Sussex have two representatives in this year's £500,000 Martell Grand National at Aintree on April 7.

Evergreen Brave Highlander will compete for the fourth time at the age of 13, and nine-year-old Montroe, a long way from the top of the handicap, should squeeze into the maximum field of 40.

The weights for the four-and-half-mile event were announced at the sponsors base in Cognac, France, on Tuesday.

Official handicapper, Phil Smith, has taken into account the 'Aintree factor' and a mark of nine-stone virtually ensures Brave Highlander a run.

Smith said: "I have done my best to ensure that horses like Brave Highlander get into the race.

"He has finished sixth and fourth in the last two years and three years ago was going as well as the winner when knocked out of the race less than one mile from home.

"It is old favourites like Brave Highlander that appeal to the public and help to make the race what it is."

Josh Gifford, who trains Brave Highlander at Findon, is delighted. He is happy with the old horse's condition, although he admitted that his best chances of winning could be behind him.

Gifford said: "Prior to last year's race, Brave Highlander had just two outings and in 1999 only one and a half. This time we have already managed to get him out twice. He will certainly have one more run or maybe two before he travels to Aintree again."

But Gifford is emphatic that Brave Highlander will not run in the severely testing ground that has bedevilled the sport for the last three months.

He said: "The horse needs to go there fresh, but I have to say he is in better shape now than he has ever been in the build up to Aintree. Only his age is against him and he doesn't know how old he is, does he?"

The trainer is less pleased that his other National entry Glitter Isle failed to make it. The entry conditions state that only horses rated 110 or above at the publication of the weights are qualified.

Glitter Isle failed to reach that rating but Gifford believes that qualification unnecessary.

He said: "It baffles me why any horse who has won chases should not be qualified to run. If he isn't good enough to make the final 40 working from the top of the handicap, that would prevent him running anyway.

"I will be angry if, on the day, the field is less than the maximum because Glitter Isle is the perfect Aintree type and I believe he would love it round there.

"Don't forget he was only just beaten in the three-mile-five-furlong Mildmay Cazalet Memorial Chase at Sandown two years ago and Aintree is a law unto itself as Brave Highlander and loads of others have shown."

Storrington trainer Richard Rowe fails to view Montroe's disappointing run at Uttoxeter as a set back to his National preparations.

Rowe said: "We needed to get the run into him. It was a bit of a gamble to run him on a sharp track like Uttoxeter where they pass the winning post four times.

"As it turned out he was never happy because they went too quick for him and the ground was far too soft. Montroe is a spring horse and he won't race again until we can find some decent ground."

Jockey Leighton Aspell, deputising for Barry Fenton, busy at Sandown, pulled up Montroe four fences from home.

In fact, Rowe regrets his decision after Christmas to run more of his horses.

He said: "Approaching the new year I felt we had to get out there and have go, but most of my horses need good ground and, with hindsight, it was probably a mistake. Now I will hold fire with everything until the ground dries out."