Paul Nicholls has confirmed Daryl Jacob will partner Join Together in the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday.
Nicholls and Jacob combined to take the famous steeplechase with Neptune Collonges 12 months ago and will this time team up with a horse who is best priced at 20-1 for the four-and-a-half-mile (7200m) contest.
Jacob’s appointment aboard Join Together means Ruby Walsh is likely to partner the Willie Mullins-trained favourite On His Own.
“Daryl is going to ride Join Together,” Nicholls said.
“He knows the horse well. He rode him in the Becher Chase around there and I’m dead happy he’s going to ride him next week.”
Jacob is thrilled to have been given the ride.
“He ran very well in the Becher for me, but just got a bit bogged down in the ground,” he said.
“It looks like the ground is going to be good to soft, which would be ideal, and hopefully we have a nice run.”
The champion trainer is also close to finalising jockey bookings for his two other possible National runners, What A Friend and Harry The Viking.
Both horses are part-owned by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
“The plan at the moment is for Sam Thomas to ride What a Friend and I think Ryan Mahon will ride Harry The Viking,” Nicholls said.
“What A Friend could still switch to the other race (Betfred Bowl on Thursday), so I need to speak to the owners in the week and then make a decision.”
Paul Nolan has quickly secured the services of Robbie Power to ride Joncol.
Davy Russell was due to take the ride but will miss the entire National meeting after failing to gain medical clearance from the British Horseracing Authority as a result of the injury he sustained at the Cheltenham Festival.
