British Horseracing Authority handicapper Martin Greenwood is anticipating just a single-figure home representation in this year’s Randox Grand National at Aintree.
A total of 56 of the 87 handicapped entries are trained in Ireland, with the new safety limit of 34 meaning the current minimum rating at the initial weights stage is 149 – with just seven UK runners making that cut as things stand.
Although Greenwood expects the bottom rating to be slightly lower come the day, he does not anticipate a strong British squad numerically. Last year there were 13 British-trained starters, with Lucinda Russell’s Corach Rambler coming home in front for Scotland.
Greenwood said: “If the top 34 stood their ground, there would be seven UK runners. I reckon the cut-off will be about 144, even with a slightly small field. There’s every chance the will be single figures from the UK this year.
“I just get the horses and handicap them, the politics of the sport are nothing to do with me, I just get the horses and give them figures.
“I think the quality is there. Noble Yeats will definitely run, all being well, so the top-weight will be no lower than 165 and who knows with Hewick, they are such a game team. He could run a stormer in the Gold Cup and they might think it is ‘off we go’.”
In previous years the handicapper has taken advantage of what has been termed ‘the Aintree factor’ in allowing some tweaking of the weights, compressing the ratings in the hope of encouraging the best horses to take part.
This year’s top-weight Hewick is off his true mark of 169 following his King George VI Chase success, with Greenwood believing that to be an accurate assessment and a good starting point for the handicap.
Greenwood, who took over handicapping responsibilities from Phil Smith in 2019, said: “There’s no compression at all this year which is the first time, certainly since I’ve been doing the race.
“Hewick was on 169 after the King George and Ireland have rated him the same. I thought the King George flattered him to some extent. We all know his story, it’s a great one but they went flat out at Kempton and it is probably the one race in the calendar year in that division that doesn’t fit in if you like, given the nature of the track.
“We all know he’s a blinking good horse, but 169 is his actual UK rating. I just didn’t think there was any need to tinker.”
Corach Rambler is rated 13lb higher this time around, but Greenwood is far from certain he has got to the bottom of Russell’s charge.
He explained: “Corach Rambler is 159 this year which is the rating Tiger Roll won his second National off for a bit of historical precedence.
“He won off 146 last year but whatever he won by didn’t tell the whole story. He’s an incredible horse, he keeps a lot in the tank, he idles, we all know that and that makes him a handicapper’s nightmare.
“I think he’s going to run a big race and he’s joint-favourite. He ran pretty well on the maths last time in a small field at Haydock (when third in the Betfair Chase in November), he’s got a lot going for him, he’ll be well ridden by Mr (Derek) Fox who knows him very well and that is why he’s joint-favourite.
“(Runner-up) Vanillier ran off 147 last year and this year is 151. You could argue he did everything too late last year but part of that is because Corach Rambler was idling.
“In my eyes nothing would have beaten Corach Rambler last year but Vanillier did shape really well and has been hiding his light under a bushel this year like many do, but I think we know enough about him.”
One horse who does have a sizeable discrepancy in his official rating versus his National weight is the Mouse Morris-trained Foxy Jacks, winner of a cross-country event at Cheltenham in November.
His mark is 147 but he is off 11st in the National, which puts him at a perch of 157, although Greenwood offered his explanation.
He said: “I just have to treat this as any other race, and that is not me being blase. The one horse who sticks out on UK v Ireland ratings is Foxy Jacks but that is because the Irish don’t take into account cross country races so he’s 147 in Ireland and he ran off 149 at Cheltenham in November when he beat Latenightpass. That is why there is 10lb gap.”
Last year’s runner-up Vanillier is the ante-post favourite with most bookmakers following the publication of the weights for this year’s Randox Grand National.
Gavin Cromwell’s grey was rated 147 when finishing best of the rest behind Corach Rambler at Aintree last April and will this year compete from a mark of 151, which does at least guaranteed him a starting berth in what will be a reduced field of 34 runners for the first time.
Reflecting on last year’s performance, Cromwell said: “We were obviously thrilled to be second in the Grand National, but when you’re coming home well like that you do think about what could have been.
