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Notre Pere Set to Return to Aintree for Betfred Becher Chase
24/11/11

Notre Pere is on course for another crack at Aintree’s famous Grand National fences in the £100,000 Listed Betfred Becher Handicap Chase (2.10pm), highlight of Betfred Becher Chase Grand National Trials Day, which takes place this season on its new date of Saturday 3rd December.

Notre Pere
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Notre Pere

The 10-year-old, a Grade One winner at Punchestown in April, 2009, came home fifth under top-weight in the three and a quarter-mile contest last year for his former handler Jim Dreaper, despite nearly being brought down at Becher’s Brook.

He was transferred to Northern Irish trainer Barry Potts at the start of 2011 with a view to running in the John Smith’s Grand National but missed the Aintree highlight due to the ground not being soft enough for his liking.

Potts revealed: “The plan is for Notre Pere to run in the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase. He has done well over the summer and seems to be in good form at the moment.

“He was jumping well in the race last year but a couple of horses jumped into him early on and he was brought to a standstill at Becher’s Brook. With a clear round, I would be hopeful of a good run.

“He has gone down a bit in the weights now but the ground is crucial to him as he really needs it to be soft or heavy.

“He is a monster of a horse and I have always thought of him as a John Smith’s Grand National contender. He would really need Red Marauder conditions to have a real chance. We will look to run him in the race again next year but the deeper the ground, the better for him.

“We had planned to get a run into him beforehand but the ground hasn’t been right. There’s no substitute for having a race but hopefully we can give him a racecourse gallop at Navan and then school him over fences before heading to Aintree.”

The Betfred Becher Handicap Chase is a key trial for the John Smith’s Grand National. The recent BHA review into the Grand National stated that horses should have finished in the first four in a chase run over three miles or further to qualify for the John Smith’s Grand National. Therefore, in addition to gaining valuable experience of the Grand National fences, connections have even more incentive to target the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase this season.

Amberleigh House took the spoils in 2001 before giving his legendary trainer Ginger McCain a fourth victory in the John Smith’s Grand National in 2004, while Silver Birch scored in the 2004 renewal of the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase prior to success in the world’s greatest steeplechase in 2007. Black Apalachi won the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase in 2008 and was runner-up to Don’t Push It in the 2010 John Smith’s Grand National.

The £50,000 Betfred Grand Sefton Handicap Chase (3.20pm), run over an extended two miles and five furlongs of the National Course, has also thrown up clues to the John Smith’s Grand National, most notably Forest Gunner, who captured the race in 2004 and went on to finish fifth in the John Smith’s Grand National the same season.

Frankie Figg captured the Betfred Grand Sefton Handicap Chase in 2010 and his trainer Paul Nicholls has hinted that he will return to Aintree next month for the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase en route to a crack at the 2012 John Smith’s Grand National.

Trainer Peter Bowen has revealed that course specialist Always Waining, who has landed the past two renewals of the John Smith’s Topham Handicap Chase, is set to contest either the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase or the Betfred Grand Sefton Handicap Chase.

A seven-race card on Betfred Becher Chase Grand National Trials Day also includes the £35,000 Listed Betfred Goals Galore Bonus Chase (2.45pm). The action gets underway with at 12 noon with the Jaguar Northern Dealers Maiden Hurdle and continues with the Betfred Goals Galore Handicap Hurdle (12.35pm), the Betfred 1350 Shops Nationwide Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (1.05pm) and the Betfred Free Machine Play Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (1.35pm).

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