The publication of the weights for this year's John Smith's Grand National gives multi record-breaking jockey Tony McCoy the chance to fill the final blank on his CV.

The 34-year-old, who finally reached the landmark of 3,000 winners yesterday, normally rides Exotic Dancer, owned by Sir Robert Ogden, but will have the choice of seven entries made by JP McManus when the £900,000 race takes place on 4 April with Butler's Cabin and King Johns Castle looking the pick of the septet.

Exotic Dancer was today handed top weight of 11st 10lb following the withdrawal of ante-post favourite Denman yesterday.

Thirteen horses are now set to carry 11 stone or more in the four-and-a-half-mile handicap with Denman's conqueror Madison Du Berlais being handed second top weight of 11st 8lb.

Butler's Cabin, who was going well under McCoy when falling at the 22nd fence at Aintree last April, has been handed 10st 5lb by British Horseracing Authority handicapper Phil Smith while King Johns Castle, trained in Ireland by Arthur Moore, will carry 10st 10lb.

A previous winner of the Irish National, Butler's Cabin carried 11st 3lb last year and, after two disappointing reappearance efforts in November, looked to be returning to form when finishing eighth of 19 in a handicap hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Paddy Power have Butler's Cabin and Hear The Echo as their 14-1 joint-favourites for the race and the odds for the former are sure to shorten with the nine-year-old 15lb better off with last year's winner Comply Or Die.

King Johns Castle hasn't been seen since finishing runner-up in last year's Aintree showpiece but is said to be on the road to recovery with a couple of runs over hurdles planned before attempting to go one better in April.

Comply Or Die carries 3lb more than when successful for trainer David Pipe and jockey Timmy Murphy but will have to defy the stats to become the first back-to-back winner of the race since Red Rum in 1973 and 1974.

Hedgehunter in 2005 is the only National winner to carry more than 11 stone since Corbiere's 1983 victory and others set to shoulder over that mark are Snoopy Loopy and Star De Mohaison (both 11st 5lb), Notre Pere (11st 4lb), Nozic (11st 3lb), Air Force One (11st 2lb), Cloudy Lane (11st 2lb), Afistfullofdollars (11st 1lb) and War Of Attrition (11st 1lb).

Mouse Morris's 2008 Irish Grand National winner Hear The Echo has been given 10st 11lb while Dessie Hughes's Black Apalachi is also on 10st 11lb following his win in the Becher Chase over the National fences in November.

Silver Birch, who won an Irish point-to-point at the weekend, has been allotted 10st 6lb - the same weight as he carried to victory for trainer Gordon Elliott in the 2007 National.

Of the others, Evan Williams's 2006 Hennessy winner State Of Play (10st 8lb) and Sky Bet Chase winner Big Fella Thanks (10st 7lb) get in with attractive weights.

Meanwhile, darts player Phil Taylor, possibly the only sportsman who has been as dominant as McCoy in his chosen sport in this country, today paid tribute to the 13-time champion jockey as he reached 3,000 winners.

Taylor won a 14th world title in January, dwarfing Eric Bristow's previous record of five, and with McCoy closing in on his own No14, he said: "It's a tremendous achievement for Tony.

"I understand how hard it is to stay at the top of your sport for so long, and it's a tribute to the hard work and dedication he has put in over the years"