After missing the Cheltenham Festival through injury, both Barry Geraghty and Derek Fox are targeting the Grand National as the stage for their long-awaited returns.
Barry Geraghty had featured in all of the last 16 Cheltenham Festivals, but a crashing fall on Charli Parcs in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton, and a subsequent collision with a passing horse, left the 37-year-old Irishman with several broken ribs and a punctured lung.
It will have been a bitter pill to swallow for Geraghty, having to miss out on the Cheltenham Festival and he was forced to watch as Noel Fehily rode Buveur D’Air to Champion Hurdle glory and Triumph Hurdle winner, Defi Du Seuil carried Richard Johnson into the winners’ enclosure – both rides Geraghty could have taken himself, had he not been side-lined with injury.
“I’ll have a scan in the next week and I should have a better idea after that.” Said Geraghty, when he spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon.
“Aintree is the target and it’s definitely coming along. We’ll see what the specialist says and go from there.”
It’ll be a race against time for Geraghty to return to full fitness and enter the Grand National weighing room. If the Irishman wins that fitness race, then he is sure to land himself a plum ride, as he searches for a second Grand National triumph after saddling Monty’s Pass to victory in 2003.
J.P. McManus currently owns five entrants in Aintree’s main event. Jamie Codd is likely to take the ride on triple-Cheltenham champion Cause Of Causes, but Geraghty is likely to have his pick of the other four green and gold clad challengers. Whilst any one of Carlingford Lough, Regal Encore or Pendra would be good rides to take up, More Of That is bound to be Geraghty’s choice, after the pair won the Stayers’ Hurdle together at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival.
Jonjo O’Neill’s nine-year-old has shown signs that he is returning to form in recent weeks and finished sixth in the Gold Cup on his final prep-run before heading to Aintree. He features prominently in the betting and the presence of Barry Geraghty in his saddle would be a huge boost to his chances.
One For Arthur also sits highly in the betting, after Lucinda Russell’s charge capped an impressive regular season with victory in the Betfred Classic at Warwick. Derek Fox took over from the retired Peter Buchanan as Russell’s lead stable jockey and he has gained many plaudits for the rides he has given One For Arthur during the season. Fox has led the eight-year-old to two impressive victories and a strong fifth-place finish over the Grand National fences here at Aintree, where they came from the back of the pack and narrowly missed out on snatching the title.
Fox too was forced to miss the Cheltenham Festival through injury and he will be desperate to return to One For Arthur’s saddle, as the duo have a wonderful chance of claiming Grand National glory on April 8th. Whilst there has been no fitness update directly from the man himself, Lucinda Russell told the media she is very confident Derek Fox will be fit in time to ride in the Grand National.
“He’s (Fox) always been confident he’ll be back in time and I’m pretty sure he will be.” Russell told The Telegraph earlier in the week.
“One For Arthur is in great shape, we’ve had mixed feelings watching some of the horses he’s been running against come out and win big races, but I’m sure we’re doing the right thing by him.”
