in the National and will now have to carry 11st8lb with the weights set to rise a 1lb following the confirmation by trainer Gordon Elliott that current top weight Conflated will now line-up instead in the Melling Chase on Ladies Day at Aintree. Nassalam has already tackled the famous Aintree fences when fourth in the Grand Sefton Chase back in November. And Quinn believes that will help his charge's chance of join the likes of Corbiere, Bindaree and Silver Birch in adding Aintree success to victory in the Welsh National.

Quinn added: "The way the season has panned out, it was probably a good thing he ran in the Grand Sefton. He has got that experience over the fences now and he seemed to take to them that day. He jumped very well late on and finished very well over a much shorter trip than it's going to be on Saturday. I'm delighted going into it and it takes a bit of weight off your shoulders, knowing he took to them the last day and he's been round there before. It's a completely different scenario on Saturday, but hopefully everything goes to plan for us. If it all works out it will be great."

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Meanwhile connections of Kitty's Light are delighted that they will get the chance to line-up in to Saturday's Grand National following the likely defection of top-weight Conflated.

Conflated was one of 13 Elliott-trained horses still engaged in the Aintree marathon but the 10-year-old is set to run in the 2m4f Melling Chase 24 hours earlier rather than lump top weight over 4m2f of the Grand National course on possible testing conditions.

On a stable tour for Attheraces.com Elliott confirmed: "We had the option of the Aintree Bowl and the Grand National, but with the ground going the way it is we are going to run in the Melling Chase on Friday instead. I thought he ran great in the Ryanair Chase (at Cheltenham, finished third), he hit the line well and I was very happy with his run."

Now Kitty's Light – a 14-1 chance with most bookmakers – is the 34th and final horse on the list and will be guaranteed a run as it stands. Christian Williams' winner of last year's Scottish Grand National and bet365 Gold Cup is now set to bid for another staying handicap success. The Welsh trainer said: "It's great that he'll get in now, it's good for the owners. The whole season has been geared towards the Grand National so it's great that we've got in. The owners have been looking at it for the last three weeks and had everything upside down. They've been thinking about it for the last three weeks and I just stayed out of it. I think Gordon declared Conflated for the Bowl this morning, so one of the owners rang me and said 'brilliant Chris, we're in', then Gordon took him back out! Anyway, it sounds like he's running on Friday hopefully."

Of Kitty's Light, he added: "He's flying, it's just a shame with the ground because when we had him in a good place last year the ground was good and it looks like it will be heavy on Saturday. He might still have won the Scottish National last year if it was soft, you don't really know do you? You can't discount him on the ground until he actually goes out there as when we've run him on that sort of ground before we didn't have him in the best of form and it wouldn't have been his ideal trip. When he's had his ideal trip it's been in the spring and that's when the ground has been good. We'll see how he runs on heavy ground in the spring – there's only one way to find out."

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