“But it was a great moment. We had lots of luck last year. He went round on the inside and got all the luck – you need luck in every National.
“It’s every trainer’s dream to win the Grand National and we’ll certainly give it a good shot again this year anyway.”
Assuming top-weight Hewick takes his chance, Vanillier will carry 10st 8lb on his return to Merseyside.
The nine-year-old has been well beaten in three starts so far this season, finishing fifth behind star two miler El Fabiolo in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork, fifth over hurdles at Punchestown and 15th on his most recent outing in a handicap chase at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival.
However, it is clear Cromwell has had one race in mind all along.
He added: “I’d have to be happy enough with that (rating). It’s a lovely racing weight and having been second last year it’s got to be expected.
“He’s been trained for this race really and it’s a case of him coming in the spring – he is a spring horse.
“He’s going to have to improve plenty but he does have the experience of last year.”
When told that Vanillier is the 12-1 favourite with the Grand National’s official betting partner, William Hill, Cromwell laughed: “I won’t be worrying about that, but I hope they’re right!”
The County Meath handler has three other potential National contenders in Letsbeclearaboutit (10st 10lb), Limerick Lace (10st 4lb) and Malina Girl (10st 2lb).
He added: “Letsbeclearaboutit is a possible for the race. He needs one more run to qualify. He’s likely to go to Cheltenham and hopefully that’ll qualify him, but the plan is certainly to go to Aintree.
“Limerick Lace will probably go to Cheltenham. We’ll see how that goes as to whether we go to Aintree. Malina Girl, she’s a fair way down the list but I would like to run her if we can.”
Corach Rambler (11st 2lb) is one of several horses just behind Vanillier in the betting with William Hill at 14-1, while Panda Boy has been cut to 16-1 after being allotted 10st 3lb.
Gordon Elliott’s pair of Delta Work (11st) and Galvin (10st 12lb) have also been trimmed to 25-1 from 33-1 and 40-1 respectively, while Mr Incredible (10st 7lb) has been pushed out to 40-1 from 25-1.
Gordon Elliott has nominated Galvin as one of his leading hopes as he goes in search of a record-equalling fourth victory in the Randox Grand National at Aintree.
The master of Cullentra had not even trained a winner in Ireland when he first struck National gold with Silver Birch in 2007 and he has, of course, since trained the hugely-popular Tiger Roll to land back-to-back runnings of the world most famous steeplechase in 2018 and 2019.
None of Elliott’s five runners in the 2023 Grand National managed to complete the course, but with 23 horses currently entered and qualified for this year’s renewal – including eight in the top 34 guaranteed a start – he is looking forward to having another crack at the Aintree showpiece on April 13.
Elliott, who is looking to join Ginger McCain, Fred Rimell and 19th Century trainer George Dockery as a four-time winner of the race, said: “It’s the greatest race in the world, if you’re not in you can’t win and we’ll probably end up running eight or 10 horses.
“We’ve got a great bunch of horses. It’s still a great thrill for us. We’d love to win it again and if we did it would be very special. Tiger Roll winning it for a second time was unbelievable.”
With an allotted weight of 11st 9lb, Conflated is the highest-rated of Elliott’s 2024 squad, while Coko Beach (11st 4lb), Ash Tree Meadow (11st 2lb) and Delta Work (11st) are all above the 11st mark.
Galvin (10st 12lb) unseated Davy Russell at the first fence 12 months ago, but will be carrying nearly a stone less this time around.
“I think Galvin looks well in – he’s below 11st,” Elliott added.
“He went at the first last year, but he’s only been trained with two races in mind this season, the cross-country race at Cheltenham and the English Grand National. I like him with 10st 12lb.
“There’s every chance Conflated could run and Coko Beach will go for the cross country at Cheltenham and then for the National, that’s the plan. Coko Beach would have a great chance if it was soft.
“Ash Tree Meadow is probably not that well handicapped, I don’t know about him.
“Delta Work is a horse we’re forgetting about, he’s been around a couple of times, he’s not getting any younger but he’s coming down in the weights. He has loads of experience.”
Chemical Energy is an interesting contender, having been bought back by Elliott for €215,000 at the recent dispersal sale of owners Andy and Gemma Brown.
