AINTREE GRAND NATIONAL:THE AINTREE Grand National might be the race that Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary wants to win more than any other but yesterday's weights announcement for the world's most famous race doesn't look to have done him any favours.
Last year’s Irish National winner Hear The Echo is among the favourites for the race in April but his trainer Mouse Morris yesterday was unhappy about the 10st 11lb assigned to the O’Leary- owned horse.
“Hear The Echo seems very badly handicapped to me. I thought he would have around 10.4 or 10.7 so 10.11 seems very harsh, especially on a line through War Of Attrition,” Morris said.
“All the Irish horses seem to have plenty of weight, he (the handicapper) doesn’t seem to have given us a fair crack of the whip to me,” he added.
Morris confirmed that Hear The Echo will take his chance in Saturday’s Red Mills Chase at Gowran which will be his final start before Liverpool.
Charlie Swan was also less than pleased about the 10st 11lb given to the former Powers Gold Cup winner One Cool Cookie who also races in O’Leary’s colours.
“He seems to have given One Cool Cookie way more than he should have when you consider Exotic Dancer (topweight on 11st 10lb) is rated 174. He has run in England off 150 and run to that mark. I don’t know where he gets this mark from – it’s absolutely crazy. It’s unlikely he will run with that weight,” said Swan who also has Offshore Account and Oodachee in the race.
Black Apalachi, a winner over the big fences in November’s Becher Chase, remains a major fancy but Dessie Hughes is another Irish trainer unhappy with the weight given to his horse. “I don’t mind Exotic Dancer being in there if we were on our proper mark but effectively Black Apaalchi is up 21lb since winning the Becher,” Hughes said. “He will run in the Bobbyjo at Fairyhouse before he goes to Aintree.”
Liverpool is also the plan for Tom Taaffe’s Cane Brake who has been given 10st 13lb and the trainer said: “It’s all a guessing game at the minute as to who will run among those at the top of the weights but we are looking forward to running. He will have one race beforehand.”
Comply Or Die ended a run of success for Irish-trained horses when scoring last year but Silver Birch, Numbersixvalverde and Hedgehunter were all Irish winners from 2005 to 2007.
A total of six Irish horses have won the National during an unprecedented steak of success since 1999 and Paddy Power go just 2 to 1 about the Irish getting back on top in 2009.
