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Highland Lodge is aiming to become the first back-to-back winner of the Betfred Becher Chase at Aintree on Saturday.
Trained in Cumbria by Jimmy Moffatt, he was having his first start for his new yard when providing connections with a memorable day last year.
They then gambled on not running him again before the Grand National in April but he agonisingly missed the cut for the final line-up and ran in the Scottish version instead, where he found the ground too fast.
He is the mount of Henry Brooke, who just seven weeks ago was placed in an induced coma following a fall at Hexham where he suffered multiple injuries. The promise of riding Highland Lodge again proved the spur for Brooke, who returned to action on Wednesday at Catterick.
"It is all systems go with Highland Lodge and I am very happy with him. He has done all his work now and we are just keeping him fresh for Saturday," said Moffatt.
"He has run well fresh in the past and has also been called a few names! He has done two serious two-and-a-half-mile gallops on the grass.
"He hasn't been on track, but that has been on purpose, as we have lovely big fields here we can work him around.
"It was soft ground when he won last year and obviously we would like conditions to be replicated as much as possible. But if you dip back in his form he had run some good races on good ground, including when he was fourth in the Hennessy."
Hello Bud is the only dual winner of the Becher but there was a gap between his two victories in 2010 and 2012.
Grand National runner-up The Last Samuri heads a field of 24.
Kim Bailey's charge was beaten six lengths by Rule The World in the main event last season and having finished fifth in a Down Royal Grade One on his seasonal return, he returns to the National fences this time.
Gordon Elliott's Ucello Conti finished sixth in the National and has topped the Becher ante-post market, while Alvarado is another who is already familiar with the Aintree fences, having claimed fourth in the 2014 and 2015 Nationals for Fergal O'Brien.
Mouse Morris runs the 2016 Irish National victor Rogue Angel, with Jim Dreaper's Sizing Coal, Portrait King from Patrick Griffin's yard and the Eric McNamara-trained Dare To Endeavour making up a strong Irish raiding party.
Colin Tizzard has found a rich vein of form in Saturday races and recent Cheltenham scorer Viconte Du Noyer will try to extend the team's winning run on his first attempt over the National course.
Last term's bet365 Gold Cup winner The Young Master is another notable contender for Neil Mulholland, while Alan King has two chances in Ziga Boy and Midnight Prayer.
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