Ottowa, who refused on his only start this season, beat Call It A Day and Him Of Praise in last season's Singer & Friedlander and could meet those rivals again in a field that could also include former Grand National winner Lord Gyllene plus Kendal Cavalier and Fiddling The Facts, first and second in the Welsh National.
William Hill: 8-1 Brave Highlander, Dom Samourai, Kamikaze, 9
Ottowa, Samlee, 10 Belmont King, Cariboo Gold, Eudipe, Stormtracker, 12 Baronet, Nahthen Lad, 14 St Mellion Fairway, 16 Avro Anson, Major Bell, 20 Chipped Out, Idiots Lady, Lord Of The West, 25 Choisty, Wisley Wonder, 33-1 bar.
PAUL NICHOLLS is set to target both last year's winner Belmont King and
Ottowa at the Stakis Casinos Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday week.
Coral quote Flaked Oats at 16-1, and he is likely to be Nicholls' only runner in the race, with
Ottowa not ready for the event and Belmont King far from certain to take part.
Oliver Sherwood's eight-year-old won his first four starts this season before finishing third to
Ottowa at Uttoxeter and runner-up to Dom Samourai at Haydock.
A week later
Ottowa spearheaded a Nicholls treble, then Court Melody won the big race at Sandown.
Coral: 4 Dom Samourai, 5 Tamarindo (from 7), 7 Earth Summit, 8 Eudipe, 10 Macgeorge, Seven Towers, 11 Fiddling The Facts, 12
Ottowa, The Grey Monk, Coome Hill, 14 bar.
"He schooled on Thursday and we are delighted with him," said trainer Paul Nicholls, who also gave
Ottowa the green light to take on Florida Pearl on Wednesday.
CORAL: 4 Dom Samourai, 7 Earth Summit, Tamarindo, 8 Eudipe, 10 Macgeorge, Seven Towers, 11 Fiddling The Facts, 12 Coome Hill,
Ottowa, The Grey Monk, 14 bar.
A week later Court Melody lifted the Agfa Diamond Limited Handicap Chase at Sandown while
Ottowa collected the Singer & Friedlander National Trial at Uttoxeter, where Calling Wild also won a novice handicap chase.
Coral: 5 Dom Samourai (from 6), 7 Earth Summit, Tamarindo, 8 Eudipe, 10 Forest Ivory, Macgeorge, Seven Towers, 11 Fiddling The Facts, 12 Coome Hill, Cyborgo,
Ottowa, The Grey Monk, 14 bar.
Talented Timmy Murphy will make a bold bid to land the spoils with
Ottowa.
Another trainer with a host of entries is Paul Nicholls, who is six-handed and rates recent Aintree casualty
Ottowa (9st 11lb) as the leading raider from his Somerset stables.
"He won his last four point-to-points in Ireland and he ran a cracking race at Worcester last time against
Ottowa but did not get home over the three miles and some of our horses were wrong at the time," reported Hodges.
An incident-packed race also saw the hard-pulling Strong Hicks turn a somersault when clear at the next, and when
Ottowa refused at Becher's, Earth Summit was left with no more than a solo school ahead of the toiling Samlee and Back Bar.
