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Becher Chase |
Becher Handicap Chase on The Sawyer's Agenda
29/10/09
The second day of the Northwest Racing Masters at Aintree on Sunday, November 22, features the £100,000 Listed totesport.com Becher Handicap Chase, which gives horses the chance to race over the Grand National Course.
Somerset trainer Bob Buckler sees the three and a quarter-mile contest as the ideal opportunity for The Sawyer to stake his claim for the John Smith’s Grand National. The nine-year-old landed a Grade Three handicap chase at Cheltenham in January before falling at the last when lying sixth on his debut over the formidable National fences in the John Smith’s Topham Chase on April 3,
He went on to post two solid efforts in the space of three days at the Punchestown Festival, including when taking second behind J’y Vole in a two and a half mile handicap chase.
Buckler revealed: “The Sawyer would need to be a bit higher in the handicap to be guaranteed a run in the John Smith’s Grand National and the totesport.com Becher Chase could be on the agenda for him .
“He’s a big, burly horse and I might just be a bit too easy on him at home - He actually looked half-fit having run twice at the Punchestown Festival!
“He was still going well when he fell in the last in the John Smith’s Topham Chase and it was just one of those silly mistakes. He might have been getting a bit tired but he seemed to take to the fences there and I would like to see him go over them again.”
Aintree’s six race card also includes the £70,000 totesuper7 Grand Sefton Handicap Chase, run over two miles and five furlongs of the Grand National Course, as well as the £30,000 Best Odds Guaranteed At totesport.com Handicap Hurdle.
This year’s £200,000 Grade One Betfair Chase could meet with the royal seal of approval with the Queen’s Barbers Shop under consideration for the prestigious three-mile contest, highlight of racing at Haydock Park on Day One of the Northwest Racing Masters, Saturday, November 21.
