Reveley delighted to be offered Bravemansgame National ride

James Reveley is relishing a potential link-up with Bravemansgame in the Randox Grand National.

Paul Nicholls said during his pre-Cheltenham Festival media event that the three-time French champion jockey was in line for the leg-up aboard the 2022 King George winner, with stable jockey Harry Cobden poised to partner Ditcheat’s main hope Kandoo Kid in the Aintree marathon.

The French-based Brit has become a more frequent visitor to his native UK in recent years thanks to his association with Chantilly training duo Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, with the Yorkshireman set to visit Nicholls’ Somerset yard to put the Bryan Drew-owned 10-year-old through his paces in the coming weeks.

“It’s looking likely (that I will ride him) and I’m going to go over and have a sit on the horse Cheltenham week, all being well,” said Reveley.

“I was very happy to be asked if I wanted to ride him and he’s a top-class horse isn’t he. He’s a King George winner and hopefully he can take well to the track and get into a good rhythm, as we know he has the class and can stay.”

Reveley rode in the Grand National for the first time since 2016 when partnering Patrick Griffin’s Roi Mage to finish an honourable ninth behind I Am Maximus 12 months ago.

Bravemansgame – who is 33-1 with Paddy Power for National glory – would be Reveley’s seventh ride in the race overall but he still has vivid memories of his first, when sent off the 8-1 joint second favourite aboard his father Keith’s Rambling Minster in 2009.

“I rode in the race last year and it was good because they used to put the National on the same day as a big race-day at Auteuil and I was never really able to look for a ride,” continued Reveley.

“The last couple of years, Auteuil has been a week earlier, which is good for me and it’s great to be able to be part of it.

“My first ever ride in it was Rambling Minster. He was one of the favourites after winning the Grand National Trial at Haydock, but he didn’t quite take to it.

“It was back in the day when they were really stiff fences and he just gave one or two a bit of a rub and lost his confidence and I ended up pulling him up.

“It was a good experience because I was quite young at the time and all the media attention was quite eye-opening.”