Just 13 horses came out at the latest scratchings stage for this year’s £925,000 John Smith’s Grand National meaning 98 contenders go forward for what will be the richest Jump race ever run in Britain when taking place at 4.15pm at Aintree on Saturday, April 10.
2009 Grand National Winner
There has been no rise in the weights for the famous four and a half mile showpiece as the trio who head the handicap on 11st 10lb, Albertas Run, Madison Du Berlais and Notre Pere, are all among the acceptors. Ellerslie George has been in fine form since joining Dorset trainer Nick Mitchell from Howard Johnson’s County Durham yard in the summer, and the 10-year-old is being primed for a tilt at the John Smith’s Grand National on Saturday, April 10. Mitchell’s charge has triumphed twice from four starts this term, each time ridden by owner Guy Henderson’s amateur rider son Robert.
Those victories include a career best effort in the Listed Badger Ales Trophy Handicap Chase at Wincanton in November, when Ellerslie George saw off The Tother One by a length and a half. The gelding’s latest start, in the victorchandler.com Handicap Chase at Ascot on January 23, saw him finish eighth of the 13 runners. Mitchell revealed:
“At the moment we are planning to go to Aintree for the John Smith’s Grand National. He’s fine after his last run when we were forced to go to Ascot with him. The ground was far too soft – he doesn’t like soft ground. He had a bit of a broken preparation with cancellations and a foot problem, which is absolutely fine now, so we took him there to get a run into him. He had a good blow and has come on. If it remains dry, we are hoping to go to Newbury on Saturday. If not, we might have to go straight to Aintree but it all depends on the weather and the ground.”
Henderson is not qualified to continue the partnership in the National but with Ellerslie George having completed the famous course twice previously, Mitchell has had plenty of interest from jockeys keen to take the ride at Liverpool. The trainer continued: “Robert is not qualified to ride him but I have a couple of jockeys up my sleeve – there are a few who are keen to ride him.
“As I said to them, I’ll get this weekend out of the way and then probably make a decision. When he ran in the Becher Chase the ground was heavy and in last season’s John Smith’s Topham he made a bad mistake at the first, went down on his nose and never got back into it. But he got round both times, he has experience of the fences and you never know.”
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has five horses remaining in one of the few big races still to elude him, including the antepost favourite Tricky Trickster.
Last year’s John Smith’s Grand National third My Will and Taranis, both also possibles for the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, Nozic and Big Fella Thanks complete Nicholls’ team. Six of the last 11 John Smith’s Grand Nationals have gone to Irish raiders and there are 31 remaining contenders who could add to that impressive record. Among the leading Irish-trained contenders are totesport.com Becher Chase winners Vic Venturi and Black Apalachi, who finished first and second in the recent Grade Two Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse, and the Gordon Elliott-trained Backstage, who has not run over fences since August.
Elliott has also kept the 2007 John Smith’s Grand National hero Silver Birch in the field, although he is not guaranteed to get a run with a maximum of 40 runners allowed to go to post. The 13-year-old is currently number 69 in the list of entries. The 2006 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hero War Of Attrition, who has a weight of 11st 1lb, remains in the race, while trainer Willie Mullins has seven entries still engaged including Snowy Morning, who finished third in the 2008 John Smith’s Grand National and ninth in last year’s renewal.
Silver Birch is one of three past John Smith’s Grand National winners still in the 2010 field. Last year’s 100/1 shock scorer Mon Mome along with the 2008 victor Comply Or Die, who finished second in 2009, also go forward.
Indeed, the first six from last year’s race could meet again. As well as Mon Mome, Comply Or Die and My Will, the first three home in 2009, fourth-placed State Of Play, Cerium (fifth) and Big Fella Thanks, who came sixth, are all still in this year’s contest.
Comply Or Die’s trainer David Pipe has no less than nine entries still remaining including The Package, who is currently favourite for the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase at Cheltenham while among the other leading contenders is last season’s Irish Grand National hero Niche Market, star of Bob Buckler’s stable, and Welsh National hero Dream Alliance, who boasts a great rags-to-riches story.
There is a second scratchings stage on March 23 ahead of the five-day confirmation deadline on April 5 and the final declaration stage on April 8.
