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The final day of the Grand National Festival at Aintree features Britain’s most watched horse race.
Trainer Lucinda Russell and partner Peter Scudamore continue with the winning formula as Corach Rambler chases back-to-back Grand National victories.
Work routines have been a carbon copy of what worked so well 12 months ago.
If victorious, Corach Rambler, trained by Lucinda Russell’s Arlary House Stables, will be just the second consecutive winner of the world’s premier steeplechase since Red Rum in 1974.
Here, Mail Sport serves up a slice of the Grand National Breakfast and takes a look at everything happening inside and outside the iconic racecourse.
Saturday afternoon’s Grand National is the star event of the national hunting season.
The final day of racing at Aintree will see one of the most watched races in the world.
Last year’s winner Corach Rambler is looking for back-to-back wins to match Red Rum’s incomparable performance.
Bad luck for record-breaking Caldwell Potter
Sir Alex Ferguson knows better than anyone how an unexpected injury can affect the title race, so he will have full sympathy for Paul Nicholls.
The reigning champion trainer had planned to launch the British race of Caldwell Potter (the horse Ferguson and three friends bought for a record £634,000 in February) in the Mersey Novices Hurdle and all had gone well in his preparations.
Nicholls is in a fight with Dan Skelton and Willie Mullins where every penny counts and Caldwell Potter was expected to be very close to claiming the £56,270 first prize. Imagine his disappointment, then, when he discovered last night that a foot infection would rule him out.
Caldwell Potter will make a full recovery soon, but Ferguson, John Hales, Ged Mason and Peter Done will have to bide their time before seeing him race, and time is not something Nicholls has on his side as the pressure is on everyone. . angles.
Caldwell Potter was set to make his debut for trainer Paul Nicolls at Aintree on Saturday.
Sir Alex Ferguson and three friends bought Caldwell Potter for a record £634,000.
Riders visit Alder Hey
Aintree’s link with Alder Hey, the renowned children’s hospital, is unbreakable – the course awarded 110 tickets to hospital staff to mark its 110th anniversary, and the highlight for riders competing in the Grand National is the opportunity to participate in the annual event. trip to the facilities.
Rachael Blackmore, Sean Bowen, Sam Twiston-Davies and Nico De Boinville were part of a huge team who arrived at Alder Hey on Friday morning and spent hours talking to patients and families. As Twiston-Davies acknowledged, it is a privilege for them to be asked to visit.
What makes this partnership so long-lasting is that the Alder Hey name is always visible, a reminder of the fantastic service it provides to the region’s young people. His race on Friday, the final conditional jockeys’ hurdle race, was won at 40/1 by El Jefe.
The race named after Liverpool Children’s Hospital was won 40/1 by outsider El Jefe
The high rollers come flying
Among the wonderful facilities at the track, did you know that Aintree has its own helicopter port? Next to the fifth fence, a golf course fairway overlooking the infield has become a temporary takeoff and landing pad for the high rollers who fly there daily.
“Temporary” suggests that the facility is primitive, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is equipped with a luxurious waiting room, a radar control zone and there is a path for the chauffeur service to transport guests to the desired destination with minimum effort and maximum discretion.
Aintree has a host of wonderful facilities, including its own luxurious helicopter pad.
Security fight for JP McManus
Safety is paramount at Aintree and checks are carried out at every possible time to see if you have the right badge for the right venue. Those in charge of carrying out controls take their responsibilities seriously, as JP McManus discovered.
After watching Jonbon put his head down and race to the finish line in the Melling Chase, McManus returned to the winners’ enclosure with trainer Nicky Henderson to greet his successful horse.
However, being possibly the most famous man in the camp was no guarantee of getting through the necessary gate at first when he didn’t have his badge to show the security lady. A smile, a calm word and a laugh later and the problem was solved.
JP McManus is one of the most successful owners in jump racing, but even he required a thorough safety check.
Jamie Neild’s Aintree dream come true
Most Merseyside youngsters grow up dreaming of scoring a winning goal at Goodison Park or Anfield, and Jamie Neild was no different: a staunch Evertonian, he was on Liverpool’s books as a youngster and played football with a decent level. level.
Neild, however, had another dream and today it will come true when he takes the lead over Josh The Boss, owned by his father, John, in the Grade One Mersey Novices Hurdle. For a local lad to be in the middle of the action on National Day is a rare event and how he will relish it.
In November, Neild and Josh The Boss livened up an ordinary Aintree card by winning over the course and distance of Saturday’s race, sparking wild celebrations. You couldn’t imagine what it would be like if the couple pulled off a big shock, but they’ll do their best.
What makes this so special is that Neild is a purely amateur jockey and got into horse racing solely to try and ride a winner at Aintree. He’s realistic about Josh The Boss’s prospects against some top Irish horses, but stranger things have happened.
Millionaire businessman David Maxwell to ride Ain’t That A Shame in the Grand National
Maxwell acquires the purchase of his life
Racing’s unique place in the sporting landscape is best highlighted by this: where else could someone make a late purchase to snag a spot at the event? For example, you can’t simply buy an expensive set of golf clubs with the intention of playing a round at Augusta.
With that in mind, take a look at how Ain’t That A Shame fares in the big race. The gelding was trained by Henry de Bromhead 12 months ago and came out of the favorite of Rachael Blackmore and owner Brian Acheson, but never became competitive.
Ain’t That A Shame won the historic Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park in January for that trio, but was subsequently sold to Corinthian fan David Maxwell, 45, specifically to compete in the National. It will be the thrill of a real estate developer’s life.