Royal Auclair
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Formerly trained in France, where he won two hurdles at Enghien in 2000, Royal Auclair made a winning debut in Britain for Martin Pipe in a novices’ hurdle at Sandown in February, 2001. On his one subsequent start that term, he was well beaten by Montalcino in the Citroen C4 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree. The next season he was sent over the bigger obstacles, winning three of his four starts including the Cathcart Chase at the Cheltenham Festival that March. During the 2002/03 campaign, the Garde Royale gelding was less successful, going down by at least 15 lengths on his three outings. He was transferred to Paul Nicholls in August, 2003. During the 2003/04 season, he was tremendously consistent, finishing in the first four on seven of his 10 starts, including on his final outing at Sandown in the Betfred Gold Cup that April, going down by the shortest of margins to Puntal. Despite being raised 6lb by the handicapper for that effort at Sandown, Royal Auclair made a winning reappearance the following season, in the Badger Ales Handicap Chase at Wincanton. He was subsequently an excellent third to Celestial Gold in Newbury’s Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and obtained the same placing behind Grey Abbey in the Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham. A fine fourth to Kicking King in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup preceded a tremendous performance when second under 11st 10lb behind Hedgehunter in the 2005 John Smith’s Grand National, before falling at the first in the Betfred Gold Cup. A reappearance fifth to Kingscliff in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November, 2005, was followed by victory in a Listed handicap chase at Cheltenham the following month. He was then 20 lengths fifth to Kicking King in the Stan James King George VI Chase at Sandown on Boxing Day, before a surprise defeat when second to See You Sometime in the Cotswold Chase at Wincanton. He then ran ninth behind War Of Attrition in the totesport Gold Cup at Cheltenham in March, 2006, but got no further than the first fence in the 2006 John Smith’s Grand National, and failed to get competitive on his next two starts in the Scottish Grand National at Ayr and the Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown. Royal Auclair kicked off this campaign with a sixth to See You Sometime in a valuable three-mile chase at Ascot in October, and then ran fifth to Spot Thedifference in a cross-country event over three miles and seven furlongs at Cheltenham the following month. After coming home seventh behind Whispered Secret at Cheltenham in January, Royal Auclair ran well when third behind superstar stable companion and subsequent totesport Gold Cup hero Kauto Star in the AON Chase at Newbury on February 10. He was last seen finishing sixth to Heads Onthe Ground in the Sporting Index Handicap Chase, over the cross-county course, at Cheltenham on March 13.
Race Record: Starts: 44; 1st: 8; 2nd: 6; 3rd: 6; Win & Place Prize Money: £477,706

Clive Smith
Clive Smith, 64, is a true jumping enthusiast who first went to Cheltenham in 1974 and has made a significant investment in his string of horses in recent years. A former Surrey golf captain, he was busy building golf courses, including Windlemere, Hawthorn Hill (now Birds Hill) and Pine Ridge, when first breaking into racehorse ownership in 1987 with Hawthorn Hill Lad, trained by Jenny Pitman. The owner then had a brief spell with David Elsworth before having horses with Martin Pipe for 12 years, but took the decision to switch his string to another Somerset-based handler, Paul Nicholls, in the summer of 2003. The 1998 Swinton Hurdle victor Rainbow Frontier and jump racing’s newest superstar, Kauto Star, reportedly bought for 400,000 euros, are also his, and he bid up to 500,000gns at Doncaster Sales in May, 2004, for the record-priced Garde Champetre, who was eventually sold to J P McManus for 530,000gns. Smith hit the headlines at the end of January, 2005, when Kauto Star was remounted by Ruby Walsh after falling at the second last in a novices’ chase at Exeter, eventually going down by just a short-head to Mistral De La Cour, but the runner-up was subsequently found to have fractured his hind leg. The owner later called upon the Jockey Club to try and change the rules over the remounting of horses. Kauto Star has since confirmed himself one of the most exciting and talented chasers of recent times, with six straight victories this term, including the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown (for a second time), the Betfair Chase at Haydock, the King George VI Chase at Kempton and the totesport Gold Cup at Cheltenham, in the process landing his owner a £1 million bonus offered by Betfair for landing the last three races. Smith is also believed to have collected around £100,000 in winning bets after his charge’s Cheltenham victory, while Kauto Star also topped the Racing UK Order Of Merit - designed to reward horseracing excellence and participation - netting his connections a further £200,000 in total. A former executive with Ford and Chrysler who lives at Wentworth in Surrey, Smith is well known in the golfing world as the founder of the Lagonda Trophy, which attracts an international field of top amateurs, has been won by Lee Westwood and Luke Donald and is in its 33rd year. He is also a vintage car enthusiast and owns a 1928 and 1930 Lagonda.

