ED CHAMBERLIN: I’ve been trying to crack the Grand National code since the weights were revealed in February… and this is how I see it!

What a place it is and what a ride we have in store. The excitement I feel on the morning of the Grand National is the same as when I first watched it, with my grandfather, all those years ago.

The National and the FA Cup final were the foundations of my sporting childhood, the days I dreamed of seeing history unfold before your eyes. On Wednesday, when all was quiet at Aintree, I walked the course and reflected on my privilege to present this great race.

I referred in last week’s column to the nervousness I feel before going on air, but that’s because I know what The National means to many of you. You will all have stories about the years you supported the winner.

This is of course the day when the nation is agitated. I am often asked if I participate, since I am in front of a camera. You better believe I do! Trying to crack the national code is something I’ve been trying to do from the moment the weights are revealed in February.

So here’s how I see it: There are two horses in this 34-race contest that could blow it all up. Nassalam, so spectacular in winning the Welsh Grand National at Christmas, would be a danger to all if he broke away at the front of the pack.

He could easily build an insurmountable advantage, as he did at Chepstow, and Gary Moore, his trainer, is a master. These comments also apply to I Am Maximus trainer Willie Mullins, another capable of handling everything else inconsistently.

I Am Maximus won the Irish Grand National 12 months ago and has the profile of so many past winners. He has been victorious at Level One, has great class and it would not be surprising if he competed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup one day.

But I remain faithful to my positions. The Chamberlin Pound Each Way aired on Panda Boy in February and I expect him to be there when it counts in the end. Martin Brassil, his trainer, won the National with Numbersixvalverde in 2006 and always has his horses mature and happy when it counts.

He will remain the best to beat Meetingofthewaters, another Mullins contender; Galia Des Liteaux, a mare from Dan Skelton’s yard, can occupy the minor rankings, alongside Mahler Mission, who was kept fresh for this mission.

It’s going to be a stamina-sapping race – it was particularly gentle on the corner of the course near the Leeds-Liverpool canal – but it’s a race we should all look forward to and although I wish I had the betting slip winner, I pride myself on finding the right line at the right time.

Catching ITV commentator Richard Hoiles to say “the lion-hearted Tiger”, after Tiger Roll’s second historic success of 2019, or “Scottish flags are flying high again”, as I did last year last, is the only thing that matters.

So what story awaits us? Every presenter craves a decent ‘hook’, and today Lucinda Russell, Peter Scudamore and Scotland are leading that charge – Corach Rambler could join the pantheon of Aintree greats by repeating his success from 12 months ago. What a joy he and his connections are to the sport. Its owners, the Ramblers, include Cameron Sword, who was bought a share by his father during lockdown and has now started to involve young people in the sport through micro-shareholding. This is my dream owner to help promote the sport to the next generation.

Willie Mullins’ I Am Maximus (above) has the profile of so many past national winners

Or could it be Tom Ellis, with his first rider as a professional trainer? Latenightpass is so aptly named that his grandfather is Midnight Legend, his father Passing Glass and his mother Latenightdip. Other relatives include Latenightfumble. It would be a family fairy tale as the 11-year-old is owned and raised by Tom’s mother and ridden by his wife, Gina Andrews.

Or could Kitty’s Light win the National for Wales for the first time since 1905? Coach Christian Williams’ six-year-old daughter Betsy has been battling leukemia since March last year, a battle she is winning and now it’s Kitty’s turn to once again provide light for a such a dark period.

Betsy and her sister Tilly skipped school yesterday to judge the style awards on Ladies Day. They stayed to watch the National, which could tell a moving story comparable to that of Aldaniti and Bob Champion in 1981. Like I said: what a race and what a place.

Ed Chamberlin is a Sky Bet ambassador