Paul Nicholls’ Hitman and Il Rodito head the 11 entries for this Sunday’s Jewsons St Helens Monet’s Garden Old Roan Chase at Aintree Racecourse.
As racing returns to the home of the Randox Grand National for the first time since the summer this weekend, the champion trainer is double-handed in his bid for a record fourth victory in the Grade Two feature.
Nicholls has had three victories – Kauto Star (2006), Sound Investment (2015) and Frodon (2018) – in the 2m4f contest run over the Mildmay fences at the Merseyside track. The Ditcheat handler shares the record for most wins with Nicky Richards, who saddled Monet’s Garden – after whom the race is now named – to three victories in 2007, 2009 and 2019.