John Smith’s Grand National Record: 2005 Royal Auclair (2nd); 2006 Royal Auclair (Fell 1st)

Paul Nicholls
Paul Nicholls, the son of a policeman, was born in Alveston, Bristol, on April 17, 1962, and has been training at Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat, Somerset, since taking out a licence on November 1, 1991. He started out as a jump jockey and twice rode the winner of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury, in 1986 and 1987. He partnered 130 winners between 1980 and 1989, and nominates the best horses he rode as Broadheath, Playschool and Seagram. Between 1989 and 1991, he was assistant trainer to former Devon-based David Barons, who sent out Seagram to win the 1991 Grand National at Aintree during that time. Having strongly challenged Martin Pipe for the jump trainers’ championship in recent years, most notably when pushing his great rival right to the last day of the 2004/05 campaign, he claimed his first title last season, having sent out 148 winners and gained over £2.4 million in prize money. He is also well on course to successfully defend his title this year, with the hugely-talented Kauto Star being the flag-bearer with victories in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree, the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park, the Stan James King George VI Chase at Kempton and the the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Paul Nicholls pulled off the amazing feat of saddling seven winners and three seconds from his 10 runners on Saturday, November 7, 1998, and made history when he became the first trainer to saddle six winners on the same card, at Wincanton, his local track, on Saturday, January 21, 2006. Another highpoint in his training career came at the 1999 Cheltenham Festival, as he captured the major chase on each of the three days - Flagship Uberalles scored in the Irish Independent Arkle Chase, Call Equiname in the Queen Mother Champion Chase the following day and, best of all, See More Business took the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Nicholls has trained 17 Cheltenham Festival winners in total, and was the most successful trainer at The Festival in 1999, 2004, 2006 and again in 2007. His four successes this year were Kauto Star in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, Denman in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, Taranis in the Ryanair Chase and Andreas in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase. He also captured two races at the 2006 John Smith’s Grand National Meeting, when successful with Star De Mohaison in the £80,000 John Smith’s Mildmay Novices’ Chase and Natal in the £55,000 Citroën C4 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle. His 1,000th British winner came when Noble Action won at Folkestone on November 15, 2004.

John Smith’s Grand National Record: 1992 Just So (6th); 1996 Vicompt De Valmont (10th), Deep Bramble (PU bef 2 out), Brackenfield (UR 19th); 1997 Straight Talk (Fell 14th); 1998 What A Hand (Fell 1st), Court Melody (Fell 6th), General Crack (PU 11th); 1999 Strong Chairman (15th), Double Thriller (Fell 1st), 2000 Earthmover (Fell 4th), Torduff Express (Fell 13th), Flaked Oats (Fell 20th), Escartefigue (UR 30th); 2001 Earthmover (Fell 4th); 2002 Murt’s Man (PU bef 17th), Ad Hoc (BD 27th); 2003 Montifault (5th), Fadalko (UR 6th), Ad Hoc (UR 19th), Shotgun Willy (PU bef 22nd), Torduff Express (UR 27th); 2004 Exit To Wave (PU bef 9th); 2005 Royal Auclair (2nd), Heros Collonges (8th), L’Aventure (15th), Ad Hoc (Fell 22nd); 2006 Royal Auclair (Fell 1), Le Roi Miguel (PU bef 19th), Cornish Rebel (PU bef 19th), Silver Birch (Fell 15th), Le Duc (UR 8th), Heros Collonges (UR 15th)