Conkwell Grange trainer Neil Mullholland is positive about The Young Master's hopes at the Grand National

The eight-year-old will line up at Aintree for the world’s most famous steeplechase with Sam Waley-Cohen in the saddle.

While the horse isn’t among the red-hot favourites with bookmakers, hovering around the 20-1 price with most, Mulholland believes he is the right type for the race but remained coy on how his charge would fare.

“He’s probably the fourth or fifth favourite. It’s a very hard race to judge by chances because you need a lot of luck,” Mulholland told the Wiltshire Times.

“They’re the biggest fences in the racing world and it only takes one horse to fall in front of you. It might even be your fault.

“But do I think he is the right kind of horse for this race? Yes I do.

“He’s a horse who ticks all of the right boxes for the race. He has size, he has scope and he jumps well.

“There are 40 horses going towards one fence. They have to get settled into a rhythm to get jumping for the race.

“You can have the favourite in the race but if an outsider falls, it will be the first to bring you down. That can happen in any race, but it is more likely to happen at the Grand National.”

Mulholland revealed it was an ‘easy choice’ to select Waley-Cohen to ride the eight-year-old, given the 34 year old’s outstanding Aintree record.

The jockey’s father Robert Waley-Cohen took a half-share in the eight year old chaser last year - Bradford on Avon local Mike Burbidge retains the other half-share - but took the advice of Mulholland to wait a year before entering it into the prestigious race.

The trainer admits it has taken years of work to get Young Master ready for this year’s Grand National.

“It was an easy choice because his father owns half of him and no-one has a better record,” added Mulholland, whose only previous National runner The Druids Nephew twice failed to get around the Aintree course.

“It’s an exciting week. Obviously, the (Cheltenham) Gold Cup and the National are two of the biggest chases in the world.

“The Grand National is that little bit different because of the course. It is a very valuable and prestigious race, it’s followed worldwide and is a race that everybody would like to win.”

“It takes years of preparation. We could have run him last year but I thought he would be better if we waited for a year, it is all about timing and experience.”

Semington-based jockey Noel Fehily also has a mount in the National, on the much-fancied Blaklion.

Fehily, who won the first two feature races at the Cheltenham Festival, is as short as 11-1 with some bookmakers.