Looks as though the forum is asleep, so I'll get it off. Racing today comes from the following. LINGFIELD. NEWBURY. SEDGEFIELD. WOLVERHAMPTON. DUNDALK. Good luck all.
As it might be a slow day, I will ask the forumites a question that they will probably ignore! Who would you put on your horse if it was to run in the Grand National?
The younger of the Mr Waley-Cohen’s but he has already been claimed by his dad! And who can blame him as together Sam and Long Run make the perfect combination. Interestingly, the 2 top weights, providing they remain sound, will be ridden by Sam double barrelleds. I’ll wager a farthing that has never been done before!
I'm one of those who's of the opinion than any one of a dozen riders could do the job on a decent animal.
Have a look at his record over the National fences, old top. It is comparable to anyone in recent years.
don't see his name on the list - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_National Also in the last five years SWC is 0 from 9 at Aintree. I say he is zero from nine.
That is like saying because a jockey has won hunter chases or lesser handicaps around Kempton, you would put them on a King George horse!! Or if someone has won a foxhunters at Cheltenham, they should get legged up on a Gold Cup horse. His record in the big race isn't great, he has placed but he hasn't won and he has been on good horses too.
I'd go with Sam Twiston Davies Nass - although it's a redundant question because if I had money to won a horse he wouldn't be targetted anywhere near that race. I think my views on it have been well documented in the past!
Nass at Aintee Mr Waley Cohen has won the Topham on Liberthine and a pair of Foxhunters on Katarino. Plus in the GN itself he was 2nd on Oscar Time in 2011 and 4th on the same horse last year. The latter occassion, incidentally, was when Oscar was a 12YO and an unconsidered 66/1 shot. Mr Waley-Cohen last year rode the absolutely perfect race and gave him every chance possible.
I would pick Ruby Walsh every day of the week, he is the perfect jockey for the Grand National, patient and methodical and he has actually won the race before. I would always choose a jockey who has a patient style, I like Timmy Murphy too in the Grand National. I think its a very different race to the others over the obstacles, in races like the Topham and Sefton you really can ask horses to go and dominate with aggressive rides, and that is when I think the two double barrelled Sam's come to the fore. Barry Geraghty's ride on Triolo in the Topham 2013 was excellent too, if he repeats that performance this season, he will go very close. He probably is my second horse in the race with Teaforthree at the minute.
I noticed a while back when the weights came out, it was mentioned that Tidal Bay was well in. This may be the case, but will any one on the forum take a serious swing at him? I find it a bit hard to believe.
I only ever back one for the national - have a fiver each way on it to make the 50 p each ways for my mum and nieces and nephews a little less embarrassing - and it will be Tidal bay purely because I love him to bits
Who do we think, troops, has run the best GN trial?!? I won’t suprise anyone by saying Long Run up at Kelso, for me, but in second place I'd say was old boy Pineau De Re in the Pertemps Final (‘more plots than an Agatha Christie novel’ and all that) at the Festival. Ran on very well to take third and Don’t Push It used the same heat as a prep back in ’10.
Tough being a plotter these days: http://www.racingpost.com/news/live.sd?event_id=1140416&category=0 "The BHA alerted the Gambling Commission yesterday to the possibility of a complex betting-related issue involving races at Lingfield and Kempton"
