McCoy is upbeat in search of elusive win

But, when it comes to the world's most famous steeplechase, this is where the similarities end between Ruby Walsh and Tony McCoy.

Walsh's record in the John Smith's Grand National could not be better. Today, he seeks a third victory aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained Big Fella Thanks – today's well-backed favourite.

Walsh won the race at his very first attempt 10 years ago aboard Papillon, the horse trained by his father Ted, before guiding Hedgehunter onto Aintree's fabled roll of honour in 2005.

Contrast this with McCoy – champion jockey for the past 15 seasons. Today he seeks an elusive first win in the race at the 15th time of asking aboard the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Don't Push It.

The 36-year-old has finished third on three occasions. And, while this omission from an otherwise impeccable CV is a growing source of frustration to this 'born winner', it will not stop his legion of followers backing their hero.

One motivation is that his great friend, Frankie Dettori, only won the Epsom Derby – Flat racing's centrepiece – at the 15th attempt in 2007.

Typically, McCoy was in an upbeat mood as he spoke about his decision to ride Don't Push It, the doughty 10-year-old whose last win came exactly a year ago in the highly-competitive John Smith's Handicap Chase, the race before the National.

"To my mind, Don't Push It has a bit of class and ability," said McCoy.

"I decided to go for him on the basis that he can probably go on any type of ground, more so than Can't Buy Time, who would probably need it to keep drying out.

"Choosing your Grand National horse is never easy. If you said I could ride any one of the 40, I'm not sure I'd get the right one and that is what makes it the race it is."

As well as being a supreme test of horsemanship and endurance, the Grand National and its 30 fences also involves overcoming the unknown, as befits a race first won by Lottery in 1839. Former champions Peter Scudamore, Jonjo O'Neill and John Francome also never won this lottery of a race.

The luckiest jockey in recent times is Carl Llewellyn, who is now assistant to top trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, the Gold Cup-winning trainer saddling five horses today.

Llewellyn's victories aboard Party Politics in 1992 and Earth Summit six years later only came about because he was deputising for injured riders. No-one remembers Andy Adams and Tom Jenks, the men to miss out.

Equally, horses and jockeys need things to go their way during the race. The 100-1 shot Foinavon, ridden by John Buckingham, would never have won in 1967 without benefiting from the famous pile-up at the 23rd fence – the smallest obstacle. Would Red Rum have won a historic third National in 1977 if runaway leader Andy Pand, had not crumpled on landing at Becher's Brook?

Such eventualities have, potentially, cost McCoy two Nationals. He maintains that he would have won in 2001 – the rain-sodden race where there were only four finishers – if Blowing Wind had not refused after being hampered by a loose horse. He remounted – and then beat Walsh on the aforementioned Papillon in the race for third.

And, in 2005, McCoy was clear of the field approaching Becher's on the second circuit when his mount, Clan Royal, was taken out by a riderless horse.

Would he have won? It is impossible to tell; Hedgehunter and Walsh, the eventual winners, were still travelling ominously well.

While Walsh smiles when his friend's misfortune is brought up in conversation, he knows that every jockey in the weighing room would happily trade places with McCoy and his career record.

The mercurial Irishman is also taking nothing for granted as he prepares to ride Big Fella Thanks – the winner of last year's Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster and part-owned by professional gambler Harry Findlay, whose family hail from Sheffield.

Walsh's worry is that his horse returns to Aintree and takes a dislike to the course.

"If he hadn't run in the race last year, I'd be fancying him even more," explained Walsh after he rejected rides on the fancied Tricky Trickster, Snowy Morning and Arbor Supreme.

"Some horses go back and are brilliant and some go back and don't like it at all.

"Come 4.30pm though, I could be feeling like Aidan Coleman did last year when he turned down the winning ride on Mon Mome.

"There are pros and cons for every horse."

And jockey.

Uniquely yorkshire national pointers

n Backstage – Part-owned by the North Lincolnshire-based Middleham Park Racing syndicate.

n Beat The Boys – Rider Brian Hughes is stable jockey to Richmond trainer Alan Swinbank.

n Big Fella Thanks – Owner Harry Findlay's family hail from Sheffield; the horse won the 2009 Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster.

n Cerium – Fifth last year with a fractured skull, trained at Coverdale by Paul Murphy.

n Character Building – Trained near Malton by John Quinn.

n Cloudy Lane – Winner of Doncaster's Grimthorpe Chase in 2008.

n Eric's Charm – Pocklington businessman Martin St Quinton owns a quarter share.

n Flintoff – The fifth ride in the National for Malton-born jockey Andrew Tinkler.

n Nozic – 2008 winner of Wetherby's Rowland Meyrick Chase. Jockey Liam Treadwell was an apprentice at Dandy Nicholls's yard.

n Ollie Magern – Two-time winner of Wetherby's Charlie Hall Chase.

n The Package – The mount of Ferdy Murphy's stable jockey Graham Lee, pictured below.