THE DECISION of top English owner Graham Wylie to send a small but select group of horses to Willie Mullins this season has already reaped dividends but bookmakers reckon it could pay off in spades in April’s John Smiths Aintree Grand National.
Mullins has a dozen of the 31 Irish entries for the world’s most famous steeplechase and they include the Wylie-owned pair of On His Own and Prince De Beauchene, both of which attracted significant support after the National weights were released yesterday.
Paddy Power quote both Wylie horses at 16 to 1 to repeat Mullins’s 2005 National success with Hedgehunter and they are the shortest priced home contenders as Irish-trained horses chase a seventh National in 14 years.
On His Own was an impressive 13-length winner of the Thyestes at Gowran last month but initial punter reaction to Prince De Beauchene’s weight of 10st 6lb was to snap up any 33 to 1 that was available. As well as that Thyestes victory, the Wylie colours have been carried to Grade One success in Ireland this season by the top-class novice Boston Bob.
Lexus winner Synchronised tops the weights on 11-10, followed by the defending champion Ballabriggs on 11-9. David Pipe’s Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival winner Junior (11-2), however, remains ante-post favourite to complete a unique hat-trick.
Sunday’s Hennessy winner Quel Esprit is another Mullins entry and has been given 11-7, while the horse that finished third to him at Leopardstown, Treacle (10-8), is a definite National contender for trainer Tom Taaffe.
“Treacle has come out of the Hennessy well and the Grand National is absolutely the plan. He has gone up a stone in Ireland due to that run and otherwise he wouldn’t have got into the National and that’s why he ran at Leopardstown. He actually needed to run a good race and thank God, he’s run his best race ever,” Taaffe said yesterday.
“He was bought as a three-year-old for the owner Mr Nielsen with the intention to being a National horse some day but we didn’t think that it would take eight years. He jumps and stays, which is what you’ve got to do to have a chance in the National. At this stage we’re just trying to get there but it’s still a lottery,” he added.
Silver Birch’s 2007 victory propelled Gordon Elliott to the forefront of the racing industry and his Cheltenham Festival winner Chicago Grey is 25 to 1 to win in April.
“Chicago Grey’s got 10-13, which looks a great weight. I said if he got anything under 11st I’d be delighted so I’m certainly not complaining,” Elliott said.
Dessie Hughes has five entries, including the Hennessy runner-up Roberto Goldback (11-4) and the former National runner-up Black Apalachi (11-3). “Roberto Goldback is probably entitled to have that sort of weight on his level of form, but I think Black Apalachi’s weight is a disgrace. He hasn’t run in almost two years, he’s 13 years old now and they haven’t dropped him a pound.”
