A bumper 125 acceptors, 19 more than at the same stage in 2007, have stood their ground in the £800,000 John Smith’s Grand National after the first forfeit stage for the world’s greatest chase.
With 98 entries remaining in the handicap for the April 5 contest, the weights are now headed by Celestial Gold, winner of the John Smith’s Bowl at Aintree in April, 2006. The 10-year-old gelding is set to carry 11st 12lb in the four and a half mile event, following the defection of original top weight Beef Or Salmon. Trainer David Pipe has nine entries in total, including Comply Or Die, Madison du Berlais and Over The Creek.
Cloudy Lane cemented his place at the head of the antepost market with an emphatic victory in the Grimthorpe Handicap Chase at Doncaster on Saturday, beating fellow Aintree hopefuls Mr Pointment, Ungaro, Lankawi and Joes Edge. The eight-year-old gelding, trained by Donald McCain Jnr, is currently 6/1 favourite with the Tote, the official betting partner of the John Smith’s Grand National meeting.
Last year’s runner-up McKelvey made his first appearance of the season on the same Doncaster card, finishing a creditable eighth over hurdles. Trainer Peter Bowen has the most entries remaining with 11 still engaged, including last year’s John Smith’s Topham Chase winner Dunbrody Millar.
Slim Pickings, just behind McKelvey when finishing a close third in last year’s John Smith’s Grand National, was also in action over the weekend. Tom Taaffe’s nine-year-old gelding, a 16/1 chance this year, recorded a close fifth in the Mick Holly Memorial Handicap Chase over two miles and five furlongs at Gowran Park on March 2, a race which also featured other potential Irish raiders In The High Grass and Baily Breeze.
Chelsea Harbour finished fourth in that race and trainer Tom Mullins was happy with his eight-year-old’s performance and is looking forward to seeing his star chaser in action over the famous Grand National fences.
Mullins commented: "Chelsea Harbour came out of his run over the weekend fine. Davy Russell dropped him out on that occasion and the ground ended up riding a bit faster than we thought it would, so he had to be ridden to hold his position.
"He jumped really well on Sunday, and we think he jumps better on good ground. The weather has meant that we have had to race him on heavy for the most part of this season, but he has won on better ground over hurdles."
Davy Russell has been aboard for the majority of Chelsea Harbour’s runs this season, including a comprehensive seven-length victory in the Grand National Trial Handicap Chase at Punchestown on February 3, when the gelding gave at least 12lb to all the other runners on heavy ground.
Mullins acknowledges the importance of having Russell in the saddle and is glad that the Cork man, who currently leads the Irish jockeys’ championship, will ride Chelsea Harbour at Aintree.
Mullins continued: "Davy has booked himself to ride Chelsea Harbour in the John Smith’s Grand National, and he has a really good relationship with the horse and gets the best out of him. If I had to use another jockey, I would have second thoughts about running him at Aintree. He’s got a couple of entries at Cheltenham and we’ll keep our options open, but the John Smith’s Grand National is our number one target.
"He has run at Aintree before, when Nina Carberry rode him in the Listed John Smith’s No Nonsense Handicap Hurdle in 2006, but he got knocked into early on and couldn’t get going afterwards. This year we are hoping for much better from Chelsea Harbour and we are hoping for a good show come April 5."
Chelsea Harbour, set to carry 11st 2lb in the John Smith’s Grand National, is rated a 25/1 chance for the race with the Tote.
A total of 31 Irish-trained entries remain after the first forfeit stage, including Snowy Morning, who enhanced his Aintree claims with placed efforts in both the Grade One Irish Hennessy at Leopardstown and the Grade Two Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse. The Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old is now a clear second favourite with the Tote, who make him a 10/1 shot.
Mullins could also run his 2005 John Smith’s Grand National hero Hedgehunter, who finished ahead of Snowy Morning when chasing home Afistfullofdollars in the Bobbyjo Chase. The 12-year-old, bidding to become the first dual winner of the world’s greatest chase since Red Rum, is currently 20/1 with the Tote.
Minehead trainer Philip Hobbs, who saddled the 2002 runner-up, What’s Up Boys, has four horses remaining in this year’s renewal, with his best hope appearing to be with Parsons Legacy, who was a fast-finishing second behind Cloudy Lane in last season’s Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase at Cheltenham.
Hobbs said today: "Monkerhostin, Parsons Legacy , Boychuk and Captain Corelli have all been left in the John Smith’s Grand National.
"Everything has been going fine since Parsons Legacy’s last run at Cheltenham (over an extended three and a quarter miles on January 1) and he will return to run in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase at The Festival next week. Providing everything goes well there, then Aintree will be a strong possibility.
"Monkerhostin will also run at Cheltenham, in the William Hill Trophy Chase, and he could be another John Smith’s Grand National possibility depending on how he gets on at The Festival.
"Captain Corelli might not get in at the weights and if he couldn’t line up on the Saturday, he would probably run over the National fences in the John Smith’s Topham Chase on the Friday (April 4).
"Boychuk will also run at Cheltenham, in either the William Hill Trophy or the Racing Post Plate, but he is another who could go to Aintree if he runs well at The Festival."
