Butler’s Cabin (8/1) and My Will (8/1) continue to share favouritism at the head of the betting market for Saturday’s John Smith’s Grand National, following the five-day confirmation stage. The odds are from totesport, the official betting partner of the John Smith’s Grand National meeting.
A total of 74 horses stood their ground today ahead of the four and a half-mile spectacular on April 4 for which a maximum field of 40 can line up, chasing a share of the record £900,000 in prize money.
Champion jockey Tony McCoy, seeking a first victory in the Aintree showpiece, could partner the Jonjo O’Neill-trained 2007 Irish Grand National winner Butler’s Cabin for his main patron, owner J P McManus, who is also hoping to break his duck in the big race. McManus is set to run a further trio of Reveillez, Can’t Buy Time and L’Ami, with McCoy expected to choose one of the owner’s quartet later this week.
Ruby Walsh, fresh from a record-breaking seven winners at the Cheltenham Festival, is set to take the mount on the Paul Nicholls-trained My Will, who ran an eye-catching trial for the big race when fifth to Kauto Star in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Nicholls could saddle four runners in all with the market mover Cornish Sett, Big Fella Thanks and the injury-prone Eurotrek, winner of the 2006 totesport.com Becher Chase over the Grand National fences, primed for action.
Comply Or Die provided David Pipe with the biggest thrill of his short training career when winning 12 months ago and will attempt to become the first since Red Rum in 1974 to gain back-to-back wins.
Meanwhile, the 2007 hero Silver Birch will try and emulate Red Rum, who in 1977 was the most recent horse to regain his crown.
New top-weight Cloudy Lane (11st 10lb), following the expected withdrawals of Snoopy Loopy and Nozic, will be bidding to thrust the McCain name back into the John Smith’s Grand National spotlight. The nine-year-old finished sixth in last year’s race when 7/1 joint favourite and will again take his chance for Donald McCain, son of Ginger McCain, who won the great race four times thanks to the legendary Red Rum (1973, 1974 & 1977) and Amberleigh House (2004).
Rambling Minster, at 10/1, aims to give the Reveley family a day to remember. The 11-year-old, winner of the Blue Square Gold Cup at Haydock in February, is trained in Cleveland by Keith Reveley and will be partnered by his son, James Reveley.
Irish-trained horses have carried off six of the last 10 renewals of the world’s greatest steeplechase and, with 20 contenders holding their ground five days short of raceday, the tricolours could be flying once again at the weekend.
Kildare handler Dessie Hughes is responsible for 14/1 shot Black Apalachi, a faller at the second fence last year but successful in the totesport.com Becher Chase over the Grand National fences in November. He proved his well-being with victory in the Grade Three Bobbyjo Chase in February.
The Willie Mullins-trained Snowy Morning, 25/1, was second in that Fairyhouse contest and connections hope he can improve upon his third behind Comply Or Die last year.
War Of Attrition, 14/1, landed the 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup for trainer Mouse Morris and owner Michael O’Leary, who races under the Gigginstown House Stud banner, and is set to shoulder 11st 9lb. The owner/trainer combination could be double-handed thanks to 2008 Irish Grand National victor Hear The Echo, with O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, also has Dix Villez with trainer Paul Nolan but that one is unlikely to get a run.
No Welsh-trained runner has prevailed in the Grand National since 1905 when Kirkland, trained in Pembrokeshire by E Thomas, landed the spoils at 6/1. Glamorgan trainer Evan Williams is hoping to rewrite the record books and give Wales its second Grand National winner with 2007 Hennessy Gognac Gold Cup hero State Of Play.
A top-class renewal is guaranteed with a host of talented individuals eying immortality, including Grade One winners Darkness and Offshore Account.
Nigel Twiston-Davies trains in Gloucestershire and is the most successful current handler in the John Smith’s Grand National with two successes, thanks to Earth Summit (1998) and Bindaree (2002). He has five hopefuls in Knowhere, Ollie Magern, Fundamentalist, Battlecry and Beat The Boys.
The last horse to get into the 2009 John Smith’s Grand National at the moment is Kelami, the 40th in the handicap. But that could change when current ratings of the three horses on 10st 5lb are assessed later this week - the other two with that weight are Idle Talk and Zabenz.
