AINTREE FESTIVAL:UP TO a dozen Irish-trained runners could yet make the Grand National line-up at today's final declaration stage and that is more than twice the number of Irish runners on the entire opening day of Aintree where the Gold Cup hero Imperial Commander is the undoubted headline act.
Imperial Commander is one of just five runners to face the flag for the Grade One Totesport Bowl and circumstances may well conspire to offer major punters a rare betting opportunity on a horse that claimed the scalps of Denman, Kauto Star et al at Cheltenham.
It is less than three weeks since that memorable Gold Cup victory when Paddy Brennan’s mount reminded everyone of the dangers of parsing any race down to just two contenders and that will be at the back of minds traditionally tuned to distrust festival form at Liverpool.
There are also general concerns about Imperial Commander being something of a Cheltenham specialist but as his trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies pointed out yesterday there is hardly anything unusual about having a high winning percentage at a track that has hosted 10 of your 16 career starts.
“It’s because he runs there most,” Twiston-Davies said simply, before also pointing out that any evidence of Imperial Commander’s preference for going left-handed is hardly relevant to the Aintree track. “There wasn’t much wrong with his run at Haydock (runner-up to Kauto Star) and Haydock is quite similar to Aintree.”
What A Friend will attract attention for carrying Alex Ferguson’s colours but his career high on the Lexus was achieved on very different ground conditions so the free-wheeling grey Nacarat can turn into Imperial Commander’s biggest threat.
Another Cheltenham champion turning out again is the top stayer Big Buck’s whose only apparent danger for the opening Grade One hurdle, Time For Rupert, was scratched yesterday due to a poor trachea wash. Winner of this race last year against a genuine top-flight opponent in Mighty Man, Big Buck’s might make things difficult for himself given his running style but it will be a major shock if he’s beaten.
The Paul Nicholls-Ruby Walsh team will also fancy their chances in the third Grade One of the day, the four-year-old hurdle, with Sanctuaire who turned the Fred Winter at Cheltenham into a procession. It was a second win in two starts in Britain for the ex-French star. “He won at Cheltenham off 127 but the handicapper has had his say and put him up 20lb so he deserves a chance to step up to Grade One company,” Nicholls said yesterday.
Tony McCoy takes over from Tom O’Brien on the Triumph runner-up Barizan in a race that also includes Shane Donohoe’s Fairyhouse winner Drussell but Barizan will have to have been quarried, not born, to have fully got over the effects of a gallant but gruelling effort at Cheltenham.
Edward O’Grady’s Having A Cut finished third in last year’s Foxhunters and is back for another go over the big fences along with Gordon Elliott’s Nedzer’s Return.
Imperial Commander’s stable mate Baby Run won at Cheltenham and tries the big hunter chase double. However, he has yet to race over the National obstacles and a safer option could be last year’s winner Trust Fund whose chance at the festival three weeks ago ended when hampered four fences out.
Somersby came up only three-quarters of a length short of Sizing Europe in the Arkle but has no Irish opposition to cope with in today’s Grade Two novices chase. Instead Henrietta Knight’s potential Gold Cup contender runs into The Nightingale who has been kept for this race. However, the extra half mile should be right up Somersby’s street.
Silverhand represents Noel Meade and Paul Carberry in the concluding handicap hurdle where the progressive Maraafeq may be hard to beat.
