THE GRAND NATIONAL
Saturday 15th April, 5:15pm
Corach Rambler @ 7/1
Noble Yeats @ 8/1
Gaillard Du Mesnil @ 10/1
Any Second Now @ 12/1
Delta Work @ 12/1
Mr Incredible @ 12/1
view odds
*prices correct at time of writing.
Our Racing Ambassador Cornelius Lysaght looks back at the Cheltenham Festival just gone, while casting his mind into the future to consider what Aintree might have in store, as well as the upcoming Flat season.
Cornelius has been to enough Cheltenham Festivals to know when he’s seen a good one. But he believes this year’s 2023 vintage was an extra special occasion.
“Whether it was Constitution Hill or Honeysuckle or Galopin Des Champs, it was a festival that had it all…”
“Everybody who loves National Hunt racing says it’s the best week of the year,” he remarks. “Some years they’re right, some years they’re very right, and on other occasions they’re looking through rose-tinted spectacles. This year the only spectacles required were sunglasses, because it was such a glaring success.”
He adds: “Whether it was Constitution Hill or Honeysuckle or Galopin Des Champs, it was a festival that had it all.”
As well as the great racing that we were treated to, Cornelius believes that what made this year’s edition so special was the dark clouds that had haunted the build-up and threatened to overshadow National Hunt racing’s big week in the sun.
“There were a couple of things hanging over it. One of those was the weather. But the main point of tension was the new whip rules.”
“The timing of the new regulations in Britain had some real catastrophising going on, but I didn’t hear one complaint about it, and although Harry Cobden was penalised for his winning ride in the Albert Bartlett, there were no disqualifications, which felt crucial.”
“What’s more, in those tight finishes when the whip wasn’t used as it might have been in years gone by, I thought they looked better than ever.”
For a highlight of the week Cornelius lands on The Real Whacker’s victory in the hands of Sam Twiston-Davies in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase:
“It was a magnificent performance by a horse that was underestimated because it wasn’t trained by one of the major trainers. It was a fabulous frontrunning performance not just by the horse, but by the jockey as well.”
“For years Sam Twiston-Davies was going to be a future champion jockey, I think we know he’s not going to be that now, and that’s a hard transition to make. You could just see from the absolute delight on his face how much that meant to him. I thought it was absolutely fantastic.”
For other high points in the week he calls to mind the “fairytale” success of team De Bromhead after what has been an undeniably difficult year for the family.
“The horses had read the script…”
“It became apparent pretty early on that the horses had read the script. Sport as a whole, but racing in particular, is good at serving up fairy tales. Henry De Bromhead might not have won the race that was run in memory of his late son, but the success he had during the week and the delight on he and his family’s faces, was equalled only by the smiles on the faces around the winner’s enclosure for him.”
For his biggest shock of the meeting, he cites the disappointing performance of Tingle Creek hero Edwardstone in the Champion Chase, who surrendered meekly to a rampant Energumene.
“It was a difficult one to assess. Alan King is saying the full MOT works are underway and he’s unlikely to run again this season.”
“In a way with these horses it’s better to be stuffed as opposed to just not looking good enough. If something is a little bit amiss, luckily for Edwardstone he’s got one of the best trainers in the country to try and iron out the problems.”
As racing is wont to do, Cornelius rounded things off by looking ahead to Aintree and cast his eye over two of the leading contenders for this season’s Grand National:
“Corach Rambler ran a screaming trial for Aintree. The weight looks very fair and the team there of Lucinda, Derek Fox and Peter Scudamore they know exactly how to win it.”
“You’ve got last year’s winner Noble Yeats to consider, he’s clearly up against it in terms of weight in the Grand National. But wow. The way he finished. Coming down the hill you thought he’d lost his momentum. But, come the finish line he’d run a tremendous trial for Aintree.”
Finally, Cornelius reflected on the upcoming “change of gear” with the flat season fast approaching.
“There’s lots to look forward to. It’s Dettori’s last year, so, there’ll be a lot of interest at all the big events in what he’s riding.”
“If I had to pick a horse I’m most excited to see it would be Tahiyra. She’s proven already how talented she is. And there is every chance she’ll be a massive player. I’m sure she’ll train on well and roll on the 7th May and the 1,000 Guineas.”
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