The eight-year-old, who will now carry the colours of Noel and Valerie Moran’s Bective Stud, is 38th in the order of entry with a weight of 10st 5lb.
Elliott said: “We’ve been waiting for nice ground for Chemical Energy. The Grand National has been the plan all year. If the ground was nice he could have a massive chance.”
Considering some of his other potential runners, he went on: “Farouk D’Alene (10st 11lb) might go to the Irish National and Salvador Ziggy (10st 11lb) will go for the National Hunt Chase and could go for the Grand National afterwards.
“All’s good with Fury Road (10st 9lb), he’ll definitely run, and Minella Crooner (10st 6lb) and Run Wild Fred (10st 6lb) will both run if they get in.
“We’ll have to wait and see with Favori de Champdou (10st 4lb) as he might go for the Irish National, but The Goffer (10st 4lb) will definitely run if he gets in.”
Elliott’s other entries are Embittered (10st 3lb), Gevrey (10st 3lb), Fakir D’Alene (10st), Diol Ker (9st 13lb), Riaan (9st 13lb), Samcro (9st 13lb), Dunboyne (9st 11lb), Tullybeg (9st 11lb), Frontal Assault (9st 9lb) and Where It All Began (9st 6lb).
Lucinda Russell expressed her satisfaction after her reigning Grand National hero Corach Rambler was allotted 11st 2lb for the defence of his title at Aintree in April.
The 10-year-old provided his Scottish trainer with her second success in the great race last season when triumphing by two and a quarter lengths under Derek Fox, adding his name to the roll of honour alongside 2017 winner One For Arthur.
He carried a burden of 10st 5lb on that occasion when running off 146, but inevitably the victory has triggered a rise in his rating and he now carries a mark of 159.
Russell had expected the hike as the horse is also a contender for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and will turn his attentions to Aintree after his visit to the Cotswolds in March.
“It’s more than he carried last year, but I was hoping he’d get around 11st, so 11st 2lb is ideal. I just really hope Shark (Hanlon) runs Hewick (top-weight),” she said.
“His prep is going fine, at the moment he looks super.
“It seems a bit of an odd thing to run him in the Gold Cup and we have entered him in the Ultima (at Cheltenham) too, but he’d be carrying a lot of weight in that.
“He’s a stayer, he loves it round Cheltenham and we’ll take our chance.
“Winning the National is incredibly addictive. When you win it the first time it’s fabulous, when you win it the second time you want three and you think ‘we can do it again!’. It’s obsessive!”
Corach Rambler is ridden at home by Russell’s partner and assistant trainer, the eight-time champion jump jockey Peter Scudamore.
He said of the horse, who was last seen finishing fifth in the Betfair Chase: “We’re very, very happy with him. We just take it each day at a time. He seems to be enjoying his work – I thought he ran a good race at Haydock.
“He clearly enjoys Aintree. He seems to come together this time of year, too.”
Corach Rambler won the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last March before going on to win the National the following month and Scudamore is confident that his chances of repeating last year’s Aintree feat will not be hindered by his Gold Cup exertions.
He said: “I remember Rough Quest did it (ran in both). Miinnehoma did it. The Gold Cup is a furlong further than the Ultima so I don’t see it being an issue.
“The timing is right. I don’t think if he runs in the Gold Cup that he’d be having a harder race than he did in the Ultima (last year). We had a pattern to work from last year and we’ve tried to stick to it. I think sometimes it’s easier to run well in a conditions race than it is in a top handicap off a high weight.”
Lucinda Russell expressed her satisfaction after her reigning Grand National hero Corach Rambler was allotted 11st 2lb for the defence of his title at Aintree in April.
The 10-year-old provided his Scottish trainer with her second success in the great race last season when triumphing by two and a quarter lengths under Derek Fox, adding his name to the roll of honour alongside 2017 winner One For Arthur.
He carried a burden of 10st 5lb on that occasion when running off 146, but inevitably the victory has triggered a rise in his rating and he now carries a mark of 159.
Russell had expected the hike as the horse is also a contender for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and will turn his attentions to Aintree after his visit to the Cotswolds in March.
