Mike Vince wonders whether a Gavin Cromwell-trained Cheltenham Festival winner could be worth serious consideration for the Randox Grand National.
Last year's Randox Grand National hero Nick Rockett will make his first appearance since that memorable day last April in the Bluegrass Racehorse Cube Chase at Down Royal on Tuesday, and starting in the five-runner event over three and a quarter miles will ensure he becomes qualified for the defence of his crown with a week to spare.
Willie and Patrick Mullins haven’t had it easy finding a race for the nine-year-old who was a late withdrawl from the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown at the end of November and has suffered from small setbacks since.
Now he squares up to a Grade 1 winner from Aintree last year in Gerri Colombe, but at the end of a week that has produced many clues as to how things are shaping up ahead of April 11, a number of things do appear to have become a little clear.
Firstly, even by his standards JP McManus has the makings of his strongest ever squad. Forget not I Am Maximus - first and second the last two years and unraced since the Irish Gold Cup at last month's Dublin Racing Festival.
The two leading British-trained members of the green and gold club - Iroko and Jagwar - both ran in the top-10 in the Ultima on day one of the Festival, a race won by another McManus horse Johnnywho, who benefitted from a peach of a ride by Richie McLernon at Cheltenham.
His win doesn’t get a penalty for Aintree so he remains on 10-4 and needs more than a dozen horses to come out in order to get inside the top 34.
And what now for Spillane’s Tower, a race-morning withdrawl from the Gold Cup on account of the ground? Jimmy Mangan memorably has previous in the famous race and his charge has 11-8 to carry at Aintree.
McManus also has novice Oscars Brother in the race for the King brothers, the eight-year-old having run well enough when fourth behind Kitzbuhel in last week's Brown Advisory Novices' Chase over three miles. The extra difficulty is working out the influence the Irish Grand National, which takes place just five days before Aintree, may have on running plans.
But to this pair of eyes one of the best performances at Cheltenham by a horse with a National entry came from Final Orders, who ran away with the Glenfarclas Cross County Chase for trainer Gavin Cromwell, happily back in form, and the impressive rider Conor Stone-Walsh.
He has a set weight of 10-5 and needs half a dozen above him to come out which shouldn’t be a problem if recent years are anything to go by. Nor, too, should the marathon trip.
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