Our racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght delivers his weekly Corn’s Corner, where he discusses all the hot topics from the racing world.
TIME FOR A CHANGE?
In a world where making changes to race-names is hardly revolutionary, the title of Haydock’s Grand National Trial last weekend has remained resolutely the same for some time now.
Even though it absolutely isn’t one: the redoubtable Vieux Lion Rouge is one of the few recent winners (2017) to have even gone on to line-up at Aintree, and, in the past, although legends like Red Rum and Party Politics were successful, it wasn’t in the same season as their victorious Liverpool exploits.
But what a boost a genuine trial would be, especially if it had a ‘Win and You’re In’ element attached; and there’s room for other such ‘qualifiers’ too, like maybe the Becher Chase in December.
This is hardly a brand-new suggestion, but could present an extra dynamic to counter the reduction of the field-size to 34. And such a move would put real fire into the bellies of some Saturday races that are currently solid but not always much more.
Plus, talented runners like Haydock winner Famous Bridge and like King Turgeon, which skipped around the famous Aintree fences for success in the Becher, would get deserved chances to compete against the star-names that so dominate the handicap. Positives all round IMO.
TRIUMPH BOUND?
I’ll never forget the horrified trainer’s gasp when a champion jockey jumped off one of his horses after it made a winning debut at Worcester, and declared to the already excited owners: “Aeroplane”.
Any chance of keeping the lid on their enthusiasm had just flown straight out of window. The trainer would rather have had Stan Sheppard who employed little hyperbole – despite a helmet-full being perfectly justified – when discussing the success of Gibbs Island in the Victor Ludorum at Haydock.
All feet stayed firmly on the ground, but for how long? Because although it’s too late for the four-year-old to have the requisite third hurdles-run before the Festival’s Fred Winter, shrewdie (and back-to-form) trainer Tom Lacey says that he’ll take time to “catch my breath” before looking at the Triumph Hurdle itself. Interesting, and 25/1 with Fitzdares.
TALKING HORSES
More often than not, Sam Thomas’ runners at Kempton finish in the first-four, and they are especially noteworthy on the last Saturday in February.
Over the last two years, both course regular Our Power and also Lump Sum have lifted major prizes on the card for the one-time jockey of Denman whose subsequent training career has taken off since moving to owner Dai Walters’ stables outside Cardiff.
But the day’s valuable programme also proved lucrative back in those riding days, not least when his breakthrough horse, Limerick Boy, sluiced home in the Pendil Novices Chase (2005).
With that record and a Carlisle double this week, a certain spring can perhaps be detected in the Thomas step as Our Power and Katate Dori are prepared for the feature chase and Celtic Dino for the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle – there’s rain in some forecasts, which won’t do Katate Dori any harm, but not in others which favours Our Power and Celtic Dino.
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