“It’s more than he carried last year, but I was hoping he’d get around 11st, so 11st 2lb is ideal. I just really hope Shark (Hanlon) runs Hewick (top-weight),” she said.
“His prep is going fine, at the moment he looks super.
“It seems a bit of an odd thing to run him in the Gold Cup and we have entered him in the Ultima (at Cheltenham) too, but he’d be carrying a lot of weight in that.
“He’s a stayer, he loves it round Cheltenham and we’ll take our chance.
“Winning the National is incredibly addictive. When you win it the first time it’s fabulous, when you win it the second time you want three and you think ‘we can do it again!’. It’s obsessive!”
Corach Rambler is ridden at home by Russell’s partner and assistant trainer, the eight-time champion jump jockey Peter Scudamore.
He said of the horse, who was last seen finishing fifth in the Betfair Chase: “We’re very, very happy with him. We just take it each day at a time. He seems to be enjoying his work – I thought he ran a good race at Haydock.
“He clearly enjoys Aintree. He seems to come together this time of year, too.”
Corach Rambler won the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last March before going on to win the National the following month and Scudamore is confident that his chances of repeating last year’s Aintree feat will not be hindered by his Gold Cup exertions.
He said: “I remember Rough Quest did it (ran in both). Miinnehoma did it. The Gold Cup is a furlong further than the Ultima so I don’t see it being an issue.
“The timing is right. I don’t think if he runs in the Gold Cup that he’d be having a harder race than he did in the Ultima (last year). We had a pattern to work from last year and we’ve tried to stick to it. I think sometimes it’s easier to run well in a conditions race than it is in a top handicap off a high weight.”
Shark Hanlon concedes King George hero Hewick is a worthy top-weight for this year’s Randox Grand National at Aintree.
The last-gasp Kempton winner has been handed 11st 12lb for the April 13 spectacular, putting him at the top of the 87 contenders for the extended four-and-a-quarter-mile contest.
A Cheltenham Gold Cup date awaits next month first, however, with Hanlon dreaming of a big-race hat-trick in the crown jewels of the staying chase calendar.
He said: “I knew he’d have top-weight. You have to expect that. He probably deserves top-weight.
“I think the trip will suit him. He’s going for the Gold Cup first and please God he comes out of the Gold Cup safe and if he does he’ll definitely head there (to Aintree).
“It’s a mighty day. It’s one of those days you look forward to all year. The National, the Gold Cup and the King George at Kempton – they’re the three big days in England aren’t they, so it’s great to have a runner there.”
While Hewick – who is one of 56 Irish-trained possibles – has proven himself at Grade One level and numbers the American Grand National on his CV, he is no stranger to major handicaps, with the €850 purchase having prevailed off 11st 7lb in the 2022 Galway Plate after also landing the bet365 Gold Cup off 3lb less.
Hanlon feels conditions rather than weights are key for his contender, with the revised safety limit of 34 meaning there is just 20lb between Hewick and those who would be at the bottom of the field, with Latenightpass, Minella Crooner and Run Wild Fred all sitting on 10st 6lb.
He added: “The most important thing is that he gets good ground. With fewer runners in the race this year, there won’t be quite as much weight between us and the horses at the bottom. In previous years the difference could be a fair bit more and we’d be giving more away.
“He won the Galway Plate off nearly top-weight, he won the bet365 (Oaksey Chase at Sandown Park) off a big weight. It’s not that he’s not used to carrying top-weight and he carries it very well.
“All is great with him and he couldn’t be better. I’m very, very happy with him.”
Last year’s winner Corach Rambler is off 11st 2lb this time for Lucinda Russell, having triumphed carrying 10st 5lb, with the second-placed Vanillier allotted 10st 8lb – just 2lb more than in 2023 – as he tries to turn the tables.
Conflated, one of a battalion of Gordon Elliott-trained entries, is second in the handicap on 11st 9lb while 2022 winner Noble Yeats is 1lb lower, with Emmet Mullins plotting a Stayers’ Hurdle spin at Cheltenham before another Aintree challenge.
