McCain to grab headlines again with Overturn

OVERTURN CAN successfully provide the Guinness Galway Hurdle with a flavour of possibly the greatest Aintree Grand National story of all when he lines up in this afternoon’s €250,000 festival feature.

If the name Weld is inextricably linked to Ballybrit, then the same famously applies to Liverpool for McCain. The story of how Ginger McCain trained Red Rum to land three Grand National victories from the back of a car showroom in Southport has entered racing mythology and there are concrete links from his fourth National success in 2004 with Amberleigh House to today’s challenge by Overturn.

McCain’s son Donald was a vital cog in the training of Amberleigh House who in turn was ridden by Graham Lee, the 35-year-old jockey born within sight of Ballybrit who comes home with another big pot very much in his sights.

McCain Jnr is very much the man in charge of the training operation in Cheshire these days and has successfully dismantled the family image of being “just” about Aintree. Peddlers Cross was a hugely-impressive Cheltenham Festival winner in March and Overturn has already done more than his fair share to advertise his trainer’s talents.

A wind operation last winter has transformed the six-year-old who went on a hat-trick streak of Ayr victories that culminated with a Scottish Champion Hurdle success in April. Not content with that, he then switched to the flat and made a nonsense of fears about a bad draw when making all to comfortably land the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle a month ago.

McCain’s first instinct was to draw stumps for the summer there and then but significantly Overturn has bounced out of the Pitmans Derby so well he has brought his trainer to Galway for the first time and with a major chance.

“It was good to see Luska Lad still in as it keeps our weight down a bit. Let’s just hope he gets a clear run,” McCain said yesterday. “Everyone that has ridden him previously is smashed up right now but there’s not many better than Graham.”

Luska Lad tops the weights, closely followed by last year’s winner Bahrain Storm while Gordon Elliott has two representatives headed by Dirar on whom Barry Geraghty is due to get down to his lowest weight.

Joseph O’Brien rode his first festival winner on Monday evening on board Robin Hood and Aidan O’Brien’s teenage son could enjoy another good session today.

Luttrell Lady is 7lb higher for winning at the Curragh on her last start but has a perfect 18 of 18 draw in the mile handicap and should go close while Anam Chara may be worth forgiving for a poor run at Naas last week in the seven-furlong handicap.

Malande looks to be a decent mark on her best form for the mile-and-a-half handicap.