Top Irish trainer Gordon Elliott can become a four-time Grand National winner at Aintree tomorrow.

That’s the belief of Cheltenham racehorse owner Barry Preece, who reckons that Delta Work is the one to beat in the showpiece event over four miles two furlongs.

And if Delta Work doesn’t cross the line first, Preece thinks Elliott could still be celebrating because he fancies another of his entries, Coko Beach, as a good each-way bet.

“Gordon Elliott has done so well in this race in the past,” said Preece. “I think he’s been targeting Delta Work for the National all season, I think he’ll run well.”

Delta Work finished third in the race last year behind Noble Yeats and Any Second Now, both of whom are running this year, but Delta Work is primed and ready after winning the Cross Country Chase at last month’s Cheltenham Festival.

Coko Beach will also be primed and ready, and Preece saw enough of him in last year’s race when he finished eighth under Cotswolds jockey Jonjo O’Neill Jr to think that he represents value as an each-way bet at around 25-1.

“He was in the lead for quite a long time last year but just drifted out,” said Preece. “I think he was in the lead too early.

“He won last time out by quite a big margin, he came from mid-division and picked them off slowly, winning quite convincingly.”

That victory was at Punchestown in February in the Grand National Trial Handicap Chase over three miles four furlongs when he was ridden by Ben Harvey.

Harry Cobden will ride him tomorrow while Delta Work, who is likely to go off at around 13-2, will be ridden by Keith Donoghue.

Elliott saddled his first Grand National winner way back in 2007 when the 33-1 Silver Birch held on at the finish to win in impressive style.

That was Elliott’s first ever runner in the race, and victories two and three came in 2018 and 2019 through Tiger Roll, the little horse with a huge heart who captured the imagination of so many when he became the first horse since Red Rum in the late 70s to win the race back-to-back.

But while Elliott clearly knows what it takes to train a horse to win over 30 fences, he will certainly not have things all his own way, with Preece saying of the Emmet Mullins-trained Noble Yeats “there is no reason why he can’t win again”.

Preece also thinks that the Sam Thomas-trained Our Power, with Cotswolds jockey Sam Twiston-Davies on board, will run well.

The bookies have got him at around 14-1 and Preece said: “He’s on the up, he’s won his last two races, he’s doing very well.”

And Preece also fancies that Fortescue, who is trained by Henry Daly, may also have a good run.

“If you’re looking for an outsider, he’ll probably be around 66-1 to 80-1,” said Preece. “I think he’ll outrun his odds.”

Preece, who has owned a number of horses over the years, knows what it’s like to be in the winner’s enclosure at Aintree because Trackmate, who was trained by James Evans, won the Handicap Hurdle in May 2013.

Trackmate was ridden that day by Liam Treadwell, who sadly died almost three years ago at the age of just 34.

Treadwell, of course, rode the 100-1 Mon Mome to Grand National glory in 2009.

Mon Mome was trained by Venetia Williams, who is hoping that Cloudy Glen can spring a surprise in this year’s race at around 66-1.

Preece was close to Treadwell and he would love to see Williams land her second winner in the big race.

“I think quite a few people would like that, a lot of people remember Tredders,” said Preece. “Cloudy Glen either pulls up or comes in the top three, but if it’s soft ground Venetia Williams comes into play, she’s a soft ground specialist.

“If she did win, that would be a wonderful story, that’s why I love the race.”

And it was the Grand National that first got former Chosen Hill School pupil Preece into racing more than 45 years ago.

“My dad came home with a newspaper and told me to pick a horse,” he recalled. “It was in 1977 and I was seven, I chose Andy Pandy. He was leading by 10, 15, 20 lengths when he jumped Becher’s, which was the 21^st  fence, but he buckled and fell when he landed.

“Red Rum went on to win but I was convinced that Andy Pandy would have won had he not fallen. He won the Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown a few weeks later.”

Preece won’t be at Aintree this weekend. It was thought that Risk And Roll, who ran so well at Cheltenham last month, would run at Liverpool but he will now run at next week’s April Meeting at Cheltenham.

Preece was chuffed to bits with Risk And Roll’s ninth-placed finish in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Chase on day three of the Festival.

“He was only five lengths behind the winner, that’s how competitive he was,” said Preece. “You can be five lengths behind and finish second but you can also be 50 lengths behind and finish second.

“Unfortunately, there were seven horses between us and the winner but he got blocked off a bit, he ran really well.”