Lung infection fells Timbera’s Grand National bid
Set to be the Curragh-based handler’s first ever runner in the Liverpool spectacular, the ten-year-old scoped poorly yesterday and is suffering from a lung infection.
“The news isn’t good, he has scoped badly”, reported Hughes, who admitted to feeling “gutted.”
Earlier in the day, Hughes had taken Timbera to the schooling grounds on the Curragh, where he jumped an Aintree-type obstacle.
There was no indication anything was wrong and Timbera was scoped on returning home. What should have been a routine procedure produced a disastrous result.
“We always scope them them before a big race just to make sure”, said Hughes. “It is dreadful.”
Owned by Ted and Josephine Breen from Mallow, Timbera was due to be partnered by big-race specialist, Jim Culloty, and had developed into a major market-order over the past few weeks.
Hughes had given him just three runs in preparation for the National and the horse had worked well after racing at Navan on Saturday.
Timbera already had a major success to his credit, landing last year’s Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, when Culloty was in the plate.
Culloty, who has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times in-a-row on Henrietta Knight’s Best Mate, had planned to ride Timbera, in preference to Knight’s Southern Star.
Indeed, Ms Knight admitted the decision had upset her and Southern Star’s owner, Trevor Hemmings.
Timbera appeared very attractively handicapped off 10-5, particularly having proved his stamina at Cheltenham two years ago when beaten a head into second place by Rith Dubh in the gruelling National Hunt Chase over four miles.
Ironically, Hughes enjoyed his greatest day as a trainer at the recent Cheltenham Festival when 33-1 shot Hardy Eustace turned-over hot-pot, Rooster Booster, in the Champion Hurdle.
