There are plenty of options for a staying chaser this weekend: the London National (3.35 Sandown Saturday); the Welsh Grand National Trial (1.36 Chepstow Saturday); the Becher (2.40 Aintree Saturday); and the Scottish Borders National (2.00 Kelso Sunday). Earlier this afternoon Art Decco won the Hawke Barn Wedding & Special Events Handicap Chase run over an extended three and threequarters miles at Exeter.
Helpfully, Google (AI Mode) informs me that a staying chaser with a turn of foot is 'a highly valued description in horse racing, referring to a horse that possesses both the stamina for long-distance races and the ability to accelerate quickly at a crucial point in the race.'
Rather less helpfully, Google (AI Mode) doesn't provide an example of any such beast currently in training, and in any case comes with the catch-all caveat that AI responses may include mistakes.
Just the sort of paradox I thought I might bring up with Keira Knightley if, on the off chance, I happened to bump into her in the local Waitrose this morning, but, of course, the actress was nowhere to be seen, and I left the premises in the full knowledge I'd paid over the odds for a selection of sundry seasonal items that any Cassandra in the store would describe as nothing more than Christmas tat.
Enough.
Thirteen are set to face the starter for the Becher feature tomorrow (2.40 Aintree) run over a trip of three miles two furlongs - and over the Grand National fences; the going on the National course is currently described as good to soft, soft in places, with further rain forecast.
Favourite and top weight Mr Vango had some season last year.
Sarah Bradstock's charge started off by winning the London National at Sandown off a mark of 135, followed up in the Peter Marsh at Haydock, and then added the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter in March.
On a mark of 143 in February when the weights for the Grand National were framed, the front-runner wasn't high enough in the handicap to ensure a place in the final field of 34; now rated 152, there should be no concerns on that score this time around.
Connections will undoubtedly have the Aintree showpiece in April as his ultimate aim; along with Monbeg Genius he makes his seasonal debut tomorrow. Both horses also hold entries in the Welsh Grand National (Chepstow Saturday 27 December), as do last year's winner Val Dancer and Westerninthepark.
Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero saddle two, Gaboriot and White Rhino.
The former, second behind Colonel Harry in the Grand Sefton four weeks ago (Excello third, Mahons Glory fourth and White Rhino ninth of the ten to finish - over 20 lengths behind the winner), races from one pound out of the handicap and won a hunters' chase over four miles at Cheltenham in 2024 so looks guaranteed to stay.
White Rhino's chance was compromised to some extent by the fall of Seddon at the Chair, although I wasn't totally convinced he took a real cut at his fences that day.
With just five chase starts to his name, he's relatively unexposed but wouldn't be certain to see out the trip - on his penultimate start he was pulled up behind Moroder in the Grimthorpe at Doncaster and was found to have bled from the nose.
Of the pair Gaboriot looks the more solid option.
Seven days ago three pound claimer Tristan Durrell landed a big Saturday prize aboard a mare called Panic Attack and he goes for a famous double tomorrow aboard a mare called Galia Des Liteaux.
Last time out she finished fifth behind Sound And Fury in the Cumberland Handicap Chase at Carlisle, a pertinent piece of form. That day O'Connell (current favourite for the London National) and Westerninthepark finished ahead in third and fourth respectively, with Val Dancer last of the nine runners.
On revised terms, taking Durrell's three pound claim into account, she's weighted to finish just ahead of Westerninthepark but that only tells half the story.
Westerninthepark travelled through much of that Carlisle race looking the likely winner; set alight by Sean Bowen approaching the last, Olly Murphy's charge found nothing for pressure, losing two places in the final 110 yards.
The comments in running compiled by Andrew Sheret in the RP Weekender results section record that the gelding appeared to blow up after the last and remains unexposed over three miles plus; he's sired by Walk In The Park whose progeny includes Walk In The Mill, winner of this race in 2018 and 2019.
Val Dancer won last year's renewal of the Cumberland off 121 before going on to win the Welsh Grand National off a mark of 126 (Monbeg Genius fourth, Galia Des Liteaux fifth).
Mel Rowley's charge has won five of his ten chase starts and been placed on four occasions, so has to be respected; he was beaten just over 15 lengths off 132 at Carlisle five weeks ago and has been supported in the market this afternoon.
Bill Baxter showed his liking for the National fences when winning the 2023 renewal of the Topham run over two miles five furlongs. Trainer Warren Greatrex was firmly of the opinion the grey would stay a trip but subsequent 20 length defeats in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury and the Tommy Whittle at Haydock told a different story.
He won a listed handicap chase over three miles at Punchestown in May - the first time he has won over that distance - but in my book still has to prove he stays three and a quarter miles.
Current stable form is the main concern with Bioluminescence (Gavin Cromwell 1 win from 61 runners in the past fortnight) and Monbeg Genius - the first runner for the O'Neill yard following a three week shutdown, Sugar Road, was pulled up at Southwell on Tuesday having bled from the nose.
Both Excello and Mahons Glory ran well to finish third and fourth respectively in the Grand Sefton but neither looks guaranteed to stay.
Of the pair Excello is less exposed but since 2000 only two under the age of eight have come home in front - Silver Birch (2004; subsequently won the 2007 Grand National at 33/1) and Vieux Lion Rouge (2016).
By contrast, since 2000 eight winners have been aged ten or older and both Twig and Roi Mage won last time out.
Twig finished tenth behind Nick Rockett in this year's Grand National and held Courtland and Only The Bold a neck and a neck in a four runner veterans' handicap chase at Sandown four weeks ago.
Roi Magee came home in seventh behind Corach Rambler in the 2023 Grand National and won a listed cross country race in France at the end of September; Patrick Griffin's charge will appreciate any further rain.
An open renewal with question marks surrounding a number in the field; two pertinent pieces of form are the Grand Sefton at Aintree four weeks ago and the Cumberland at Carlisle five weeks ago.
I'm going to chance Westerninthepark with Brian Hughes up.
He travelled well the last day but the way he was passed after the last was disconcerting. In a recent stable tour article on the Sporting Life website Olly Murphy told readers:
"There could be a nice staying handicap chase in him. He didn't fulfill (sic) what we hoped he would do last season. He wants soft ground, but he is a grand horse.
"I think those nice three mile handicaps at Ascot, and races like that, are the sort of races we can look at with him.
"He won at Stratford and ran a cracker at Cheltenham at the November Meeting. He then went to Aintree and never turned up, but he ran better at Leicester.
"He ran okay in the Kim Muir, but good ground didn't suit. Hopefully he can run well at Carlisle."
Westerninthepark is the each-way suggestion, at the time of writing 10/1 generally, with bet365, William Hill and Betfred among the layers paying four places.
