pointless grand national trials (fairyhouse and Aintree) & the latter race itself.

​This weekend at Haydock and Punchestown there are races labelled as ‘Grand National Trials’. This is misleading and the titles of these races should be altered to reflect the racing world we actually live in. Apart from Royal Pagaille at Haydock, no horse in either race will likely even face the starter at Aintree, and, though I have advocated Royal Pagaille as a National horse in the past, I pass over him due to his age, the weight he will have to carry, Charlie Deutsch will doubtless prefer to ride L’Homme Presse and a propensity he has got into to banging a fence or two of late.
The best ‘National trials’ are last year’s race or the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Oddly, when the Cheltenham Gold Cup was first run, in the 1920’s, trainers used it as a prep race for Aintree. So, what once was, can be again.

The Grand National weights were published yesterday with no surprises, no horse ‘thrown-in at the weights’, no trainer exclaiming the handicapper ‘has killed our chance’.
Pundits, it seems to me, begin their analysis of the weights allotted by the handicapper by putting a line through all the British-trained entries as you would be hard-tasked to find anyone tipping up a horse trained outside of Ireland.
Personally, as a true patriot, I start with the British-trained horses; my hope/naivety still springing eternal. There are several Irish-trained horses that can be easily written-off as either unlikely runners or unlikely finishers. Envoi Allen, as grand a servant as any owner could wish to own, is both an unlikely starter and even more unlikely finisher. Time, I feel, is catching up with him. Grangeclare West, also owned by Cheveley Park, who I really fancied after his run in the Irish Gold Cup, is walloped with 11st 8Ib, which rules him out of my calculations. Nick Rocket, too, is over-burdened. Hewick needs a dose of global warming to stand a chance; on his ground, I would fancy him more in the Gold Cup than I would on ground with the soft in the description at Aintree. Monty’s Star runs in the Gold Cup and I cannot see him lining-up 19-days later at Aintree.
I like Gentlemansgame at 11st 5Ib, though I have it in my head he will prove too one-paced to quicken clear of the pack at Aintree or anywhere, to be honest. Galvin is too old and Delta Work hard to fancy with 11st 2Ibs and only receiving 10Ib from I Am Maximus, a horse who conquered Aintree against all known sense last year and I cannot believe he will be so very very lucky a second time around.
The Irish-trained horse I like best is Intense Raffles. 10st 10Ibs look a lovely weight to carry, especially given the shape and make of the horse. He is, of now, my top tip for the race, while at the same time hoping a British-trained horse can get the better of him.
My ‘dream result’ would be for L’Homme Presse to win for Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch and at 50/1 he should be backed with alacrity as come the day he will be a whole lot shorter. I just hope the Cheltenham Gold Cup does not bottom him out. If he were to skip Cheltenham, I would be very keen on his chances.
Why the experts are giving no mention to Broadway Boy is beyond me. At 10st 9Ibs, he has the optimum weight, is trained by a man who knows how to train a National winner and will be ridden by a jockey who does not deserve to go his whole career without having either a Gold Cup or National winner on his c.v. He might choose Beauport, of course, which would make a very silly boy. He looked a National-type to me last season and I have every faith that the Twiston-Davies team will have him glowing with good health come the day.
For some obscure reason I cannot figure out, having had no faith in him for his whole career, and believe if Charlie Deutsch (I have mentioned his name so many times this morning any would be forgiven ‘I have a thing for him) had not fallen-off L’Homme Presse in the King George, Bravemansgame might not have a King George rosette on his stable door. Yet this season, I see a horse jumps neatly and who gallops relentlessly on and I fancy him more than Paul Nicholls’ other entries, including Kandoo Kid who has more obvious claims as a ‘Hennesey’ winner.
Of the others, if he gets in and Nicky Henderson gets brave, Hyland might be a lively outsider as he jumps like a bunny and looks a nailed-on stayer. Beauport, Fil Dor, French Dynamite, Trelawne and Limerick Lace might come into my reckoning by the time April 5th hoves into view. But for now, I am a devotee of Intense Raffles, L’Homme Presse and Broadway Boy.
By the way, I am very good at reducing the ‘possible winners’ down to half-a-dozen, backing three and leaving the eventual winner amongst the three I reject. Rule The World (comes easily to mind) who I thought would like the ground yet reasoned it was highly unlikely a horse that had never won a chase could win a proper Grand National. So, ridicule my selections at your pleasure, though take heed of my warning not to laugh long about the ones I mention but leave behind, especially Hyland, as for whatever reason, as I write, he is beginning to tickle my fancy.