Daryl can be some Friend to Fergie
So as that would suggest, the ground will be fairly quick today as a result.
At this stage, I don’t know if they plan to water the track but while it was quick yesterday, it was good, safe racing ground and I’m sure they’ll do what’s right to make sure that remains the case.
Fellow Irish Examiner columnist, Ruby Walsh rides the favourite in The Midnight Club for Willie Mullins and he certainly has a very good chance. He was impressive when landing the odds to win the Bobbyjo Chase and in Ruby, has a man on board who has a great record in the race and has had a brilliant Aintree so far, on the back of another fantastic Cheltenham.
If Majestic Concorde takes to the National fences, he is one who I would like at big odds because he has a bit of class and will love the ground. Dermot Weld doesn’t saddle too many in the Aintree National so you have to take note. Robbie McNamara will be in the plate and though he may be an amateur rider, that’s only because he’s too tall to be a professional. Majestic Concorde will not be found wanting for assistance from the saddle, that’s for sure.
The one I think will win though is What A Friend. He has a lot of weight but is entitled to have it because he is the class of the race. He finished fourth in the Gold Cup, just failing to catch Kauto Star and that was a real good prep race for this, strange as it may seem to call the Gold Cup a prep race. Daryl Jacob is on a good run at the moment and I think there’s a very good chance that it might get even better.
I was at Aintree yesterday to saddle Chasing Cars in the Topham Chase over the National fences. He is a real spring horse and comes alive in the better ground but he never got into the race and finished ninth.
It was great to see Quito De La Roque win the Grade 2 Novices’ Chase though and he battled back well to win for Colm Murphy and Davy Russell having nearly been brought down earlier on, making one bad mistake down the back and then stumbling after jumping to the front at the second last.
It all means that Bostons Angel is still the only horse to beat Quito De La Roque in novice chases, having won the Fort Leney Chase and it’s nice to have that form franked, with the second winning three Grade 2s since that. Of course Bostons has won the RSA Chase at Cheltenham, which was his third Grade 1 of the campaign but it’s good to see the ones that have finished behind him coming out to win afterwards.
I had a few close ones again last week and Greenbelt Star was like Gimli’s Rock the week before, just losing out on the line, with Alamanda running a cracker back on third. Giving Orders ran very well in the fillies maiden as she was in the stalls a long time and had to run ride to get a run. She finished fifth and hopefully showed enough to win a maiden. It’s Freezing was third at The Curragh on ground that would have come up much too soft and he will now head for the Tattersalls Sales race at Newmarket.
I didn’t see Bullock Harbour’s run in the bumper on Sunday because I tripped going up the steps to the stand at The Curragh and then rolled down head first. I got my forehead and my little finger stitched as the bone had come right through the skin. Paddy Kenny kindly saw me on Monday – he knows me too well at this stage – and he put my finger in a splint and my wrist in a cast, making sure I couldn’t ride any horses until I see him next week.
I have six runners over three meetings at Tramore today and tomorrow, and Leopardstown tomorrow and Alamanda would probably represent the best chance of notching up a winner.