The Tote currently rate Parsons Legacy at 25/1, Monkerhostin at 40/1, Captain Corelli at 66/1 and Boychuk at 66/1.
Other notable entries standing their ground include the John Spearing-trained Simon (16/1 with the Tote) who advertised his Aintree credentials with a staying on fourth in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton recently, smart novice chaser Joe Lively (33/1), and Bewleys Berry (14/1), who was travelling well before falling in last year’s race before chasing home Mr Pointment in the totesport.com Becher Chase over the National fences earlier in the season.
There is a safety limit of 40 runners in the John Smith’s Grand National. Tickets remain available for all three days of the John Smith’s Grand National Meeting - go to www.aintree.co.uk or ring 0151 522 2929.
The next forfeit stage for the John Smith’s Grand National is on Tuesday, March 18.
The John Smith’s Grand National, worth a record £800,000, takes place at Aintree on Saturday, April 5. Aintree is situated in Liverpool, European Capital of Culture for 2008.
Latest Tote prices:
6 CLOUDY LANE, 10 SNOWY MORNING, 14 BEWLEYS BERRY, 14 BUTLER'S CABIN, 16 MR POINTMENT, 16 POINT BARROW, 16 SIMON, 16 SLIM PICKINGS, 20 COMPLY OR DIE, 20 HEDGEHUNTER, 20 McKELVEY, 20 TURKO, 25 CHELSEA HARBOUR, 25 KNOWHERE, 25 PARSONS LEGACY, 28 UNGARO, 33 DUN DOIRE, 33 FLINTOFF, 33 JOE LIVELY, 33 JOES EDGE, 33 KELAMI, 33 MADISON DU BERLAIS, 33 NEWBAY PROP, 33 OSSMOSES, 33 OVER THE CREEK, 33 PHILSON RUN, 33 ROYAL COUNTY STAR, 33 VODKA BLEU, 40 D'ARGENT, 40 DROMBEAG, 40 IDLE TALK, 40 IRISH RAPTOR, 40 KING JOHNS CASTLE, 40 MON MOME, 40 MONKERHOSTIN, 40 NAUNTON BROOK, 40 NOIR ET VERT, 40 OPERA MUNDI, 40 PATSY HALL, 40 RULE SUPREME, 50 ALEXANDER TAIPAN, 50 ARDAGHEY, 50 BACKBEAT, 50 BILLYVODDAN, 50 CELESTIAL GOLD, 50 COOL RUNNING, 50 DOM D'ORGEVAL, 50 FUNDAMENTALIST, 50 HI CLOY, 50 HOMER WELLS, 50 KILBEGGAN BLADE, 50 KNIGHT LEGEND, 50 L'AMI, 50 LEADING MAN, 50 LONGSHANKS, 50 NOT LEFT YET, 50 OLLIE MAGERN, 50 PREACHER BOY, 50 YOU'RE SPECIAL, 66 BAILY BREEZE, 66 BALLYCASSIDY, 66 BANNISTER LANE, 66 BEANTOWN, 66 BLACK APALACHI, 66 BLUE SPLASH, 66 BOB BOB BOBBIN, 66 BOB HALL, 66 BOYCHUK, 66 BURNTOAKBOY, 66 CAPTAIN CORELLI, 66 CORNISH SETT, 66 DUNBRODY MILLAR, 66 ERIC'S CHARM, 66 FLYING ENTERPRISE, 66 IRISH WOLF, 66 IRON MAN, 66 JOAACI, 66 LANKAWI, 66 LE DUC, 66 LIVINGSTONEBRAMBLE, 66 MERDEKA, 66 MILAN DEUX MILLE, 66 NADOVER, 66 NO FULL, 66 PAK JACK, 66 ROYAL AUCLAIR, 66 SWEET DIVERSION, 66 TAKE THE STAND, 66 THEATRE KNIGHT, 66 TUMBLING DICE, 66 WHISPERED SECRET, 66 WONDERKID, 100 ALWAYS WAINING, 100 BALLYFOY, 100 CORNISH REBEL, 100 INNOX, 100 IN THE HIGH GRASS, 100 LOULOU NIVERNAIS, 100 MALETTON, 100 McEVOY, 100 NITRAT, 100 PATMAN DU CHARMIL, 100 RISK ACCESSOR, 100 ROYAL ROSA, 100 THE OUTLIER, 100 URSUMMAN, 150 ANOTHER RUM, 150 BOSHAM MILL, 150 BROOKLYN BREEZE, 150 GLENFINN CAPTAIN, 150 JUFUL TENNIS, 150 MODEL SON, 150 OSCAR INDIA, 150 SILVER JACK, 150 TOMMY SPAR, 200 FINAL ACT, 200 HENRY'S PRIDE, 200 MR ED, 200 NATIVE JACK, 200 VICTORY GUNNER, 250 FUSTRIEN DU PAON, 300 BENGO, 300 CONTRABAND, 300 SECRETOFSHAMBHALA, 300 TOULOUSE LAUTREC, 500 AZULEJO
E/W 1/4 THE ODDS A PLACE 1-2-3-4. ALL QUOTED