Norman's onto a winner at Aintree - Champion Newspapers
Norman's onto a winner at Aintree - Champion Newspapers
Norman's onto a winner at Aintree - Champion Newspapers
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The <strong>Champion</strong> • Wednesday 11 April 2012<br />
McCain to strike again?<br />
If you are looking for some<br />
top tips for S<strong>at</strong>urday’ s<br />
Grand N<strong>at</strong>ional, read on..<br />
John Morris, BBC Radio<br />
Merseyside Horse Racing<br />
Correspondent, has<br />
previewed the big race for<br />
the <strong>Champion</strong>.<br />
FORTY runners will line<br />
up to face 30 daunting<br />
fences over four and a half<br />
miles with the ultim<strong>at</strong>e aim<br />
to land the 2012 John<br />
Smith’s Grand N<strong>at</strong>ional.<br />
The McCain family<br />
dynasty had long been<br />
associ<strong>at</strong>ed with the gre<strong>at</strong><br />
race. The l<strong>at</strong>e Ginger<br />
McCain was Mr <strong>Aintree</strong>,<br />
responsible for the<br />
legendary training of Red<br />
Rum and Amberleigh<br />
House.<br />
Last year his son Donald<br />
carried on the family<br />
tradition when teaming up<br />
with jockey Jason Maguire<br />
to win the race with<br />
Ballabriggs for owner<br />
Trevor Hemmings.<br />
The ten–year–old son of<br />
Presenting carried eleven<br />
stone but 12 months on he<br />
will be lumbered with a<br />
nine pound rise in the<br />
weights. He will be just one<br />
pound behind Cheltenham<br />
Gold Cup <strong>winner</strong><br />
Syncronised to be ridden by<br />
champion jockey Tony<br />
McCoy.<br />
Having spoken with<br />
Donald McCain over the<br />
past 12 months, the trainer<br />
is bullish concerning the<br />
Ballabriggs – last year’s N<strong>at</strong>ional <strong>winner</strong><br />
prospects of his runner.<br />
He has once again been<br />
trained with the big race in<br />
mind. McCoy’s mount is<br />
well known to require a<br />
good rest between his races<br />
and with less than a month<br />
to recover from his<br />
Cheltenham success, it is<br />
asking a lot of him.<br />
The modern day N<strong>at</strong>ional<br />
is framed to <strong>at</strong>tract the very<br />
best horses, but the bookies<br />
are not giving punters any<br />
real incentive to follow<br />
Syncronised, who is as low<br />
as 6/1.<br />
Ballabriggs looks a more<br />
realistic each way price, but<br />
don’t wait until the day or<br />
you will miss the bo<strong>at</strong>!<br />
Punters love to side with<br />
outsiders and perhaps an<br />
Irish contender to consider<br />
is Killyglen, trained by<br />
Stuart Crawford. Last year,<br />
his charge was jumping and<br />
travelling well alongside<br />
Ballabriggs, when<br />
unfortun<strong>at</strong>ely falling <strong>at</strong> the<br />
fourth last fence.<br />
Looking back, he<br />
appeared likely to take a<br />
hand in the finish. Previous<br />
<strong>winner</strong>s have fallen during<br />
their earlier efforts in the<br />
Grand N<strong>at</strong>ional; therefore<br />
he should be respected on<br />
his return to <strong>Aintree</strong>.<br />
One of the most<br />
experienced runners in<br />
recent years is St<strong>at</strong>e Of<br />
Play, who has finished 4th,<br />
3rd and again in 4th place<br />
last year, <strong>at</strong> good each way<br />
odds.<br />
There are a number of<br />
horses during the history of<br />
the N<strong>at</strong>ional with a similar<br />
record. Two th<strong>at</strong> spring to<br />
mind are Eyec<strong>at</strong>cher and<br />
The Pilgarlic. From the<br />
same stable of Welsh<br />
trainer Evan Williams is<br />
former Cheltenham<br />
Foxhunter <strong>winner</strong> Cappa<br />
Bleu, who ran a blinder to<br />
finish third on unsuitable<br />
heavy ground in the Welsh<br />
Grand N<strong>at</strong>ional.<br />
Perhaps Balabriggs will<br />
fight out the finish with<br />
Killyglen and Cappa Bleu<br />
with St<strong>at</strong>e Of Play again<br />
staying on stoutly to finish<br />
fourth.<br />
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