Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has 10 of the 102 entries for the Grand National at Aintree in April.
Nicholls has never won the race and his hopes include recent Cheltenham winner Neptune Collonges and What A Friend, part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Midnight Club is among nine entries for Irish trainer Willie Mullins.
Jonjo O'Neill has three contenders - Don't Push It, who won the National for Tony McCoy in 2010, plus Synchronised and Can't Buy Time.
Entries for the Grand National closed on Wednesday, with the weights announced on 15 February. Of the 102 contenders, 34 are trained in Ireland and three in France.
Last year the race attracted 112 entries. although a maximum field of 40 is allowed on the day for the four-and-a-half mile contest.
Neptune Collonges and What A Friend are joined by stablemates The Tother One, Tricky Trickster, Taranis, Tatenen, Niche Market, Just Amazing, Gullible Gordon and Meanus Dandy.
McCoy won the National at the 15th attempt last year, and was voted the 2010 BBC Sports Personality.
It seems likely he will choose between Don't Push It and January's Welsh National winner Synchronised.
The Northern Irish jockey is retained by owner JP McManus, whose other entries are the recent purchase Quolibet, trained in France by Francois Doumen, as well as Arbor Supreme and Quiscover Fontaine, representing Willie Mullins.
Ballabriggs, trained by Donald McCain, hardened as ante-post National favourite after winning over hurdles at Ayr on Monday.
The 10-year-old, ridden by Jason Maguire, was scoring his fifth straight victory as he took the novices' hurdle over two miles and four furlongs.
Ballabriggs is rated a 16-1 chance for the Aintree marathon on 9 April.
McCain's father Ginger won the National four times - three with Red Rum in the 1970s, plus Amberleigh House in 2004.
Hoping to win the National for a second time will be David Pipe, whose five hopefuls number the 2008 scorer Comply Or Die, now aged 12.
He has also entered Junior, who could seek a remarkable Royal Ascot-Grand National double, having won the Ascot Stakes last summer.
The Evan Williams-trained State Of Play, Howard Johnson's Tidal Bay and Ferdy Murphy's Big Fella Thanks are other interesting contenders.
The Irish entries include the 2008 Welsh National winner Notre Pere, the Edward O'Grady-trained Tranquil Sea, Noel Glynn's stable star Becauseicouldntsee, the Martin Lynch-trained Oscar Time and Gordon Elliott's Backstage, who unseated his rider in the 2010 race.
But one Irish challenger who will not be making the trip is the 2010 Grand National runner-up Black Apalachi, who has been ruled out for the season.
Now a 12-year-old, Black Apalachi was going ominously well when unseating Denis O'Regan at Becher's Brook on the second circuit in 2009 before finishing second to Don't Push It last April.
He was being prepared solely with the race in mind again but has sustained a tendon injury.
"Can you imagine it? He jumps around Aintree with not a bother year after year and then he gets a leg," said trainer Dessie Hughes.
"I've no idea how it happened, it just appeared. We were lucky we didn't run him the other day.
"He might come back, but he's 12 now. He'll have to stand in his box for a month or two. This probably would have been his year.
"But maybe his year was the year he unseated - you don't get too many chances."
Another horse missing the race is Pipe's The Package, who has suffered a setback.
He was creeping into contention before unseating Graham Lee at the 19th fence in the 2010 National.
"Fortunately he is a relatively lightly-raced eight-year-old so there is still plenty of time for him, and I look forward to getting him back on track next term," said Pipe on his official website.
Grand National entries
0P1-006 ALWAYS WAINING (IRE) 10 Peter Bowen
60U0-60 AMBOBO (USA) 11 Martin Brassil IRE
2212-52 APT APPROACH (IRE) 8 Willie Mullins IRE
0U2F-0P ARBOR SUPREME (IRE) 9 Willie Mullins IRE
256-021 ASKTHEMASTER (IRE) 11 Robert Tyner IRE
0BP-500 BACKSTAGE (FR) 9 Gordon Elliott IRE
3111-11 BALLABRIGGS (IRE) 10 Donald McCain
40F-044 BALLYFITZ 11 Nigel Twiston-Davies
0100-03 BALLYTRIM (IRE) 10 Willie Mullins IRE
2212-42 BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE (IRE) 8 Noel Glynn IRE
1F4/22-1 BELON GALE (IRE) 8 Wylie Howard Johnson
2U14-2F BIG FELLA THANKS 9 Ferdy Murphy
0C21-04 BLUESEA CRACKER (IRE) 9 James Motherway IRE
P12-UPP BURREN LEGEND (IRE) 10 Richard Rowe
4-56242 CALGARY BAY (IRE) 8 Henrietta Knight
16F-0P5 CAN'T BUY TIME (IRE) 9 Jonjo O'Neill
635P-6P CANE BRAKE (IRE) 12 Conor O'Dwyer IRE
12/- CARRONHILLS (IRE) 9 Rebecca Curtis
000-305 CHARACTER BUILDING (IRE) 11 John Quinn
30011-0 CHIEF DAN GEORGE (IRE) 11 Jimmy Moffatt
2/000-06 COMPLY OR DIE (IRE) 12 David Pipe
1P46-3U DEEP PURPLE 10 Evan Williams
363221- DEV (IRE) 11 Gordon Elliott IRE
23P1-P0 DON'T PUSH IT (IRE) 11 Jonjo O'Neill
01F24-4 DOONEYS GATE (IRE) 10 Willie Mullins IRE
21PP-PP DREAM ALLIANCE 10 Philip Hobbs
05241P DUERS (IRE) 9 Paul Magnier IRE
3/402P-0 FAASEL (IRE) 10 David Pipe
1500-10 FAIR ALONG (GER) 9 Philip Hobbs
1F3U-P1 FRANKIE FIGG (IRE) 9 Howard Johnson
313-355 FROM DAWN TO DUSK 12 Philip Hobbs
5/2613-P GALANT NUIT (FR) 7 Ferdy Murphy
F123-P2 GILES CROSS (IRE) 9 Victor Dartnall
1-P1440 GLENCOVE MARINA (IRE) 9 Eoin Griffin IRE
421001 GOLDEN KITE (IRE) 9 Adrian Maguire IRE
11FP10 GRAND SLAM HERO (IRE) 10 Nigel Twiston-Davies
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?