With gales swirling across Cumbria threatening to bring floods and snow, April might seem distantly remote, but Tuesday marked the annual Aintree luncheon at which the weights for this year’s Randox Health Grand National were revealed.

The announcement will have been awaited with anxious concern by connections of hat-trick seeking Tiger Roll, desperately hoping for some reasonable leniency from the official handicapper and perhaps even more eagerly by Frank Bird and Nicky Richards, the owner and trainer of Takingrisks, Cumbria’s sole representative in this spring’s renewal of the World’s Greatest Steeplechase.

Too many pounds and the gelding’s chances will certainly have been put ‘at risk’. Too little weight and there could be the concern that the Greystoke contender might fail to make the cut.

Taking into account Takingrisks’ triumph in last year’s Scottish National and his more recent success in Newcastle’s Rehearsal Chase, this latter worry ought to have proved groundless and the news that Takingrisks has been allocated a mark of 10-1 more than satisfied his trainer.

Since his victory in the Rehearsal Chase last November, Takingrisks has run only once. That race came at Haydock in mid-January and it was over hurdles - a move to keep the gelding fit and fresh and at the same time to preserve his mark as a chaser.

Takingrisks finished a respectable sixth at Haydock and Richards has yet to make any firm plans about another outing before Aintree.

Bookmakers currently quote Takingrisks at 40/1 for the big race, an offer that should surely prove a sound investment about a horse who jumps well and has abundant reserves of stamina.

Assuming matters go as anticipated, Richards is poised to put Aintree into the diary rather than Cheltenham.

The three-day Grand National Festival could see a number of Greystoke’s major stars in action, including that gallant and hugely popular veteran Simply Ned.

The 13-year-old again performed with his accustomed credit when finishing on the heels of the leaders behind Altior in Saturday’s Game Spirit Chase at Newbury.

Jumping boldly and accurately in the hands of Brian Hughes and appreciating the slightly quicker underfoot conditions, Simply Ned disputed the lead until turning for home.

He was understandably outpaced by the younger closers over the last three fences but was far from outclassed and is clearly in great heart.

Fingers will be tightly crossed that today’s card at Haydock gets the go-ahead. The feature event on the televised programme is the Grand National Trial which could yet see One For Arthur among the starters.

Lucinda Russell’s 2017 Aintree hero was expected to have made his reappearance at Kelso but was also pencilled in at Haydock as an alternative should Kelso have been lost to the weather.

One For Arthur has steadily been returning to form but not as dramatically as Vintage Clouds who spread-eagled his rivals all over Merseyside when sprouting wings in the Peter Marsh Chase over the same course last month.

Sue Smith’s stayer is not expected to go to Aintree but he loves Haydock and a repeat of his Peter Marsh display will make him hard to beat tomorrow.

That man Richards could be among the winners again at Haydock. He has the James Westoll-owned Glinger Flame entered in the novices limited handicap chase. Glinger Flame has taken time to acclimatise over the bigger obstacles but he is improving with experience and will be suited to Haydock’s demanding nature.

Stablemate Guitar Pete reverts to hurdling in the Pertemps Network Qualifier and can take advantage of his favourable rating over the minor obstacles.

Carlisle’s hardworking groundstaff and management team will be doing a combined war dance to produce easier winds and a dry weekend before the next scheduled meeting on Monday.

Runners have been sparse from the stables of Richards and Maurice Barnes, neither of whom are keen to race their horses on the prevailing heavy going.

Over the years, Barnes has tended to rest the bulk of his team in midwinter and he only has two entered for Monday, both in the two-mile handicap hurdle.

Wild Sam would be the preferred of this pair. A winner over timber at Kelso for Iain Jardine before Christmas, Wild Sam has yet to score for the Barnes stable but has been competitive, finishing close up behind the placed horses on each outing. He deserves a change of luck.

James Ewart is another local trainer whose horses are currently progressive, while Donald McCain has his string in their best form for upwards of two years.

With Hughes in the saddle, his recent record at Carlisle is impressive and he would be my trainer to follow at the Blackwell venue on Monday.