Runners jump the last fence in the Grand National. Pic: John Grossick.
By Simon Jackson.
Irish Hennessy Gold Cup winner Carlingford Lough was on Tuesday the most high profile of the 13 horses scratched from the £1million Crabbie’s Grand National at Aintree on April 11.
The withdrawals at the latest scratchings’ stage leave a field of 74 horses still in contention for a start in the world’s greatest steeplechase, which permits a maximum final field of 40 runners.
The Jonjo O’Neill-trained and JP McManus-owned Shutthefrontdoor continues to head the betting at 8-1 with Betfred. He increasingly appears likely to be ridden by AP McCoy who is retained by McManus and will be riding in the Grand National for the last time.
The jockey, who created history when becoming the first to ride 3,000 and then 4,000 winners, looks set for another milestone as he prepares for a record 20th ride in the National.
Last year McCoy equalled the record of Tom Olliver (19 mounts) for the most rides in the Grand National and the 40-year-old rider, who is set to retire this season, believes that Shutthefrontdoor has a good chance of winning this year’s race.
“The Grand National is the most famous horserace in the world and to be able to take part each year is very exciting,” McCoy said at the northern media launch for the Grand National at Aintree on Tuesday.
“It was one of the greatest moments of my racing career to win the Grand National on Don’t Push It. I had 14 attempts before Don’t Push It came along. Jonjo had him in unbelievable form and to win the Grand National for Noreen and J P McManus was amazing. It is a day I will never forget. I felt a lot of fulfilment.
“We have Shutthefrontdoor and the Cheltenham winner Cause Of Causes. They are two I am most likely to have to choose from. Shutthefrontdoor won the Irish National and has not run since winning at Carlisle in November.
“If you look through the form book, the Carlisle race and the Irish National were not particularly strong, but he is trained by Jonjo O’Neill who has an unbelievably good record in training horses for staying chases. If I am on Shutthefrontdoor, he has a very good chance.
“I have dreamt a lot in my life but I would not be silly enough to dream about winning the National again – it would be nice if it happened. Looking at the betting, the bookmakers seem to think it is going to happen and hopefully they are right.
“I am sorry for all the failures I have had in the Grand National over the years and this will be the last time I let anybody down but hopefully I will go out on a high and shut the front door behind me!”
Crabbie’s Grand National – Betfred bet:
8/1 Shutthefrontdoor;
10/1 Rocky Creek;
12/1 Balthazar King, The Druids Nephew;
20/1 Cause Of Causes, Godsmejudge, Merry King, Spring Heeled, Unioniste;
25/1 Alvarado, Goonyella, Pineau de Re, Rebel Rebellion, Royale Knight, Soll, Teaforthree;
33/1 Al Co, Dolatulo, First Lieutenant, Lord Windermere, Many Clouds, Monbeg Dude, Night In Milan, Saint Are, Sam Winner;
40/1 Across The Bay, Benvolio, Chance du Roy, Corrin Wood, Court By Surprise, Double Ross, Gallant Oscar, Hadrian’s Approach, Home Farm, Wyck Hill;
50/1 Any Currency, Ballycasey, Broadway Buffalo, Carlito Brigante, Duke Of Lucca, Mon Parrain, Mountainous, Oscar Time, Raz de Maree, Renard, Super Duty, The Package, Vintage Star;
66/1 Alpha Victor, Baileys Concerto, Bob Ford, Gas Line Boy, Guess Again, Harry The Viking, Owega Star, Portrait King, Rigadin de Beauchene, Rubi Light, Standing Ovation, Sydney Paget, The Rainbow Hunter, Tranquil Sea;
100/1 Ballyoliver, Ely Brown, Glenquest, Ikorodu Road, Lackamon, Maggio, Mart Lane, Neptune Equester, River Choice, Rose Of The Moon, Tales Of Milan;
200/1 American Spin.
¼ 1-2-3-4. NON-RUNNER NO BET
Crabbie’s Grand National Specials – Betfred bet:
4/5 Winner to carry 11st or over;
Evs Winner to carry under 11st;
7/2 Irish-trained winner;
5/1 Paul Nicholls to train winner;
6/1 AP McCoy to ride winner; JP McManus to own winner;
10/1 Ruby Walsh to ride winner, Willie Mullins to train winner;
25/1 Female to ride winner.