Cotswold Chase winner Capodanno is the highest-weighted of Willie Mullins’ team on 11st 4lb – the same weight as Gary Moore’s Welsh National winner, Nassalam.
The John McConnell-trained Mahler Mission has been among the leading contenders for some time and has been given 11st 1lb, with other key names including Henry de Bromead’s pair of 2021 Gold Cup winner Minella Indo (11st 2lb) and Aint That A Shame (10st 9lb), who was a gamble in the race last year but trailed home well beaten.
Six fewer runners will go to post this year as part of safety changes made by Aintree, with the reduction in field size leaving some fancied names already needing a number of runners to drop out.
The Jonjo O’Neill-trained Monbeg Genius is one of six entries currently sitting on 10st 4lb with a number in the low 40s, which would have been sufficient in many other years to make the final field, while Panda Boy – one of four 14-1 co-second-favourites with William Hill, is rated 1lb below but at a number in the 50s.
Dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin has a ticket to Dubai booked for the Sheema Classic as a mixed turf and dirt campaign beckons.
The Deep Impact colt is out of multiple Group One winner Rhododendron and lived up to his exceptional pedigree when taking both the Derby and Irish Derby last term.
He capped his domestic season by winning another Group One title in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, after which he set sail for Santa Anita and defeated a competitive field to land the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
After that performance there was some discussion as to whether he would retire to stud or stay in training, with connections sportingly choosing the latter option.
A winter break followed and the four-year-old is due to return in the Sheema Classic, run over a mile and a half at the Dubai World Cup fixture in Meydan in late March.
Auguste Rodin did a piece of work on the all-weather track at Dundalk ahead of the journey, after which he has a turf campaign pencilled in before connections expect to discuss running him on a dirt surface.
O’Brien – who runs Luxembourg and Tower Of London in Saudi Arabia on Saturday – said: “That’s the plan for him, the Sheema Classic, then we were thinking of going back for the Tattersalls Gold Cup and then maybe to Ascot for the Prince of Wales’s.
“We’ll have a look at racing him on the dirt after that, it’s very possible with these types of horses that you can push the boundaries a bit and explore a little bit and see what happens.
“He was at Dundalk on Friday, he went a mile and a quarter with three other horses and went very well.
“He came back then and started preparing for Dubai, that’s the plan.”
Humble Lion FC have been punished by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) competitions Committee for its use of an ineligible player in their Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League encounter against Montego Bay United on Sunday.
The game which ended 2-1 to Humble Lion at Wespow Park, has now been awarded to Montego Bay United by a 3-0 scoreline, after the Clarendon-based team was found in breach of Article 17.2 and 18.3.i of the Jamaica Premier League regulations.
This follows an appeal by Montego Bay United's management, after documents in an email from the Jamaica Football Federation’s Competitions Committee pointed out, in red highlighted letters, that the player in question had accumulated five yellow cards and was not eligible to play against MBU on Sunday.
As a result of the ruling, Montego Bay United moves up to 26 points, but remain eighth, while Humble Lion has been relegated to 11th position on 18 points. Cavalier continues to head the standing on 43 points, one ahead of Mount Pleasant Football Academy, on 42 points, with Portmore United in third on 39 points.
Tivoli Gardens (37 points), Arnett Gardens (35 points) and Waterhouse FC (27 points), currently occupies the other playoff positions.
Oisin Murphy can call on some familiar names when he heads to Saudi Arabia for the world’s most valuable racing festival this weekend.
The 28-year-old has clocked up the air miles this winter riding across the globe and has picked up three plum rides on Saturday’s Saudi Cup card at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse.
Murphy guided The Foxes to Dante glory for long-time training ally Andrew Balding prior to finishing fifth in the Derby at Epsom, and now has the chance to go one better than when narrowly denied in the Belmont Derby last July.
The King Power Racing-owned four-year-old tuned up for his Middle East assignment in the Neom Turf Cup by running on the Tapeta at Southwell, with rivals in the $2million event set to include Aidan O’Brien’s Hong Kong Cup runner-up Luxembourg.
“The Foxes had his prep race at Southwell and I’ve ridden him at home in between and Andrew is very happy with him,” said Murphy.
