Author: GrandNationalpro Staff
Following conflicting reports on Thursday afternoon, Katie Walsh is set to keep her ride in the Grand National, despite a heavy fall in the Foxhunters Chase at Aintree.The Chair has claimed many victims over the years and as Distime made a mess of his landing following a leap over Aintree’s infamous fence, Katie Walsh was thrown from the saddle in the Foxhunters. Paul Nicholls will have been dismayed to see Walsh crash to the turf and looked on in horror as she was clattered by a following horse when attempting to protect herself on the ground.Early medical examinations looked bad, with…
Jack Kennedy will join the list of 17-year-old’s to ride in the Grand National, when he saddles Gordon Elliott’s Roi Des Francs in the main event on Saturday afternoon.Kennedy hit the headlines over here in England when he rode Labaik to victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the first race of the Cheltenham Festival, but in Ireland, the young jockey’s reputation has steadily been building, thanks to some stunning victories and the incredible consistency and natural talent for riding he shows on a daily basis.He is widely expected to take up the mantle the likes of Ruby Walsh and A.P.…
A full, updated list of the 40 horses who are set to contest the 2017 Grand National. Carlingford Lough was the name that headlined the latest list of withdrawals from the Grand National field over the weekend. Following their removal from the entries, the weights and numbers have had to be reassigned accordingly. Here is an updated list of the 40 horses who will battle it out for the 2017 Grand National on Saturday 8th April. *Number, name, age, weight, jockey, trainer, current best odds* 1. THE LAST SAMURI, 9, 11-10, David Bass, Kim Bailey, 16/1 2. MORE OF THAT, 9, 11-6,…
If Barry Geraghty though having to choose between More Of That and Cause Of Causes in the Grand National was difficult, he must now choose between two of the favourites in the Liverpool Hurdle. Geraghty will have watched on from his treatment table as Unowhatimeanharry’s unbeaten streak came to an end in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, but he will have an excellent chance of bouncing back to winning ways in the Liverpool Hurdle on Saturday afternoon. After he tumbled back through the field in the Champion Hurdle, Geraghty will have fancied Yanworth’s chances over the extended trip in the…
Following the withdrawal of Carlingford Lough, along with several other notable names, The Last Samuri has been pushed up to the top of the weights on his return to the Grand National on Saturday.As the highest-rated entrant in the field, Carlingford Lough was set to carry the heaviest weight burden into Aintree. However, his withdrawal means Kim Bailey’s charge’s task has been made even more difficult and The Last Samuri will carry 11-10 to post with him on Saturday afternoon. Despite this weight hike, his trainer is still sweet on The Last Samuri’s chances of improving on the second place finish he…
It was the ultimate showdown of car vs horse. Leading trainer Dan Skelton took on jockey Harry Skelton in a battle in the Cotswolds. But who would you have backed? The 2017 Grand National meeting is finally here and luxury Italian car brand Maserati are celebrating by exploring the capabilities of the first ever Maserati SUV, by pitting it against leading point-to-pointer Dinnie O. To add spice to the intriguing clash, National Hunt Trainer and Maserati ambassador Dan Skelton was behind the wheel. Brother and jockey Harry Skelton was in the saddle – and the battle took place in front of…
After falling at the first hurdle on his quest for the triple-triple of festival Foxhunter titles, On The Fringe will return to action at Aintree as he looks to bounce back to winning ways. On The Fringe created history last season. Enda Bolger’s charge won the Foxhunters races at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown Festival for the second year in a row, becoming the first horse ever to land the double-triple of Foxhunters festival titles. A runner-up finish to Foxrock on his one and only pre-festival prep run was an encouraging start to the season in February and On The…
More Of That will be Jonjo O’Neill’s main challenger in the Grand National and he is confident his former Cheltenham champion can do the business on his maiden run at Aintree. When Jonjo O’Neill claimed at the start of this season that More Of That was the best horse he has ever trained, punters all over Britain and Ireland pulled their wallets out of the pockets, awaiting the first chance to lump on More Of That when he made his return to action. The nine-year-old produced one of the best performances in recent Cheltenham Festival history back in 2014, when…
Foxrock has been backed by many in the build-up to the Grand National, but the horse’s owner, Barry Connell confirmed to the media that the Irish Grand National may be his chosen race this season. When searching for a potential Grand National winner, Foxrock ticks plenty of boxes. Before this season, Ted Walsh’s nine-year-old had spent the last few years holding his own in some of the biggest staying chases on the National Hunt scene. He finished well in the Irish Hennessy, the Lexus Chase and the Irish Gold Cup and even twice ran in feature races at the Cheltenham…
Pineau De Re is being aimed for a second Grand National victory Get the latest news from the 2014 Aintree hero’s trainer Dr Richard Newland, who trained Pineau De Re to win the Aintree Grand National, is hoping his 2014 hero and his other intended runner, Royale Knight, both make the field for this year’s contest on Saturday April 9. The Lambourn-based handler has been finalising preparations for his duo with Pineau De Re partnered by Brian Hughes in popping over two replica Grand National fences twice, as did Royale Knight who was ridden by Brendan Powell jnr. Newland said:…