WIN ONLY
The Crabbie’s Grand National
Grade 3, £1,000,000 Total Prize Fund. 4.15pm, Aintree, Saturday, April 11, 2015. Four miles, three and a half furlongs. Five-day confirmation stage April 6. Final declaration stage 10.00am, April 9. MAXIMUM 40 RUNNERS
| Horse | Age | Wgt | Owner | Trainer | ||
| 1) | LORD WINDERMERE (IRE) | 9 | 11-10 | Dr Ronan Lambe | Jim Culloty IRE | |
| 2) | MANY CLOUDS (IRE) | 8 | 11-09 | Trevor Hemmings | Oliver Sherwood | |
| 3) | SAM WINNER (FR) | 8 | 11-08 | Angela Yeoman | Paul Nicholls | |
| 4) | UNIONISTE (FR) | 7 | 11-06 | John Hales | Paul Nicholls | |
| 5) | ROCKY CREEK (IRE) | 9 | 11-03 | The Johnson & Stewart Families | Paul Nicholls | |
| 6) | FIRST LIEUTENANT (IRE) | 10 | 11-03 | Gigginstown House Stud | Mouse Morris IRE | |
| 7) | BALTHAZAR KING (IRE) | 11 | 11-02 | The Brushmakers | Philip Hobbs | |
| 8) | HOME FARM (IRE) | 8 | 11-02 | Chris Jones | Henry de Bromhead IRE | |
| 9) | SHUTTHEFRONTDOOR (IRE) | 8 | 11-02 | J P McManus | Jonjo O’Neill | |
| 10) | DOUBLE ROSS (IRE) | 9 | 11-01 | Options O Syndicate | Nigel Twiston-Davies | |
| 11) | HADRIAN’S APPROACH (IRE) | 8 | 11-00 | Richard & Lizzie Kelvin-Hughes | Nicky Henderson | |
| 12) | PINEAU DE RE (FR) | 12 | 11-00 | John Provan | Dr Richard Newland | |
| 13) | BALLYCASEY (IRE) | 8 | 10-13 | Susannah Ricci | Willie Mullins IRE | |
| 14) | SPRING HEELED (IRE) | 8 | 10-12 | Dr Ronan Lambe | Jim Culloty IRE | |
| 15) | REBEL REBELLION (IRE) | 10 | 10-12 | Woodhouse, Sutton & Dobson | Paul Nicholls | |
| 16) | DOLATULO (FR) | 8 | 10-11 | Chasemore Farm | Warren Greatrex | |
| 17) | MON PARRAIN (FR) | 9 | 10-11 | John & Barbara Cotton | Paul Nicholls | |
| 18) | CARLITO BRIGANTE (IRE) | 9 | 10-10 | 06 Zoo Ltd | Karen McLintock | |
| 19) | NIGHT IN MILAN (IRE) | 9 | 10-09 | Richard Collins | Keith Reveley | |
| 20) | RUBI LIGHT (FR) | 10 | 10-09 | Bill Hennessy | Robert Hennessy IRE | |
| 21) | THE DRUIDS NEPHEW (IRE) | 8 | 10-09 | The Stonehenge Druids | Neil Mulholland | |
| 22) | CAUSE OF CAUSES (USA) | 7 | 10-09 | J P McManus | Gordon Elliott IRE | |
| 23) | GODSMEJUDGE (IRE) | 9 | 10-08 | Favourites Racing (Syndication) Ltd | Alan King | |
| 24) | BENVOLIO (IRE) | 8 | 10-08 | Patricia Thompson | Paul Nicholls | |
| 25) | AL CO (FR) | 10 | 10-08 | Frank Lloyd | Peter Bowen | |
| 26) | MONBEG DUDE (IRE) | 10 | 10-07 | Oydunow | Michael Scudamore | |
| 27) | CORRIN WOOD (IRE) | 8 | 10-07 | Dermot Hanafin Robert Rose Ian Whitfield | Donald McCain | |
| 28) | THE RAINBOW HUNTER | 11 | 10-07 | May We Never Be Found Out Partnership | Kim Bailey | |
| 29) | TEAFORTHREE (IRE) | 11 | 10-07 | Conyers, O’Reilly, Roddis, Zeffman | Rebecca Curtis | |
| 30) | SAINT ARE (FR) | 9 | 10-06 | David Fox | Tom George | |
| 31) | ACROSS THE BAY (IRE) | 11 | 10-06 | Scotch Piper Syndicate | Donald McCain | |
| 32) | TRANQUIL SEA (IRE) | 13 | 10-05 | Jean & Clemmie Shipp | Warren Greatrex | |
| 33) | MERRY KING (IRE) | 8 | 10-05 | Frank Gillespie | Jonjo O’Neill | |
| 34) | OSCAR TIME (IRE) | 14 | 10-05 | Robert Waley-Cohen | Robert Waley-Cohen | |
| 35) | BOB FORD (IRE) | 8 | 10-04 | The Bob Ford Partnership | Rebecca Curtis | |
| 36) | SUPER DUTY (IRE) | 9 | 10-04 | Brannon, Dick, Hernon & Holden | Ian Williams | |
| 37) | WYCK HILL (IRE) | 11 | 10-04 | J P McManus | David Bridgwater | |
| 38) | GAS LINE BOY (IRE) | 9 | 10-04 | Mick Fitzgerald Racing Club | Philip Hobbs | |
