Grand National Week

The excitement is mounting as we have arrived at Grand National week at Aintree and it promises to be a busy time for the Pond House team. I am pleased to report that the stable continues in good form and another four successes last week took our seasonal tally onto 78, meanwhile I also have a positive bulletin on stable jockey Tom Scudamore and further news on plans for last season’s brilliant Champion Bumper winner Moon Racer. To find out more, read on…

With another big festival upon us it is great that the horses remain in such rude health and last week could not have started much better with the successes of Twentytwo’s Taken and Brook at Exeter on Monday. The former made all the running in the 2m1f handicap hurdle under a well-judged ride from conditional jockey David Noonan on her first start for 340 days. She has always possessed plenty of ability, although her tendency to race rather keenly meant that we were not always able to channel that ability to the optimum. We have worked very hard at settling her down at home and she settled beautifully in front on this occasion and kept finding more when challenged. She will get further than this and has the size and scope to make a nice chaser in time.

Brook had proven a bit disappointing since winning a juvenile hurdle at Newbury last season, although he had been running a little better of late since switching his attention to the larger obstacles. Clearly appreciating the step back up to three miles on this staff track and with the rain-softened ground holding no fears, he jumped and travelled supremely well under Conor O’Farrell and he readily pulled clear once sent on between the last two. This was a better performance from our five year old, although this may not have been the strongest of races with some of his opponents failing to give their running. Hopefully this will be a nice confidence booster and he can continue to improve from here.

The horses continued to run well throughout the week with the likes of Obistar, Iniciar, Nice Thoughts, Purple ‘N Gold and Shotavodka all finishing in the money, while we were in the winners’ enclosure again on Saturday at Uttoxeter when Ballywilliam won the handicap hurdle in good style under Kieron Edgar. He was a little disappointing last time out when he seemed to resent making the running at Haydock in December and held up on this occasion he came through to lead at the last before drawing clear. This was a decent performance, conceding plenty of weight to the runner-up and as a former Irish point-to-pointer; he will make a nice chaser in time.

The good form continued on Sunday when Taj Badalandabad (pictured above) continued his progress in the staying hurdles division with success in the boys’ 2m7½f handicap at Ascot under Michael Heard. The change of tactics to holding him up in his races season certainly seems to have suited and he has now won six of his eleven starts.

Also last week, I was pleased to have stable jockey Tom Scudamore in the yard for a couple of days riding out and schooling. He is looking fit and well and is raring to go this week with Thursday his proposed day of return. That could be at Taunton or Aintree depending on what we run (Dynaste is our sole entry at Aintree on Thursday). Either way, he will be itching to get back in the saddle ahead of the Grand National on Saturday.

Looking to this week we have entries at Taunton, Newcastle, Chepstow and Ffos Las leading up to Aintree’s Grand National meeting, while at the big fixture itself we are likely to be represented by the likes of Cheltenham hero Un Temps Pour Tout, Kings Palace, Starchitect, Doctor Harper and Dell’ Arca to name but a few. That is before we get onto the Grand National itself in which I intend to run Ballynagour (pictured right) who will be ridden by Tom Scudamore, Soll (Conor O'Farrell) and Vieux Lion Rouge (James Reveley). As usual, all the latest news on the stable’s runners can be found on Chester’s Daily Chat.

Talking of the Grand National, mares sponsors OLBG.com have the best 2016 Grand National tips covered on their Grand National guide website and also a list of all the charity bets that have been placed by my fellow NH trainers on the 2016 Grand National [http://www.grand-national-guide.co.uk]. I have chosen Silviniaco Conti as my OLBG.com Charity Grand National 2016 bet with any winnings going to the Injured Jockeys Fund.

Finally, looking further ahead I can bring you firm plans with regard to 2015 Champion Bumper winner Moon Racer (pictured below). He continues to please me at home and he will now head for the Punchestown Festival at the end of the month where he will contest the Champion Bumper. We just ran out of time to get him to the Cheltenham Festival and the Punchestown race is open seven year old’s so it seems like the most logical step for him. Tom Scudamore rode him in a gallop last week and he was very happy with him. He is likely to be joined in Ireland by a few others from the stable and I can’t wait to see him back on the track.

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