Scottish trainer who won at Aintree on Saturday can keep the party going with Hey Listen at Kelso todayWillie Mullins sent runners to Kelso last April in an ultimately fruitless attempt to claim the British jump trainers’ title, but this year’s championship race seems to be over after Paul Nicholls effectively conceded the crown to Nicky Henderson on Sunday and neither trainer has a runner on the card at the track today. Related: Grand National peak viewing figure raises advertising worry for ITV Continue reading...
Desperate throw of the dice comes off for triumphant Aintree jockey, one month after he sustained broken wrist and collarboneAlongside the efforts by all of those connected with One For Arthur, a portion of this Grand National victory belongs to Jack Berry House, a £3m rehabilitation facility set up by the Injured Jockeys Fund that will shortly mark the second anniversary of its opening. If that money had never been found, Derek Fox would not have recovered in time to deliver one of the coolest winning rides in the long history of this famous race, having broken a wrist and a collarbone a month ago.Sending Fox to live there at Malton in North Yorkshire was rather a desperate throw of...
God’s Own can be backed at 7-2 for another win in the Melling Chase, while Nicky Henderson may have the Topham winnerHmmm, another 3mm has been put on the track at Aintree after racing yesterday and, while that’s not a great deal, I don’t see the case for watering at all. There were four Grade One races there yesterday and all of them took at least 10 seconds longer than standard time, indicating plenty of juice in the ground. There has been sun but temperatures have not been high and are not due to get above 12C before 1pm tomorrow by my forecast. Related: Grand National 2017: a horse-by-horse betting guide Related: Grand National 2017: sweepstake kit Continue reading...
Which Grand National runner has had a breathing operation since he last ran? Plus three fancies for Sedgefield todayI appreciate that there is some dispute about the value of wind operations in racehorses but it so happens that I know of a Grand National runner who has had a bit of tinkering to his breathing apparatus since he last ran. I’ve run out of space to mention it in the stories I’ve written over the last couple of days, so here it is now. Related: Derek Fox confident of return to saddle in time for Grand National Continue reading...
Measureofmydreams looks overpriced for the Aintree race a week on Saturday, unless you know something we don’tBeing a bit of a Grand National obsessive, I’ve been turning this year’s race over in what passes for my mind these last few days. I have developed an interest in an outsider that wouldn’t quite justify tipping the beast - not yet, anyway - but I thought I’d share it with you lot in case someone can come up with a convincing reason to leave it alone. Related: Racing news and tips: Blackmore faces race to make Grand National cut Continue reading...