The previous record-holder was Jenny Pitman who saddled six in 1995 when her team included Royal Athlete the 40-1 winner

The previous record-holder was Jenny Pitman, who saddled six in 1995, when her team included Royal Athlete, the 40-1 winner.Quantity, though, is no substitute for quality, and the shortest price against any of Pipe’s contenders is the 14-1 offered about Dark Stranger. He was the mount of Tony McCoy 12 months ago, when he started favourite but was an early faller, and McCoy has this year opted for Blowing Wind instead.”Looking at the way the ground is going I think he has the best chance in softish conditions,” McCoy said at Aintree yesterday. “He is well in at the weights with Beau if you look at the form from the National Hunt Chase [at Cheltenham] last year. I think the ground may be a bit too testing for Northern Starlight and Blowing Wind is the only one of Martin Pipe’s that will handle conditions.”McCoy’s decision prompted an inevitable rush of money for Blowing Wind, who was a 40-1 chance with Ladbrokes in the morning, but finished the day at 25-1. Hills were more cautious still, and go 20-1 from 40-1.Red Marauder (33-1 from 40-1) and The Last Fling (20-1 from 28-1) also found support with Ladbrokes. The most significant move, though, was for Edmond, who is both a soft-ground specialist and a certain stayer, having won the Welsh National in bottomless ground in 1999.

He is 10-1 from 16-1, and could yet start favourite.McCoy’s nine rejects have also found riders, including Tom Scudamore, who will partner Northern Starlight as he rides for the first time in a race which his father, Peter, never won. Northern Starlight too is running in the race for the first time, but has winning form over the National fences in the John Hughes Memorial Chase.Pipe’s other jockeys are Rodi Greene (Tresor De Mai), David Casey (Strong Tel), Kieran Kelly (Dark Stranger), Shay Barry (Moondigua), Chris Maude (Exit Swinger), Rupert Wakley (You’re Agoodun), Rodney Farrant (Kaki Crazy) and Jim Crowley (Art Prince).Victory for Dark Stranger, previously thought to be McCoy’s likely mount, would be a remarkable story, even for the Grand National. Kelly, a teenager who lost his claim only a few weeks ago, has never ridden in Britain before.There are four “reserve” runners for the National: Merry People, Samuel Wilderspin, Him Of Praise and Kendal Cavalier. They can join the main field if one or more runners are scratched before 9.30am today..

In a significant break with tradition, the West Indies are prepared to rely on spin bowling in the fourth Test against South Africa, starting at the Antigua Recreation Ground here today. In a significant break with tradition, the West Indies are prepared to rely on spin bowling in the fourth Test against South Africa, starting at the Antigua Recreation Ground here today.
A dry pitch expected to offer slow turn also has South Africa considering calling in the unorthodox left-arm spinner Paul Adams as a replacement for their fast bowler, Allan Donald, who is carrying a strained right hamstring from the third Test in Bridgetown.One down in the series after scraping a draw in Bridgetown on Monday through blatant delaying tactics, the West Indies must win here to have a chance of claiming the Sir Viv Richards Trophy, which is being contested for the first time. Their once awesome fast bowling stocks have dwindled to such a continuing reliance on the venerable Courtney Walsh, now 38 and in his last season, that the attack is likely to be based on two specialist spinners, Dinanath Ramnarine and Neil McGarrell, along with captain Carl Hooper’s useful off-breaks.Leg-spinner Ramnarine has added a new dimension to the West Indies’ bowling in the series, returning five-wicket figures for the first time in South Africa’s second innings in Bridgetown. But he has bowled 255 overs for his 14 wickets at a cost of 31.14. McGarrell, a steady, orthodox left-armer in his sixth season of first-class cricket, was a surprise inclusion in the squad. Mike Findlay, the chairman of selectors, cited his useful right-hand batting in an order with a lengthy tail as a factor in his selection.The gap between Walsh and his support bowlers is starkly revealed in the statistics. The irrepressible veteran has 14 wickets at an average of 21.28, including his 500th in the second Test in Port-of-Spain.