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| Aintree News 6th - 8th April 2006 |
Sir Rembrandt to Miss John Smith’s Grand National
06/04/06
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Sir Rembrandt will miss the John Smith’s Grand National, his trainer Robert Alner announced on Thusday morning. The 10-year-old, who finished seventh in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, was discovered to be lame.
"Andrew [Thornton] galloped him on Wednesday and everything was fine, nothing wrong at all, but he is just a little bit lame for whatever reason now and I just can’t take the chance in a race like that," said Alner, adding that Sir Rembrandt, once as low as 14/1 for the Grand National, will probably not race again this season.
Spot Thedifference, J P McManus’ cross-country specialist has also not been declared for Saturday’s race. Spot Thedifference was guaranteed a run after the withdrawal of Eurotrek on Wednesday, but Frank Berry, McManus’ racing manager, said: "Enda [Bolger] just wasn’t 100% happy with his blood, so he doesn’t go."
With Sir Rembrandt and Spot Thedifference now absent from Saturday’s line-up, Shotgun Willy, trained by Richard Guest, and Just In Debt, trained by Martin Todhunter, are running.
Shotgun Willy, the 2001 Hennessey Gold Cup winner, has run in the John Smith’s Grand National once previously, when he started favourite for the 2001 race, but pulled up after the 21st fence. Just In Debt has run in the last two editions of the race, unseating his rider in 2004 and finishing ninth last year.
Shotgun Due To Go Off In The John Smith’s Grand National
Shotgun Willy will make his first racecourse appearance for over a year in the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday, his participation confirmed with the withdrawal of Sir Rembrandt on Thursday morning.
Paul Beck bought Shotgun Willy at the sales in May, two months after the horse’s last race, when he pulled up in the John Smith’s Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter.
Beck admitted that the long layoff since isn’t the perfect scenario. "I would personally have wanted the horse to have a prep race, but Richard [Guest] thought we should go for it. Shotgun Willy has been going well on the gallops and Richard has put a lot of effort into his preparation and is quite capable of preparing a Grand National winner, as we know. And, of course, on his best form he would hack up," said Beck.
The horse will not run in his owner’s colours on Saturday, but in the colours if the Imagine Appeal, which raises money for the children’s hospital at Alder Hey. The charity was the first in Britain to register it’s own racing silks.
Beck, who owns LBM Data Marketing, a sponsor of Lancashire Cricket Club, also has a helicopter company, BEK Helicopters, and it will be flying in racegoers to the course on Saturday.
Amongst his passengers is Duncan Davidson, jockey Rose Davidson’s father, and David Manasseh, the owner of Whispered Secret, one of five horses in the John Smith’s Grand National trained by Martin Pipe.
Just In Debt Wants The Rain To Stay Away
Martin Todhunter, trainer of Just In Debt, who secured a place in the John Smith’s Grand National when Spot Thedifference withdrew on Thursday morning, is hoping that the rain stays away from Aintree before Saturday’s big race.
"Everything is going fine, but we could do with the ground drying out even more. The faster the going, the better as far as we are concerned. We don’t want dead ground," said the trainer.
Just In Debt’s last two chase victories have come on ground that was good or faster.
This year’s race will be Just In Debt’s third attempt to win the Grand National. He unseated his rider in 2004 and was ninth in last year’s race, weakening from two out. "He was going very well and at the time I thought he just hadn’t got home, but my horses weren’t right then," said Todhunter.
When the weights came out this year, on St Valentines Day, connections were pessimistic that the horse would even get a run.
"We had 56 horses above us, and we didn’t think we had much of a chance then, but now we are in the race it’s terrific for the owner Bill Hazeldean and for a small stable like ours," said Todhunter.
