FROM Barnsley to Portsmouth and West Bromwich to Cardiff, thousands will get their Wembley wishes next weekend. But despite being born in the capital, Trevor Hemmings’s field of dreams is much closer – his spiritual home at Aintree on Grand National day.

Unlike the majority of football supporters and players who will bid to reach the dream of an FA Cup final, Hemmings has already had one taste of racing’s Holy Grail.

Born in Woolwich, but raised in Lancashire, the big-spending owner finally won the Grand National after more than three decades of trying with Hedgehunter’s success in 2005. But the 72-year-old’s appetite for the marathon contest was not sated. He is still as keen as ever to secure victory in the world’s greatest steeplechase.

Hemmings said: “It was my dream just to win it once, but I am greedy and I don’t mind how many times I win it. It was a brilliant day when Hedgehunter did it and to do it again, well I would be very happy indeed.”

He added: “It is Liverpool, it is a special place. It is like all of us who live in the north of England and go to the local racetracks, it is our Wembley, as far as I am concerned.

“It is something special and to have the Grand National there makes it even more special. And to dream you can even get there is one thing, but to get there and win is such an incredible feeling. It is like my home track.”

Hemmings is looking for a ‘home’ win again. He has four entered in this year’s race with 2005 hero Hedgehunter topping the weights and Billyvoddan, Idle Talk and Cloudy Lane. All bar Billyvoddan are expected to face the starter this Saturday afternoon. But it is the latter of those, the Donald McCain junior-trained Cloudy Lane, who Hemmings is hoping can provide him with his second success.

The Blackpool Tower magnate bred the Cloudings’ gelding at his Gleadhill House Stud, and also owned the stallion, Celtic Cygnet.

He formed his deep affection for racing and the National when he was helping build the Pontin’s Holiday village at Ainsdale. His boss, Fred Pontin, won the race in 1971 with Specify and threw down a challenge to Hemmings to do likewise.

Hemmings’s affinity for the National was heightened when watching Donald’s father Ginger prepare Red Rum for his hat-trick of wins on Ainsdale beach during the 1970s. He hopes to watch another McCain-trained horse on Saturday.

Hemmings said: “The dream win would be for Cloudy Lane to do it. I would say that he would have every chance.

“He is some horse and done everything we hoped he would so far.

“He is something special for us. We bred him, we owned the stallion at the time which is rather unusual and of course I have enjoyed every one of his runs.

“Donald McCain said he thinks that he would be his Grand National winner if all goes well. He’s at the right stable for the National. Ginger has got a good track record and we are happy he’s with them.”

But Hemmings still has a lot of affection for Hedgehunter, who will carry top weight again in his fifth consecutive National.

The Willie Mullins-trained 12-year-old finished ninth behind Silver Birch last year. But Hemmings thinks his preparation has been much better this time. And the Montelimar gelding’s last run when second in the Grade Two Bobbyjo Chase to Afistfullofdollars at Fairyhouse last month was his best for some time.

Hemmings is hopeful he could get involved in the finish again.

He said: “He is doing all right. He is bit more sprightly than me. He is looking good.

“Last year he didn’t perform as well as we hoped. In fact the preparation for last year was not as good as this year has been. Quietly we have been bringing him on, because last year he wasn’t the horse we have known in the past. He was 59 lengths behind the first (Silver Birch) and that wouldn’t be his normal run. So we are hopeful this year that he can put in a better performance.”

He added: “He loves Aintree, he has jumped all the National fences so many times. He fell at the last on his first run in the race in 04, he won it in 05, second in 06 and 59 lengths in ninth in 07. The long wait that he had before the start with the top weight on, it was 11st12lb on him. With that type of weight with false starts and the long build-up it is lot to have for a older horse. But he is fantastic now.”

Hemmings also hopes Idle Talk, also trained by McCain, can improve on last season when he unseated Jason Maguire before the 19th fence.

Bought specifically as an Aintree horse, he has not lived up to the early promise he had shown when trained by Tom George since his switch to McCain’s Bankhouse stables around 14 months ago.

But his staying-on fifth-placed finish behind High Chimes in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham Festival last time, hinted his woes may be over.

Hemmings said: “Idle Talk is a lovely horse, but he has been very unfortunate. He needs a certain style of jockey and they have done a lot with him when he has had these unseated situations. He hasn’t fallen and of course if the jockey is able to master his quirkiness, he is great contender as well.”

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