Grand National preview

10:35am Wednesday 2nd April 2008

THE Aintree Grand National is the greatest steeplechase in the world; it is the theatre of dreams and the maker of legends.There is no more tense moment in the whole of the racing calendar than when the field for John Smith's Grand National lines up at Liverpool on Saturday to await the starter's flag. Ahead of the horses and riders are four miles and 856 yards of racing over the most famous fences in the world - The Chair, Bechers and Valentines are household names even to the non-racing public, who quite often just have the one bet a year on this race. And in the comparatively short time that will elapse before the massive crowd cheers home the winner, who knows what excitement and disappointment will have taken place?

Historians differ as to when the first Liverpool Grand National was run - most beleive that Lottery under Jem Mason was the first winner at Aintree in 1839. However, some make out a very strong case that the race was first run in 1837 in Maghull, which was won by The Duke, ridden by Henry Potts who was born at Glan-yr-Afon, near Mold in 1810. Ironically he was only offered the ride at the last minute by the owner, Mr Sirdefield, mine host of the George Inn at Crosby, because his regular rider, Captain Martin Becher, who gained immortality at Aintree two years later, was injured.

The only Wrexham-born jockey to win the race was the late Fulke Walwyn who won on Major Noel Furlong's Reynoldstown in 1936. Walwyn also won the race in 1964 as a trainer with Team Spirit.

Our local course, Bangor-on-Dee, is steeped in the history of the Aintree Grand National. When the first meeting took place on the course on February 25, 1859, the feature race on the card was the Grand Wynnstay steeplechase run over a distance of three miles, which was won by a horse called Charley. This race was to become a well-regarded Aintree Grand National trial. Only two horses have ever won the race and gone on to win the blue riband: Gamecock in 1887 and Cloister in 1893. The former is buried on Richards Fords gallops at Tarporley. Wild Man Of Borneo won at the track in 1893 and won the Liverpool Grand National two years later in 1895 after changing hands from John Mayer to Mr John Widger. Poethlyn, owned by Mrs Hugh Peel, the wife of the then owner of Bangor racecourse Major Hugh Peel, trained by Harry Escott and ridden by Ernie Piggott, Lester Piggott's grandfather, won the race in 1919 carrying 12st 7lbs, and in doing so at 11-4 favourite became the shortest priced winner ever of the race. Poethlyn also won the 1918 substitute Grand National at Gatwick.Poethlyn, along with Major Hugh Peel's Waterloo Cup-winning dog Bryn Truthful, is buried on the Bryn-y-Pys estate at Overton.

In recent times Amberleigh House, owned by John Halewood from Manley and trained locally at Cholmondley, won at Bangor in 2003, and won the Aintree Grand National the following year to give Ginger McCain a fourth Grand National winner, following the triple-winning Red Rum, 1973/74/77. It is fitting that this great horse is buried near the winning post at Aintree, his rightful home.

Foinavon was the last 100-1 winner of the race in 1967, but in 1928 Tipperary Tim, trained at Whitchurch by Joe Dodd and ridden by Chester solicitor Billy Dutton, also won the race at !00-1. Billy Barton remounted to finish second. In 1949 Russian Hero, trained at Tarporley by George Owen, won the Grand National at odds of 66-1. In 1985 Last Suspect, trained by Captain Tim Forster and ridden by Hywel Davies in the famous Arkle colours of the late Duchess Of Westminster, from Eaton Hall, near Chester, won the race at 50-1.

The handicapper, Phil Smith, must be reflecting that it is a job well done with all 40 horses lining up to face the starter in the handicap proper for the fourth year running. in fact the cut-off could be 10st 7lbs.

The name McCain is forever linked to Liverpool after the only triple winner of the blue riband, Red Rum, and the 2004 winner, Amberleigh House, won the race when trained by the legendary Ginger McCain. He retired two years ago and handed over the licence to his son, Donald McCain Jnr, who trains locally at Cholmondley.

At the time of writing Donald McCain Jnr has already trained 55 winners to date. His horses are in the form of their life at present. He has the well-backed ante post favourite in this year's National in the shape of Cloudy Lane, who races off a mark of 141, which makes him 20lbs better on the official handicap mark. In fact the recent Doncaster winner is expected to go off as short as 7-2 by the bookies come Saturday. The last time a horse started at that price at the off was Red Rum in 1975, when he finished second to L'esgargot. I spoke to McCain Jnr at Bangor last saturday and he was pleased with the schooling of both Cloudy Lane and his other runner, Idle Talk, at the weekend. Even McCain feels that his horse is far too short for the race, and to be honest I agree with him. I have always believed that the Howard Johnson trained Bewdleys Berry (Nap) was the ideal Liverpool horse. He just loves the place. He was travelling ominously well when falling at Bechers last year. The Howard Johnson trained gelding has finished runner-up in the last two runnings of the Becher chase at Aintree.The Irish have won six out of the last nine runnings of this race and the Tom Taffe trained Slim Pickings has to have an outstanding chance after finishing third in last year's race. He ran a cracking trial at Leopardstown to finish fifth in an above average handicap. Despite a rise of 9lbs this time around, he is one for the shortlist. The shrewd Irish money has been for the Thomas Mullins trained Chelsea Harbour, who has been in terrific form and has to be respected.

Shone's verdict: 1 Bewdley's Berry (Nap) 2 Slim Pickings (e/w) 3 Chelsea Harbour (e/w) 4 Snowy Morning (e/w).

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