Horse racing: Pearl heads for Aintree
Ireland’s leading chaser Florida Pearl could yet take his chance in the Martell Grand National at Aintree on April 6.
That was the verdict from trainer Willie Mullins after handicapper Phil Smith threw down the gauntlet to the owners and trainers of some of Britain’s top steeplechasers by offering them the chance to take part in this year’s renewal on potentially-favourable terms.
By compressing the weights for the 155th running of the world’s most famous race, senior jumps handicapper Smith has given the connections of top-notch chasers such as Florida Pearl, Behrajan and Marlborough every encouragement to line-up in the £500,000 contest.
Having previously considered the Liverpool spectacular as just a ‘‘possibility’’ for his stable star, Mullins admitted: ‘‘I will need to have some long discussions with the owner the handicapper has certainly given us an incentive to run.’’
Mullins was present as the weights were officially unveiled at a lunch hosted by the sponsors in London on Tuesday.
Smith explained: ‘‘Florida Pearl is set to carry 7lb less than he would do in a three-mile chase and the rest proportionally less Behrajan 4lb less, Rince Ri and Marlborough 3lb less and so on.
‘‘Having good-quality horses in the race adds to the attraction of the Grand National and when there is half a million pounds in prize-money on offer I want to try and attract good horses.
Florida Pearl has been set to carry 11st 12lb with First Gold (out for the season with injury) next on 11st 11lb, followed by Behrajan and Rince Ri who are both 11st 8lb.
As well as Florida Pearl, Mullins also has Alexander Banquet (11st 6lb) in the field and said: ‘‘We’ll have a fresh look at the race for both of them after they have run in the Hennessy (at Leopardstown) on Saturday.
‘‘We will have to have some serious discussions with the owners.
‘‘Looking at the statistics my worry would be that only two horses in the last 20 years have carried more than 11st to victory.
‘‘Alexander Banquet jumps and stays well and he’d relish soft ground.
‘‘Florida Pearl has the option of Aintree or Punchestown after Cheltenham but there are no plans to run Alexander Banquet again in Ireland so the National might just be the plan for him I’d be very tempted.’’
Last year’s first and second, Red Marauder and Smarty, are both on course to run in the race again.
Red Marauder’s jockey Richard Guest reported that the 12-year-old was set to make his first racecourse appearance since last year’s mud-splattered victory in a charity Flat race at Hereford on March 8 over a mile and a half.
Since that success for Guest and owner-trainer Norman Mason, Red Marauder has been enjoying a long holiday and the jockey admitted: ‘‘We have had a few hold-ups with him which we didn’t really need.
‘‘He’s a horse that wants to be pretty fresh and the plan is now to go for a charity race at Hereford almost exactly a month before the National.
‘‘We wouldn’t be able to give him a proper competitive race but it’s not as if he needs any more practice with his jumping so this seems the right thing to go for.
