Florida Pearl could bypass National date
The Irish star has been set to carry joint top-weight of 11st 12lb in the contest, a burden which means he would have to give weight away to all bar recent King George VI Chase runner-up Marlborough.
But despite this, jumps handicapper Phil Smith has given connections of both horses every incentive to take their position in the final line-up by compacting the weights and ensuring that neither concedes as much as they would have to in a normal race.
“I want top-class horses to run in the race and that is why I do what I do,” said Smith, as the weights for the £600,000 showpiece were unveiled today.
“If a horse wins carrying 10st then that is great but last year both What’s Up Boys and Kingsmark were in the first four carrying big weights.
“I have made sure that the horses who finished second, third and fourth behind Bindaree in last year’s race are all receiving weight from him this time around. I have tried to make things as fair as possible.”
However, despite Smith attempting to encourage the connections of Florida Pearl, his trainer Willie Mullins confirmed that those hoping to see the 2001 King George winner in action over the famous big fences might have to wait another year.
“There is a 50-50 chance he will run but we will get Cheltenham out of the way first and then talk about it,” he said. “I have been looking back over the races in the last 30 years and only Red Rum managed to win with 12st.
“Even L’Escargot only had 11st 3lb when he won and he won two Gold Cups. I would not say that Florida Pearl was in the same league as those two horses.”
Marlborough’s trainer Nicky Henderson is more hopeful of his charge lining up and hopefully doing better than last year’s race, in which he crashed out at the first of the 30 fences. “It was disappointing last year but you would have to say that when he was second to Best Mate at Kempton he probably ran above himself so he is obviously still a very, very good horse,” Henderson said. “It will be the AON Chase at Newbury on Saturday and then the Gold Cup. After that, we will have to see.”
Among those definitely ruled out of the reckoning is last year’s runner-up Whats Up Boys, who has failed to recover sufficiently from a leg operation last November.
Ad Hoc, who was going ominously well when brought down four out in last year’s Martell Grand National, heads Paddy Power’s betting for the Aintree spectacular along with Davids Lad at 14-1.
Powers bet: 14-1 Ad Hoc, Davids Lad, 16-1 Carbury Cross, 20-1 Chives, Gingembre, Gunner Welburn, Mini Sensation, 22-1 Rince Ri, 25-1 Gunther McBride, Behrajan, Bindaree, Hussard Collonges, Kingsmark, Rith Dubh, Iris Bleu, 28-1 Stormez, 33-1 bar.
