Oliver Sherwood dreams of National repeat with Many Clouds

Winning the Grand National is rightly recognised as a major achievement - but claiming successive victories in the world's greatest steeplechase has proved an almost impossible task.

Plenty have tried and ultimately failed in repeat bids for glory in the Aintree spectacular, and the record shows you have to go back to Red Rum's victories in 1973 and 1974 to find the last back-to-back winner of the great race.

If the drought of National winners repeating their success is to come to an end anytime soon, then this year's hero Many Clouds could well provide the answer.

Unlike most winners, who carry relatively little weight to glory before taking a hike up the handicap, Oliver Sherwood's eight-year-old can only be nudged up by the smallest of rises having shouldered 11st 9lb to victory in April.

With Liverpool once again set to be the main target for the Trevor Hemmings-owned gelding, there is an air of optimism that a slice of history could well be achievable.

Sherwood said: "I'd love to get there in one piece. It does give you confidence knowing that he can only carry a pound more than last year, but you need a lot of luck in running.

"Leighton (Aspell) gave him an unbelievable ride. Wherever he went, he had space around him. That in itself is luck of the draw. But as soon he had jumped three or four, I knew that he had taken to it.

"You are never quite sure with the National. Sometimes horses do it once then go back there and never do it again. Until he has jumped three or four again you are never quite sure about it, but it will be great to have a lovely winter dreaming about it."

While the Grand National remains the ultimate aim, Sherwood would like to take on a similar route to last season, with the defence of his Hennessy Gold Cup crown at Newbury next month a possibility and the Charlie Hall at Wetherby an option before that.

Sherwood said: "I would do the Hennessy then probably a gap to Cheltenham or that kind of race. He would have entries in Ireland as well. You have got to have insurance policies for the weather.

"I would like Coneygree to turn up (in the Hennessy) to keep the weights down. I wouldn't be overly keen to carry top weight.

"Eleven stone six or five makes it a bit more attractive. The Hennessy was always on my plan last season as halfway through the year before I thought he was a Hennessy horse.

"It was even more exhilarating for a plan to come off as nine times out of ten it doesn't. For it to work was staggering."

Many Clouds was only beaten once last season, in the Gold Cup won by Coneygree.

Sherwood said: "Whether we go for the Gold Cup or not I don't know. I think there is the same gap between Cheltenham and Aintree as last season.

"He wouldn't take a lot of racing, as you saw after both Aintree and Newbury he does put his all in so he does like a gap between his races.

"I want to sit on the fence on that one, there is no doubt in my mind he didn't run his race in the Gold Cup but take nothing away from the winner, who I think was one of the most impressive winners since Kauto Star.

"People will say that Many Clouds didn't really handle Cheltenham, but I can't have that as he won there six weeks before that and people say that Coneygree got us out of our comfort zone, but, again, I won't have that as Leighton said we were beaten with a circuit to go.

"He just had a bad day at the office. There was nothing wrong with him. He jumped off sixth and finished sixth. He just didn't have that bit of 'oomph'.

"It worked as a hell of a prep run for the National, though, and there is no reason to say that we couldn't do that again but there is a lot of top-class company coming from across the sea."