Bobbyjo is the blot on the handicap in today's £100,000 Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown. Tommy Carberry's nine-year-old won the Grand National from 14lb out of the handicap and is able to race off an 11lb lower mark here.
The National-Whitbread double is a feat rarely attempted mainly because of the small time gap between the two contests. But Mr Frisk was successful in 1990 and Bobbyjo has excellent credentials to repeat the trick.
Bobbyjo became the first Irish-trained winner of the Grand National since L'Escargot - ridden by Carberry - in 1975 when registering an emphatic triumph at Aintree. Given a calm ride, Bobbyjo hit the front on the run-in and galloped away to beat Blue Charm by 10 lengths.
Bobbyjo clearly stays all day but was also quick enough to win a two mile hurdle last month, so the drop back to three miles and five furlongs will present no problems.
Detractors may point out that this comes quickly after Aintree but Bobbyjo did not appear to have too hard a race there and there is no concrete evidence to suggest that a fortnight is not enough for a horse to recover from its exertions.
He has also had a nice quiet season before being brought to a peak at just the right time. Indeed, connections have stressed that this race was originally his main target.
While Bobbyjo comes here fresh, fit and bang in form, it is hard to get excited about many of his rivals.
Fine Thyne was a good second in this race 12 months ago, but has been below his best throughout this season.
Baronet, a faller in the National, has claims on his best form. He crashed out of the Grand National at an early stage but is said to be none the worse for that fall and has stamina in abundance.
David Nicholson's charge won well at Cheltenham on New Year's Day but ran poorly in the Midlands National.
Betty's Boy, a winner at the Cheltenham Festival, also has claims. Kim Bailey's 10-year-old landed the William Hill Handicap Chase, beating Island Chief by five lengths and is only 4lb higher here.
John Gosden can capture the Thresher Classic Trial for the fifth time in the 1990s by saddling Glamis to win the Group Three race. The son of 1982 Derby third Silver Hawk is already on the short list for the premier Classic after slamming Peace Of Mind by five lengths on his reappearance at Kempton earlier this month.
Dines can help Paul Nicholls take a step nearer his first trainers' championship by winning the £20,000 Brewers Fayre Novices' Chase.
Leicester stages its first Group Three race, the £30,000-added Peter Sandrovitch Leicestershire Stakes over seven furlongs. Grazia, who runs well fresh, may represent the best value in a trappy little race.
As Tommy Carberry was in Sandown supervising the final preparations for Bobbyjo's bid to complete the Aintree Grand National-Whitbread Gold Cup double yesterday, his son, Tommy Jnr, was accepting the Star Iaws Top Trainer award on his father's behalf at a luncheon in Jurys Hotel, Dublin.
The top jockey award went to Richard Dunwoody for breaking Peter Sudamore's record for riding the most winners over jumps and the racing personality award was won by dual champion hurdle winner Istabraq.
Patrick-Louis Biancone's Hong Kong yard has become the subject of a further drugs probe after Whytellyou returned a positive sample after winning the L'Or Martell Cup at Happy Valley on April 10th. The French handler was fined around £20,000 when 23 of his horses tested positive in 1996.