“I should have won a Grade One on him in America in the Belmont Derby. He got no run then, but fast ground and left-handed suits him.
“I think apart from Luxemburg, on ratings he should be bang there, and I’m really looking forward to him.”
Murphy also enjoyed plenty of joy aboard Kieran Cotter’s Matilda Picotte at the backend of last season and will be hoping to pick up some more prize-money aboard the top-class Irish filly.
The four-year-old has excelled over seven furlongs previously and with the trip for the $2m Turf Sprint run over a distance just shy of that number, the jockey believes a bold bid is possible.
“Matilda Picotte has a lot of speed and was brilliant last year,” continued Murphy.
“Her form in the autumn went up to another level and I think the distance is probably ideal – just under seven furlongs.
“She’s got so much natural speed and although it is a different type of track maybe to where her best performances have come – Doncaster and Newmarket – she has plenty of racing experience now and I hope I will get a nice draw on her.”
The Irishman, who away from the globetrotting is in red-hot form back on the all-weather in the UK, also rides Marco Botti’s Yorkshire Cup winner Giavellotto in the Red Sea Turf Handicap.
“Giavellotto is going to carry a lot of weight but he is a big horse and his form is really good for this sort of race,” added Murphy.
“I remember Andrea (Atzeni) winning on him at York and a repeat of that sort of performance would put him right in the mix.”
After clinching a 1-0 preliminary phase win over Guyana, Caribbean representative Dominican Republic will bow into group stage action at the inaugural Concacaf Women's Gold Cup on Tuesday evening.
However, their task will be as tough as it can get to kick off a tournament, as they are up against four-time World Champions United States in the feature contest of a Group A double-header at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Mexico and Argentina will lock horns in the curtain-raiser, with the games scheduled for 7:30pm and 10:15pm Eastern Standard Time.
United States vs. Dominican Republic
Having won all there is to win in the Concacaf region and also on the world stage, there is no doubt that United States, the reigning Concacaf Women's Championship title holders, start as one of the favourites, if not the overwhelming favourite to become the first champions of this Women's Gold Cup. That basically underscores the difficulty of Dominican Republic's assignment to get things underway.
Rated as the most decorated team in the world, United States qualified to the Women's Gold Cup after topping the 2022 Concacaf Women's Championship, with victory in all five games played. They’re returning to the main stage after they exited the 2023 Women's World Cup at the Round of 16 stage and will be under the guidance of interim coach Twila Kilgore, until new Head Coach Emma Hayes takes the reins.
With this new leadership, United States women's outfit will try to get another Concacaf trophy under their belt, and players like striker Sophia Smith, who has 15 goals within major tournaments like the World Cup and Women's Championship, will be integral to their chances of achieving the feat.
Midfielder Lindsey Horan, who captained the team in Australia/New Zealand, where she scored two goals, and was one of the difference-makers during the qualifying tournament, will also be a key factor in a stacked United States team.
Still, Dominican Republic will be optimistic of giving a good account of themselves, as rubbing shoulders with United States will certainly give their women's programme a great deal of confidence going forward.
In fact, the Spanish-speaking Caribbean women have grown in confidence since their Gold Cup qualifying run, where they amassed five wins and a solitary loss in six League B games, with 24 goals to their credit. The likes of Kathrynn González, who scored the banger against Guyana in the preliminary, and Mia Asenjo, who had nine shots on Saturday, will be key to Dominican Republic's chances of possibly finding the net.
Goalkeeper Paloma Pena, who made key saves against Guyana, will be hoping to repeat her clean sheet feat on this occasion.
Mexico vs. Argentina
Prior to the United States and Dominican Republic clash, Mexico and Argentina will square off. The two are familiar with each other, having shared the pitch at the Pan American Games, where Mexico won 2-0 in the semi-finals to improve to an overall record to four wins and a loss against Argentina.
Under Head Coach Pedro Lopez, Mexico registered victory in all four games in Group A of League A, and with the disappointment of missing last year's World Cup still fresh in their minds, they will be hoping to make amends to an extent, with a deep run in this tournament.
Players like Maria Sanchez, who scored two goals and had the most shots (13), and Natalia Mauleon, who made an impression with the Under-17 and Under-20 National Teams, will again be aiming to make an impact as they did in the qualifiers.
