Howard Johnson is weighing up his options with recent Cheltenham Gold Cup sixth Tidal Bay having seen his horse run another frustrating race in the outstanding Cheltenham Festival showpiece that provided us with one of the best finishes to a blue riband steeplechase in living memory, writes Elliot Slater. Although all eyes were understandably focusing [...]
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Although his performance at Doncaster on Saturday made few ripples in the ante-post market for the John Smith’s Grand National on April 9, I suspect that trainer John Quinn will have been more than satisfied with the run of his Character Building who came home third to Always Right in the valuable Grimthorpe Chase at [...]
Read MoreLucinda Russell’s Silver By Nature has been allotted joint-top weight for Saturday’s Grand National Trial Handicap Chase, a race in which he triumphed 12 months ago when winning by a wide margin from the now retired Our Vic, writes Elliot Slater. Also allotted top weight of 11st 12lbs is David Pipe’s classy Madison Du Berlais [...]
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Outstanding three-mile chaser Denman has already achieved a tremendous amount in his glittering racing career and could yet be a serious candidate to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup for a second time. But are connections really serious about heading to Aintree in April to carry a massive weight in the John Smith’s Grand National? asks [...]
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Way back in 1982 Grittar became the first hunter chaser of the modern era to win the Grand National when partnered by 48-year-old amateur rider Dick Saunders to a famous Aintree success. This year Trust Fund, a very smart hunter chaser himself, may attempt to be the first this millennium to repeat the feat, writes [...]
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When multi-millionaire racehorse owner Graham Wylie paid 200,000 guineas for Abbeybraney at public auction in November 2008, he bought the horse specifically with the John Smith’s Grand National in mind, writes Elliot Slater. A classy performer in his native Ireland, Abbeybraney had only narrowly failed to beat the smart Notre Pere in a Grade 1 [...]
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When the John Smith’s Grand National weights were made public in mid-February trainer Mouse Morris’s reaction was one of barely disguised disgust and he made it clear that the 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner was a very doubtful runner, writes Elliot Slater. I’m sure we have all said things in the heat of the moment [...]
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Despite the much voiced frustration of Mouse Morris when the weights for the 2010 Grand National were declared on Feb 16th, the prolific trainer has not yet removed his only entry, War of Attrition, from the big race. The deadline for the first official scratchings for the race was on march 2nd and it transpired [...]
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Big Fella Thanks was always an ante-post favourite with the bookies for the 2010 Grand National but after his winning performance today at Newbury, in the Raymond Mould Supporting Greatwood Gold Cup Handicap Chase, where he romped home, he has now trumped Tricky Trickster with Paddy Power to become the 8/1 horse to beat on [...]
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It seems that lately, Paul Nicholls can do no wrong when it comes to training high profile winners and he’s odds on favourite to be be top trainer for Cheltenham in a couple of weeks with notable runners such as Tricky Trickster, Denman and Kauto Star all under his guidance. His challenge for the Totesport [...]
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