This year, however, he is set go armed with joint-favourites for the Aintree marathon after Big Fella Thanks, ridden by Barry Geraghty, beat the more fancied Ruby Walsh partnered stablemate, Pasco, by a length and a half in the Raymond Mould Greatwood Gold Cup over 2½ miles at Newbury on Saturday.
Paul Nicholls Grand National Target
He is now a best-priced 12-1 joint favourite with stablemate Tricky Trickster with William Hill. Hills are also offering 11-2 for Nicholls to win the National and 13-2 for him to win both the Gold Cup and Grand National.
The significance of getting Geraghty to ride the horse at Newbury was to secure his services for the National, as Walsh is expected to plump for Tricky Trickster. “It was Ruby’s idea to drop him back in trip and sharpen him up a bit,” Nicholls said. “It’s ideal – he’s got a bit of speed and plenty of stamina.”
The Oliver Sherwood trained Eric’s Charm also booked his place in the National by winning the Blue Square Greatwood Veterans’ Chase. “He fell at the second ditch in the Topham once before,” Sherwood said, “but that would have been plenty quick enough for him and over 4½miles it should be a bit different.”
Meanwhile Nicky Henderson, whose Wogan won the Sportingbet.com Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster, issued an upbeat bulletin about his big Cheltenham Festival hopes Punchestowns and Binocular, who galloped together at Seven Barrows on Saturday.
Punchestowns was deposed as favourite for the RSA Chase by his stable companion Long Run after going lame on Friday while Binocular has only just re-entered the Champion Hurdle picture after looking extremely doubtful a fortnight ago.
“If you looked at them this morning you wouldn’t know there’d been a problem with either horse,” said Henderson. “If we are lucky and it doesn’t flare up again Punchestowns has an extremely good chance of making the Festival.”
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