SWINDON jockey Wayne Hutchinson will fly the local flag at the Grand National on Saturday aboard the fancied West End Rocker.

Alan King’s 10-year-old is currently joint second favourite at 10/1 behind Gold Cup winner Synchronised but Hutchinson believes his hope will be suited to the Aintree showpiece.

Despite falling at last year’s Grand National under the helm of Robert Thornton, West End Rocker goes into the race on the back of a superb 22 length win at Aintree in December in the Becher Chase.

Hutchinson brought King’s charge home in the Becher’s, a fourth win for the pair, and is confident ahead of Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to it.

“He is in great form and I am expecting a big run.

“He loved it around there in the Becher.

“Last year Choc (Robert Thornton) said he has a great feel off him over the first six fences before he got brought down at Becher’s.

“But in the Becher Chase he got into a great rhythm and he is a smashing jumper. He looks a National horse all over. He seems tailor-made for it.”

King, yet to win the National, is hoping for more rain ahead of Saturday and believes West End Rocker would be best suited to good, good to soft ground.

“He’s fine, but we probably need plenty of rain.

“Good ground would be fine. I wouldn’t want it fast ground, but that would be unlikely. But good, good to soft would be perfect for him.

“I think with the ground we are fairly adaptable.

“I have never had many runners in the National.

“But we have never really had many fancied.

“This would certainly be our best chance.”

“It is not something I dream about (winning the National).

“I don’t get overly worked up about it because so many things can go wrong.

“But it is good to have a chance and it would be tremendous to win, but what will be, will be.”

Lambourn trainer Nicky Henderson, another still to win the People’s Race, will rely on Shakalakaboomboom for the National after switching other hope Burton Port to Thursday’s Betfred Bowl along with stablemate Riverside Theatre.

With proven form over the course and distance, Burton Port is fancied to get the better of his stablemate.

There is a total of £150,000 up for grabs in this Grade One contest and a one-two for Henderson would be a major boost to his chances of being crowned champion trainer for the first time since the late 1980s.

Henderson’s Cheltenham winning horse Bellvano suffered a fatal fall at Fairyhouse yesterday.

The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Steeple Chase Challenge Cup winner was due to run at Aintree in the Red Rum Handicap Chase tomorrow.