Argentina, who placed third at the CONMEBOL Copa America Femenina in 2022, with four wins and two losses, will be intent of showing their class to get a win on North American soil.
Head Coach German Portanova has generational talent in players like Yamila Rodriguez, who was the top scorer of the 2022 Copa America with six goals. Another Argentinian sensation is Sophia Braun, who got on the scoresheet at last year's World Cup.
Harry Fry is poised to let Boothill take a shot at the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, despite his star chaser heading into the Cheltenham Festival on the back of two falls.
A winner of seven of his 17 starts, the nine-year-old has claimed Grade Two honours over fences and started the current campaign in blistering form, winning two valuable Ascot handicaps at two miles.
Testing conditions saw him miss out on a run in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, but he has returned to graded company the last twice where he has failed to complete in both the Desert Orchid at Kempton and Newbury’s Game Spirit Chase earlier this month.
However, Fry has few concerns about Boothill’s jumping and rather than face the burden of top-weight in the Grand Annual, is preferring to let his charge take his chance in the feature of Wednesday’s Festival action, where his rivals are likely to include the mighty duo of El Fabiolo and Jonbon.
“He’s fine and come out of the race at Newbury well and we’re still working towards Cheltenham, albeit it’s not an ideal prep coming down the last twice,” said Fry.
“Fundamentally he jumps well, he has just made two mistakes and fallen on the two occasions he has made a mistake. He’s fine in himself and it’s got to be onwards and upwards.”
He went on: “At Newbury we knew the ground had gone against him, but having fallen at Kempton, we knew it was our last opportunity to run and we just thought we would use it to get a clear round under his belt.
“Unfortunately the heavy ground just finds his wind out and that was exactly what Johnny (Burke, jockey) said – going to the second last his wind just gave out on him and he just made a tired lunge at the fence rather than a genuine mistake. He’s normally very surefooted.
“It’s either the Champion Chase or carry top-weight in the Grand Annual and we’re inclined to let him take his chance (in the Champion Chase) on hopefully a bit better ground.
“Wee’re not saying we’ll go there and win, but if he was to run a good race then you never know.”
Alice Capsey has set her sights on World Cup glory with England this year after a rollercoaster 2023.
The teenage sensation has enjoyed a rapid rise since starring in the inaugural Hundred at the age of 16, being snapped up by franchise leagues around the globe and making her international bow in both white-ball formats during the ensuing two-and-a-half-years.
Capsey played her part in the drawn Women’s Ashes last summer, but was also involved in the England team which lost in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup at the start of 2023.
The next World Cup will take place in Bangladesh later this year and the explosive batter wants to help Heather Knight’s side go all the way.
“Hopefully we can go one better this year and not have the same disappointment we had,” Red Bull athlete Capsey told the PA news agency.
“What we’ve got in the dressing room at the moment is a really fun and supportive culture. Everyone is loving being a part of it and the freedom we’re given.
“People really came out and watched us in the Ashes, so we want to keep building momentum. We want to keep showing what women’s cricket is about.
“We speak a lot in the dressing room about inspiring and entertaining. I think that shows in how we play and I hope it does, but that’s another thing we’ll look to build on and do even better this year. It is a really exciting year.”
Last year started with Capsey facing a race against time to be fit for the T20 World Cup in February after she broke her collarbone in the West Indies two months earlier.
Capsey recovered but was out for a duck in England’s semi-final loss to South Africa before she was whisked off to India for the inaugural Women’s Premier League, where she helped Delhi Capitals finish runners-up.
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A maiden Ashes series was the next assignment for Capsey, who struck a classy 46 in a memorable five-wicket victory over Australia at a packed Lord’s and followed it up with an important 40 in another nail-bitter at Bristol.
The final act of 2023, after featuring in the Hundred and Big Bash League in Australia, was England’s tour of India where red-ball disappointment followed for the 19-year-old after she had also been overlooked for the one-off Ashes Test in June.
“It has definitely been a rollercoaster,” Capsey admitted.
