The Last Samuri to get final Grand National prep at Doncaster
Kim Bailey, who saddled Mr Frisk to win the Aintree spectacular in 1990, will send his charge to Town Moor rather than take up his engagement in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight-year-old was last seen when winning at Kempton back in December and Bailey is hoping for sound conditions for his racecourse return at the weekend.
“Everything has been perfect with him since his win at Kempton and he wants good ground, which it hopefully should be at Doncaster.
“He is entered at the Cheltenham Festival, but won’t be heading there. We only put him in at Cheltenham in case there were lots of abandonments and we ran out of options.
“The plan is to go to Doncaster and then straight to Aintree, all being well. Saturday’s race looks like it should be a good trial for the Crabbie’s Grand National.”
A handful of fellow National possibles are also entered in the Grimthorpe, with Neil Mulholland’s The Druids Nephew, Aachen from Venetia Williams’ yard, and Nicky Henderson’s Bear’s Affair in the reckoning for both events, along with Ikorodu Road and the Paul Nicholls-trained pair of Just A Par and Wonderful Charm.
All feature among a bumper 113 to stand their ground at the latest scratchings stage for Aintree, with Nicholls’ Silviniaco Conti heading plenty of people’s lists as a likely winner.
Only 13 horses were removed from the world’s greatest steeplechase, with Williams’s pair of Houblon Des Obeaux and Rigadin De Beauchene notable withdrawals, along with Irish contenders Thunder And Roses, Wounded Warrior and Seabass.
Meanwhile, Warren Greatrex is leaning towards pitching progressive novice hurdler Ma Du Fou into handicap company for the first time at the Grand National Festival at Aintree in April.
Although the six-year-old is entered in the Neptune Investment Management Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the Upper Lambourn handler feels he may not be mentally ready for such a test.
Despite being turned over at short odds on his two hurdle starts last season Ma Du Fou has won each of his three outings this campaign, with the most recent victory coming in the Listed Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon earlier this month.
He said: “We’ve not had a major discussion with the owners, but he is a horse that mentally is still quite babyish. Do I think that Cheltenham is just maybe a little bit too much for him this year? I think it possibly is.
“I also think Aintree would suit him very well. Whether I go for one of the novices, as he ran in the Sidney Banks off 137 and they put him up two — again it’s telling me that I’ve got to look at one of the handicaps. A two-and-a-half-mile handicap round Aintree would be right up his street. That’s what I’m thinking as it also gives him a bit longer between that run at Huntingdon and then.
Greatrex said unbeaten mare La Bague Au Roi remains on course to take her place in his Aintree team as she bid to make it four wins from as many starts.
“She has won three from three, all very impressively. She won the Listed race at Huntingdon last time and won it very well from the front, which wasn’t the plan. She did it well and I don’t think she was on her A game that day.
“We’ve given her a really long break and she will go for the mares’ bumper at Aintree in April.”
