Grand National has an increasingly Irish feel

A total of 57 horses remain in the reckoning for the Randox Grand National at Aintree on 15 April after Tuesday's latest acceptance stage, with perennial champion Irish trainer Willie Mullins and his domestic rival Gordon Elliott responsible for more of the potential runners than their British-based peers combined.

Sixteen horses were scratched from the race this morning, including Elliott's Cheltenham Gold Cup third Conflated, who will be aimed at the Betway Bowl on the opening afternoon of the three-day meeting on Merseyside.

Corach Rambler, who won the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this month for a second consecutive year, is a best-price 7-1 favourite for the world's most famous steeplechase and hails from the Scottish yard of Lucinda Russell.

However, his nearest rivals in the betting are all Irish-trained. Thirteen of those 39 Irish entries are stabled at Elliott's Cullentra stables, with six trained by Mullins at Closutton.

Corach Rambler aside, only two of the British-trained contingent trade at shorter than 33-1 on the exchanges, namely Dan Skelton's Le Milos and the Sam Thomas-trained Our Power.

Ted Walsh's Any Second Now (pictured) – third and second in the last two renewals – now heads the weights on 11st 12lb, with last year’s winner Noble Yeats 1lb behind, while Corach Rambler is set to carry just 10st 5lb.

The final confirmations stage for the Aintree spectacular will be on 10 April, and declarations for field known on 13 April, with 40 going to post for the race.

Trainer Tim Vaughan was relieved and delighted in equal measure after Eva's Oskar was confirmed as the 40th horse in the field.

Vaughan said: "We definitely want to run – we’re eager beavers!

"What’s lovely is we’ve actually got