“Yeah, international cricket and any international sport is hard. It takes a toll on the mind and also physically so those couple of injuries didn’t help me, but I am starting to find my way now of how to manage it all.
“It was a season of highs and lows, but I probably didn’t perform as well as I would have liked. I was a bit inconsistent and that is something I want to work on and is definitely a goal I am looking towards for 2024.
“It was a really enjoyable year. A lot of firsts again which sounds a bit crazy after the last three years but it was brilliant.
“Playing in a World Cup and things like that, they are all high-pressure moments. Hopefully the more moments like that I have, the better I will get at competing in them and the more experiences I will have to look back on.
“I guess it is kind of building a toolbox so you can come back to when the pressure is on.”
Capsey begins 2024 in India with another edition of the WPL before she joins up with the England squad for the final two T20s of a five-match series in New Zealand.
It kickstarts an action-packed year of white-ball cricket, but the all-rounder’s Test ambitions still burn brightly.
“Everyone had a lot of conversations with the management staff and it was definitely a combined decision over what was best for the individual,” Capsey explained regarding her WPL participation.
“We have a World Cup in Bangladesh and looking even more to the future we have a 50-over World Cup next year in India and this is part and parcel of my development.
“I have targeted an area I want to work on, which is spin and it is another stepping stone in my development to spend a bit longer out here and pick the brains of the people who play spin the best.
“If individuals are getting better and learning how to play their best games in those conditions, it will benefit England as well.
“Having that aspiration to continue working really hard and that end goal to make my Test debut is definitely something at the forefront of my mind and something I’m working towards.”
Red Bull athlete Alice Capsey is an England and Delhi Capitals all-rounder. Find out more about her here.
Thursday’s meeting at Huntingdon has been called off due to a waterlogged track.
The venue was due to host a six-race National Hunt card but the course is not fit for action, with areas of standing water and further rain forecast ahead of the fixture.
Clerk of the course Roderick Duncan inspected the track on Tuesday morning and had little option but to abandon.
He said: “We flooded again on Sunday and while the water levels have dropped, there are still areas of standing water on various parts of the track.
“While the river levels are dropping, the forecast for more rain on Wednesday and Thursday is just not helpful.”
The British Horseracing Authority has already announced an additional meeting on Thursday at Chelmsford.
Anno Power has left Harry Fry full of excitement after booking her ticket to Aintree with a scintillating display at Ascot on Saturday.
Held in high regard by her trainer, the five-year-old suffered a narrow reversal at the hands of Ben Pauling’s Dunskay on her debut, but put the record straight in breathtaking fashion when sent off the 5-4 favourite for the British EBF Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race.
Having succumbed to keenness in her first outing, she was ridden cold by Jonathan Burke at Ascot and still had the whole field to pass before her jockey flicked the switch within the final two furlongs.
She quickened impressively, swallowing up her rivals one by one, before hitting full flow as she hit the line almost three lengths clear of the runner-up, the Karl Burke-trained Nala The Lioness.
Anno Power will now be held back for the Grade Two Goffs UK Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race on the opening day of Aintree’s Grand National Festival (April 11), a race won in the last two years by Ashroe Diamond (2022) and Dysart Enos (2023).
“We’re very excited with her and to be honest I was rather disappointed when she got beat the first day at Exeter,” said Fry.
“She over-raced a bit that day and was last off the bridle up against a horse of Ben Pauling’s who won again last week under a penalty and looks a useful young horse. It turned into a bit of a duel up the straight at Exeter, which didn’t play to our strengths but we learnt plenty about her.
“She was running against mares for the first time on Saturday and we knew first and foremost we needed to get her switched off to give herself a chance, hence why Johnny rode such a patient race.
“We were trying to teach her with the future in mind and she had to settle. If she was capable of what we think she is, then when he asked her turning in, we would be able to see if she could go and win the race – and the manner in which she did was hugely exciting.
“It was impressive to see her pass the field like she did and quicken and then keep quickening to the line and then gallop right through the line.
“I was delighted to see her take that next step forward and now we can go to Aintree for the Grade Two mares’ bumper on the opening day of the Grand National meeting. That would probably be that for this season and then she will be a nice novice hurdling prospect for next season.”
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