As the world's leaders descend on London for the G20 summit to discuss the global financial crisis, trainer Evan Williams will be taking on the head of one of London's biggest financial institutions today.

It is D-Day for the former Welsh dairy farmer, who will be doing his level best to sweet-talk William Rucker, the CEO of Lazard's London operation, and his wife Angela, into allowing him to run State Of Play in Saturday's Grand National at Aintree.

"Mr and Mrs Rucker haven't been in love with definitely going for the Grand National," said Williams. "We have had to go round things very quietly. Today is a big day, because we need to see what his weight will definitely be."

The weights for the four-and-a-half mile handicap will be confirmed today, but they are set to rise by 3lb after Nozic was ruled out yesterday. Cloudy Lane seems certain to be top weight at 11st 10lb, leaving State Of Play to run off 11st 2lb.

Though the 2006 Hennessy Gold Cup winner has been given a provisional green light, and Paul Moloney is pencilled in to ride, Williams remains non-committal. He said: "I would prefer to carry 10st 8lb but it's probably a worse race now (with a number of runners coming out) - we carried 11st 3lb to win a Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup.

"I am treading on egg shells. If we stick to 11st 2lb, he's guaranteed to get in, but if the weights go up, I'm going to have to get my diplomatic hat on again. I'm very keen to run him, though."

State Of Play, a best-priced 20-1 with William Hill , will be Evans's first runner in the National and looks very well handicapped on his best form.

After a five-month break, the nine-year-old began the current campaign with victory over Ollie Magern in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and returned to the Yorkshire track on Boxing Day to finish fourth to Nozic, Tidal Bay and Cloudy Lane in the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase.

State Of Play has not run since, but the Vale of Glamorgan trainer said: "All his best form is after a long break, so that has always been the plan. He's just such a different horse to train when he's fresh. It's like training a different animal when he's had a nice break.

"He's very happy in himself and, though you never know quite how they will take to the fences, it is nice that he's won at Aintree previously, albeit around the Mildmay track. He seems to appreciate big, flat, left-handed tracks.

Though a former point-to-point champion trainer and jockey, Williams never had much luck over the big fences at the Liverpool track and admitted: "I had a few spins round there in the Foxhunters' Chase, but I was absolutely useless.

"I got round once, but I was absolutely shocking - the world's worst advertisement for riding Aintree. It's an understatement to say I can understand the difficulties in getting round!"

Williams, who turns 38 on Friday, is hoping that State of Play can provide the perfect gift.

He said: "I was born on Grand National day the year Specify won. It's funny, my father always tells the story that he backed Specify and he told all the nurses to back Specify as well and he got them all drunk on champagne when it won.

"It's been Grand National, Grand National since the day I was born, so it's got to be a race I want to win."