| 39) | CHANCE DU ROY (FR) | 11 | 10-04 | Daphne Du Pre | Philip Hobbs | |
| 40) | ALVARADO (IRE) | 10 | 10-03 | William & Angela Rucker | Fergal O’Brien | |
| 41) | PORTRAIT KING (IRE) | 10 | 10-03 | Marie Davis | Maurice Phelan IRE | |
| 42) | OWEGA STAR (IRE) | 8 | 10-03 | Anthony Callan/Siobhan Callan | Peter Fahey IRE | |
| 43) | RIVER CHOICE (FR) | 12 | 10-03 | Fergus Wilson | Richard Chotard FR | |
| 44) | COURT BY SURPRISE (IRE) | 10 | 10-03 | Nick Mustoe | Emma Lavelle | |
| 45) | ELY BROWN (IRE) | 10 | 10-02 | Countrywide Vehicle Rentals Taxi Hire | Charlie Longsdon | |
| 46) | RENARD (FR) | 10 | 10-02 | ROA Arkle Partnership | Venetia Williams | |
| 47) | ROYALE KNIGHT | 9 | 10-02 | Chris Stedman & Robert Corsan | Dr Richard Newland | |
| 48) | DUKE OF LUCCA (IRE) | 10 | 10-02 | Lesley Field | Philip Hobbs | |
| 49) | SOLL | 10 | 10-02 | Derrick Mossop | David Pipe | |
| 50) | BAILEYS CONCERTO (IRE) | 9 | 10-02 | United Five Racing & Andrew Sayer | Dianne Sayer | |
| 51) | RAZ DE MAREE (FR) | 10 | 10-01 | James Swan | Sandra Hughes IRE | |
| 52) | THE PACKAGE | 12 | 10-00 | The Johnson Family | David Pipe | |
| 53) | BROADWAY BUFFALO (IRE) | 7 | 10-00 | Jo Tracey | David Pipe | |
| 54) | MAGGIO (FR) | 10 | 10-00 | Douglas Pryde & Jim Beaumont | Patrick Griffin IRE | |
| 55) | GUESS AGAIN (IRE) | 10 | 10-00 | Malcolm Denmark | Tony Martin IRE | |
| 56) | GOONYELLA (IRE) | 8 | 9-13 | Ann & Alan Potts Partnership | Jim Dreaper IRE | |
| 57) | GALLANT OSCAR (IRE) | 9 | 9-13 | Garrett Kelly | Tony Martin IRE | |
| 58) | SYDNEY PAGET (IRE) | 8 | 9-13 | Roger O’Byrne | Donald McCain | |
| 59) | VINTAGE STAR (IRE) | 9 | 9-13 | Trevor Hemmings | Sue Smith | |
| 60) | MOUNTAINOUS (IRE) | 10 | 9-12 | Walters Plant Hire & James & Jean Potter | Richard Lee | |
| 61) | ALPHA VICTOR (IRE) | 10 | 9-12 | Denton, Kinsey, Osborne Hse, Wesley-Yates | William Kinsey | |
| 62) | MART LANE (IRE) | 10 | 9-11 | Geoff Thompson | Sophie Leech | |
| 63) | IKORODU ROAD | 12 | 9-11 | John Odell | Graeme McPherson | |
| 64) | RIGADIN DE BEAUCHENE (FR) | 10 | 9-09 | Andrew Wiles | Venetia Williams | |
| 65) | HARRY THE VIKING | 10 | 9-09 | Jim Beaumont, Douglas Pryde & Quona Thomson | Sandy Thomson | |
| 66) | ANY CURRENCY (IRE) | 12 | 9-09 | Cash Is King | Martin Keighley | |
| 67) | BALLYOLIVER | 11 | 9-08 | Richard Britten-Long | Venetia Williams | |
| 68) | GLENQUEST (IRE) | 12 | 9-08 | Coolglen Syndicate | Stuart Crawford IRE | |
| 69) | STANDING OVATION (IRE) | 8 | 9-07 | The Bravo Partnership | David Pipe | |
| 70) | LACKAMON | 10 | 9-07 | Sue Smith | Sue Smith | |
| 71) | ROSE OF THE MOON (IRE) | 10 | 9-05 | Middleham Park Racing XXXIII & Partners | David O’Meara | |
| 72) | AMERICAN SPIN | 11 | 9-03 | George Collacott & R Gadd | Luke Dace | |
| 73) | TALES OF MILAN (IRE) | 8 | 9-01 | Phil Middleton | Phil Middleton | |
| 74) | NEPTUNE EQUESTER | 12 | 9-00 | Jim Beaumont | Sandy Thomson |
74 entries remain after March 24 scratchings deadline.
SCRATCHINGS: CARLINGFORD LOUGH (IRE), ROLLING ACES (IRE), ALDERWOOD (IRE), BOSTON BOB, SHOTGUN PADDY, THEATRICAL STAR, ROI DU MEE (FR), KATENKO (FR), LIVING NEXT DOOR (IRE), MAKE A TRACK (IRE), PRINCE DE BEAUCHENE (FR), CEDRE BLEU (FR), BUDDY BOLERO (IRE)
Read ‘Horse Talk with Simon Jackson’ at London24 for the latest horse racing news.
Read ‘Horse Talk with Simon Jackson’ at London24 for the latest horse racing news.
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