EVAN WILLIAMS thinks State Of Play is ready to run another big race in this year’s John Smith’s Grand National.

The 10-year-old finished fourth to Mon Mome 12 months ago and his campaign has been geared around a return to Aintree on April 10.

State Of Play – who is a best-priced 25-1 with most bookmakers for the National – was pulled on his only start since last year’s big race in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury.

Williams said: “He worked on Saturday and schooled yesterday. I’m very happy with him, our horses are in very good form – they are running big races.

“I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been as enthusiastic about State Of Play. I’m glad he’s only had that day out in the Hennessy at Newbury. He is so fresh and seems so happy. He’s got a couple of good strong pieces of work to do and then it will be fingers crossed we don’t have too much rain and the weather is decent. It’s exciting.”

Williams is also looking to send Deep Purple to Aintree for either the John Smith’s Melling Chase or the totesport Bowl.

The nine-year-old delighted Williams when fourth to Albertas Run in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on his comeback last week.

He has been off the track since breaking a blood vessel in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Williams is eyeing the Melling Chase over 2m4f on Ladies Day for Deep Purple, although he could run in the totesport Bowl a day earlier over five furlongs further.

Williams said: “He didn’t come down the hill at Cheltenham. We took a bit of a gamble. It was never somewhere we planned to go with him but the weather came right.

“We’d beaten Albertas Run this season, so if we hadn’t taken him on I’d have regretted not taking him there.

“A flatter track will definitely see him in a better light, but he still ran a very sound race. He had a well-documented problem after the King George. It certainly wouldn’t have done him any harm going to Cheltenham and it was a nice prep race for Aintree. The two-and-a-half-miler would be the ideal target, but I might even stick him in the longer race.

“It might cut up, but the shorter one is probably the race for us.

“That run at Cheltenham would have put him bang-on for that.”

Another heading to Aintree for the John Smith’s Grand National is the Gordon Elliott-trained Backstage. He is set to have his final warm-up in the An Uaimh Chase this weekend at Navan. The eight-year-old, formerly trained by Williams, was third in a novice hurdle at Musselburgh last month.

Backstage, who is a best-priced 20-1 with Ladbrokes, William Hill, Blue Square, Victor Chandler and Bet Fred for the National, is set carry 11st in the Aintree showpiece. Elliot said: “He’ll run on Saturday at Navan and then he’ll go to the National.

“He’ll run in a two-and-a-half-mile Grade Three chase, just so we can get a bit of a pipe-opener into him, and then it’s the National.”

Tom Cooper could also send Forpadydeplasterer to Aintree after he finished runner-up to Big Zeb in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

No plans are in place but Cooper must decide whether to run the eight-year-old in the Melling Chase at Aintree on April 9 or wait for the two-mile Kerrygold Champion Chase at Punchestown on April 20.

Cooper said: “He’s come out of the race super and he’s been out in the paddock today.

“I’d have to be very happy after the preparation he had. It was a stop-go situation so I’d had have to be pleased.

“He was just beaten by a faster horse on the day.

“He’ll run again this season without a doubt. We might have a look at Aintree and Punchestown.

“We’ll just see over the next week to 10 days about Aintree, but there’s no decision made yet.”

Meanwhile, Time For Rupert could take on Big Buck’s again in Aintree’s John Smith’s Liverpool Hurdle.

Paul Webber’s six-year-old was no match for Paul Nicholls’ two-time winner in the World Hurdle, but finished a gallant second.

Webber will send him novice chasing next year, but said: “He’s come out of it fine, I even rode him myself this morning and he managed to stagger up the hill with me on board!

“He seems to come out of these races very, very well at the moment which hopefully is a sign that he can still improve a little bit here or there.

“He seems to be improving with every run so hopefully he might go to Aintree.

“His best runs have been on good ground, Aintree last year was pretty quick and it certainly doesn’t hinder him.

“There is a bit of talk that Big Buck’s might go chasing but I’d have thought we’ll stick to the plan and go chasing too. Obviously, if something goes wrong we can go back to the World Hurdle, but certainly the plan is to go chasing with him.”

TODAY’S NAP: Along The Nile (4.05pm Southwell).