AINTREE PREVIEW:FINGER ONTHE Pulse could be an Irish winner over the big Grand National fences at Aintree today but plenty in Liverpool would pay a lot of money to get their finger on Voy Por Ustedes' pulse ahead of the Day Two feature.
That is the 10-runner John Smith’s Melling Chase which has €218,859 up for grabs and a three-strong Irish raiding party headed by Schindlers Hunt. It’s hard to escape the conclusion though that this is fundamentally about one horse and that is last year’s winner Voy Por Ustedes.
The snag is that the same comment was being thrown around with abandon before last month’s Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.
In fact Voy Por Ustedes was trumpeted as one of the festival bankers but instead of joining the real deals – Kauto Star and Master Minded – he ended up among those for whom excuses were necessary like Binocular and Kasbah Bliss.
It’s not that finishing a two-length second to Imperial Commander was without merit. In fact he showed real guts to get back for second after making a horrendous mistake at the fourth last fence. But on his best form it shouldn’t have even been a struggle for Voy Por Ustedes.
The same applies here. If replicating last year’s 18-length rout of Master Minded then none of these should trouble him. But which Voy Por Ustedes will turn up? Trainer Alan King though is confident the real deal will be on duty and said yesterday: “He did a bit on Wednesday and I was very happy. Everything has gone well and I’m very pleased with him.”
Schindlers Hunt should be the best of the Irish and could be due a career best now he gets a combination of good ground and two and a half miles. Of the others, not withstanding his grey colour, Nacarat is something of a dark horse with improvement still likely from his nine-length Racing Post Trophy success while Petit Robin represents Queen Mother Champion Chase form. But a Voy Por Ustedes firing on all cylinders can emerge best.
A maximum field of 30 line up for the Topham over the National fences including last year’s winner Gwanako who actually has 1lb less to carry this time due to the presence of his stable companion and topweight Nozic. The appearance of Nozic is also good news for Tom Taaffe who runs his 2008 Jewson winner Finger Onthe Pulse over the big fences with one eye already on next year’s National.
Finger Onthe Pulse runs off 11st today and this trip and the going conditions should be perfect for a horse who ran well when sixth at Cheltenham last month.
Oodachee is the other Irish starter in the Topham but a bigger danger could be Ping Pong Sivola who looked all over a winner of that Freddie Williams Plate at Cheltenham despite his rider kicking for home much too soon.
If Morning Supreme can recover in time from a fine fifth to Dunguib at Cheltenham then the mares bumper should be well within her grasp but today could also see the Howard Johnson team make a significant mark.
Bad weather didn’t help the Cumbrian trainer prepare for Cheltenham and a clearer run-up could see On Raglan Road go close in the Grade One novice hurdle over three miles.
This horse beat Dunguib in a bumper this time last year and was going as well as any turning into the straight in the Albert Bartlett won by Weapons Amnesty less than a month ago. Better ground should help On Raglan Road’s chances of reversing that form.
Killyglen was pulled up in the RSA Chase but is an unexposed horse who could be a different proposition on better ground while the Johnson representative in the opener, Red Moloney, is another with a squeak.
El Dancer is an interesting alternative in this race though, having missed the Cheltenham festival and being steered here instead by his shrewd trainer Lucy Wadham. A five-time winner on the flat in Germany, the 165,000 Guineas purchase has had three runs over jumps and looks one to be still improving.
