Niki Dee, who has not been seen in public for 23 months, will bid to make a fairytale comeback in the £500,000 Martell Grand National at Aintree next Saturday.

The 12-year-old, who finished third to Papillon in the 2000 National, will be bidding to provide his trainer Peter Beaumont with a notable Aintree treble.

Eleven years ago, the Brandsby handler won the John Hughes Memorial Chase with J-J Henry, whose victory enabled amateur rider Anthea Morshead, Peter's daughter, to become the first female jockey to beat professional male counterparts in a race over the National fences.

Since then, Beaumont has won another sizeable prize over the most challenging obstacles in steeplechasing, courtesy of the subsequently ill-fated Young Kenny, winner of the Becher Chase in November 2000 and a leading Grand National fancy himself until he was fatally injured at Haydock 14 months ago.

So what chance has Niki Dee, one of the outsiders in the betting, of adding his name to the star-studded roll of honour at Beaumont's Foulrice Farm?

"I would think he's got as good a chance as he had when he finished third in it two years ago," says the trainer, who has, nevertheless, been thwarted in his plan to give Niki Dee a prep-race.

"It would have been nice to get a run into him beforehand, but the ground everywhere has been heavy, so it wasn't to be."

Instead, Beaumont got permission earlier this week to give Niki Dee a private workout at Wetherby racecourse. "He jumped six fences and then galloped a circuit of the course with a good two-mile horse. I was very pleased with him," he said.

Beaumont, best known for his exploits with Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Jodami in 1993, is on a high at present.

Last month at Cheltenham, he returned to the big time when Hussard Collonges pulled-off a shock 25-1 success in the Grade 1 Royal and SunAlliance Novices' Chase under Russ Garritty.

Malton jockey Garritty firmly believes Hussard Collonges to be a National horse of the future. But for the moment, all eyes are on Niki Dee to carry the North Yorkshire flag.

Updated: 09:12 Friday, April 05, 2002