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2009 Grand National entries

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Monet's Garden has suffered a tendon injury and will be out until next season. The grey was due to have run in the totesport Bowl at Aintree this week in a bid for a fourth win at the Liverpool track.

Trainer Nicky Richards told PA Sport: "He won't run again this season as he has had a bang on a tendon, although it is ever so slight. As soon as you get a little bit of heat in the tendon you fear the worst but we have scanned him and there is no hole or anything there. We are just going to be on the safe side with him."

Richards is set to run Merrydown in the Grade One Citroen Sefton Novices' Hurdle this week. The trainer continued: "Merrydown seems in good form and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in a race like this.

"He did it well at Newcastle the last day and his first novice hurdle win at Kelso has worked out well. He'll make a lovely chaser and it will be good for him to get a bit of experience at that higher level."

Jockey Denis O'Regan is looking for a big run from the talented chaser Tidal Bay in the John Smith's Melling Chase on Friday.

O'Regan said of the Ryanair Chase fourth: "He ran a great race at Cheltenham and if he's in the same form he'd be there with a chance. I haven't sat on him since but the sun on his back will help and hopefully he'll go to Liverpool with a chance."

Malcolm Jefferson is looking forward to running Brooklyn Brownie in the Grand National. he said of the Grand Sefton second: "I just thought we'd give him a run over the National fences as he's always had the appetite to jump.

"He ran well to finish second and I said to his owners then if everything went right, we would aim for the National and that's what we've done.

"He jumps fences probably the best way for a National horse because he's not over extravagant and he is quite a clever horse. Over four and a half miles you never know, but he ticks a few boxes."

Tuesday 31 March 2009

Connections of enigmatic steeplechaser Stan have elected to stay closer to home and tackle the John Smith’s Grand National on Saturday, rather than take up a possible alternative engagement in the Grand Nakayama Jump in Japan.

“We’ve turned down the Japanese invitation and we’re 100 per cent set for Aintree,” owner Paul Beck said today.

“I don’t think he’s without a chance, if he stays the trip. I suppose he’s a bit of a trip-less horse, but he was staying on when he was fourth behind New Little Bric in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade Three (Totesport.com Gold Cup) at Newbury under a big weight and looked like he might appreciate a greater test of stamina there.

“He’s got a bit of class. On his day he’s a 160-rated horse at his best who can run off 154 in the John Smith’s Grand National and he tends to come good at this time of year. He won the Red Rum Chase (over two miles) at this meeting 12 months ago and then won a Grade Two at Cheltenham less than a fortnight later. If it’s good ground on Saturday, he’ll love that when it won’t suit others so well."

With warm dry weather forecast, watering has begun at Aintree. Clerk of the course Andrew Tulloch gave the Mildmay course between 4mm-6mm on Monday to maintain good ground.

The Grand National course, which is good, good to soft in places, will be watered on Tuesday, with amounts varying between 3mm-6mm.

The Mouse Morris-trained War Of Attrition, the subject of a substantial move in the ante post market last week, is to miss the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree on Saturday.

Morris told the Racing Post: "We weren't 100 per cent happy with War Of Attrition this morning and we've decided against sending him to Aintree.

"Hear The Echo is 110 per cent and he will be our runner in the National."

Alan King is pleased with Voy Por Ustedes after his second in the Ryanair Chase. He told sportinglife.com on Monday: "He schooled this morning and is bang on track for the Melling Chase.

"If he'd jumped at Cheltenham he would've won. It's just one of those things. He made a mistake at the top of the hill and that cost him. He usually runs his race and he should go very well."

Monday 30 March 2009

Trainer Tom George has still to decide on Nacarat's target at Aintree this week, with both the totesport Bowl over three miles and one furlong and the John Smith's Melling Chase over two and a half miles possible targets.

George told PA Sport: "We don't know which race he's going for yet. We are going to leave it for another 24 hours and see what the opposition is going to be like."

"We are happy with the horse and that's the most important thing. He's fresh and well."

George is looking forward to running Arkle fifth Tartak in the John Smith's Manifesto Novices' Chase over two and a half miles. The trained reported: "He's running on Thursday and I think Aintree will really suit him. He was unlucky at Cheltenham. He got badly hampered at the top of the hill and got hampered again at the last, so we're hopeful he might be able to reverse the form with a few of them. The longer trip will suit him as well."

Nigel Twiston-Davies faces a similar conundrun to To George with Imperial Commander, who also holds totesport Bowl and John Smith's Melling Chase entries.

"We don't know where he's going yet. He has the two options. We'll see where the others are going and decide which ever we think is going to be easier," the trainer said. "He's come out of the Festival really well and we're very happy with him.

"There's not much rain anywhere. The softer the better for him, but as long as it's not firm he'll be all right."

John Queally reports Al Eile to be in good fettle ahead of his bid for a fourth John Smith's Aintree Hurdle on Saturday.

"It's that time of the year again. He's good, but it was looking grim in November," the trainer told PA Sport. "We've been very patient and we're nearly there now."

"We've had a trouble-free run with him since we started back with him at Christmas. In December, the leg started to look OK and we decided tentatively to have a go and take our time - we haven't looked back since then."