LAST season's Jameson Irish National winner Flashing Steel was the most notable absentee among the 70 acceptors announced yesterday for the Aintree Grand National on March 30th. Another John Mulhern entry, Topical Tip, was also taken out.

The 11-year-old Flashing Steel, set to carry 11st 4lb at Aintree, has been taken out of the £250,000 marathon after finishing a well-beaten sixth in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown last Sunday.

Nuaffe, who also contested the Leopardstown race, picked up a leg injury and is out for the rest of the season, although his name is still included in the entries.

So, in fact, the size of the Irish contingent for the Grand National has been reduced to 11, of whom only Life Of A Lord (10st 11lb) and Son Of War (10st 5lb) are currently in the handicap.

There will be no French challenge at Aintree this year as Val d'Alene (11 st) and Sylver Dargent (automatic top-weight of 11st 10lb) were taken out of the race yesterday while forfeit was also declared for Well Briefed.

The original National entry of 82 has now been cut by 12, with six non-qualifiers announced when the weights were published last week along with the retirement of Carvill's Hill and the withdrawal of Its A Cracker.

Aintree managing director, Charles Barnett said yesterday: "We knew at the Martell Grand National lunch last week that eight of the original entries were coming out so we are very happy with the number of entries that remain."

It has also been announced that a memorial stone to three-time winner Red Rum will be in place on his grave beside the winning post at the start of this year's meeting.

The hundreds of letters and cards sent following the famous horse's death last October will also be on display at Aintree during the three-day fixture which starts on March 28th.