RACING NEWS:A THIRD pair of siblings will face the starter in Saturday's John Smith's Aintree Grand National after Dermot Weld's confirmation yesterday that Majestic Concorde will run in the world's most famous steeplechase with amateur jockey Robbie McNamara on board.
McNamara’s brother, the top professional, Andrew, is already set to team up with the Irish National winner Bluesea Cracker, while two other famous Irish racing families will be heavily represented at the weekend.
Ruby Walsh and his sister Katie are on the Willie Mullins-trained pair, The Midnight Club and Our Monty, while Paul and Nina Carberry will ride Backstage and Character Building respectively.
Majestic Concorde was given the green light by Weld yesterday, which was good news for the younger McNamara.
“He’s a 100-plus rated horse on the Flat – he won the GPT Galway Handicap and was fourth in the Chester Cup. He won the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown off top weight, that was his last run. He’s a horse that runs best fresh,” he said yesterday.
“I schooled him last week over two National fences at the Curragh and he jumped super. He’s got a great attitude and he stays well. He has plenty of class for it and fingers crossed with a bit of luck you never know what could happen,” McNamara added.
Thirteen Irish trained horses currently fill the 40 spots in the National field but one man hoping for some defections is Cork-based trainer Adrian Maguire whose Golden Kite is third reserve for the big race.
“He’s 43 at the moment so we’ll have to see. It’s still realistic and certainly not out of the question,” the former top jockey said. “The trip would be ideal as he’s very honest and gallops all day. He’s a very economical jumper and ticks all the boxes. He’s the sort that would take to the fences.”
The highest weighted of the Irish contenders is Dessie Hughes’s former Becher Chase winner Vic Venturi, who is set to be joined in the National by his stable companion, In Compliance.
“Vic Venturi was going well when he was brought down last year and has been trained for nothing else but this since. We ran him at the Maze five weeks ago and he ran well enough on heavy ground as he’d want it good,” the Curragh trainer said.
“In Compliance is definitely on a fair mark, if he found his form. He was unlucky the last day (having unseated his rider at Cork) but he had won nicely at Thurles the time before and has experience of the course from the Topham last year.
“They’re not young horses, but it’s no race for a young horse. You want them to be 10 at least,” Hughes added.
Backstage set to take centre stage at Grand National
BACKSTAGE has been hugely popular in ante-post betting to win Saturday's John Smith's Aintree Grand National but trainer Gordon Elliott was in more cautious mood yesterday about his chances of adding to Silver Birch's 2007 Liverpool triumph, writes BRIAN O'CONNOR.
Despite an unorthodox preparation in point to points, Backstage, the mount of another former National winner in Paul Carberry, has even been backed to start favourite for the weekend highlight. His trainer gave an upbeat bulletin on the horse yesterday but added: “He’s one 100 per cent and all we need now is a bit of luck. If he jumps around we’ll be delighted if he can manage to finish in the first six or seven.” Elliott’s initial Aintree focus will be on his Coral Cup winner Carlito Brigante, who tackles the champion stayer Big Buck’s and Grands Cru in tomorrow’s Liverpool Hurdle.
Carlito Brigante was raised 17lb in ratings for his Cheltenham triumph and tomorrow’s Grade One will be important in deciding what route the Michael O’Leary-owned star will take next season.
“He is high in the handicap now so we have to find out if he is up to competing with these top class horses. We also plan to run him at Punchestown so we’ll have more of an idea then about whether or not we’ll be going chasing with him,” Elliott said. Won In The Dark is the other intended Irish starter in tomorrow’s festival opener.
