Gordon Elliott has picked out Pied Piper as an “interesting” contender for this year’s Randox Grand National – if he can sneak into the world’s greatest steeplechase.
The Cullentra House-based trainer has won the Grand National three times in his career, first with Silver Birch in 2007 and then back-to-back with Tiger Roll in 2018 and 2019.
This year he has 12 horses currently entered, with the handicapper marking up the Robcour-owned Gerri Colombe as his highest rated at 166 – a weight of 11st 10lb.
However, Elliott picked out a horse at the other end of the weights as one to watch ahead of the Aintree showpiece on Saturday 11th April.
Eight-year-old Pied Piper won three races on the bounce in Ireland last year, but after failing to find his way back to the winner’s enclosure in any of his eight starts since has been given a rating of 145 and a weight of 10st 3lb.
At number 53 in the list, Elliott would need 19 horses to come out to guarantee Pied Piper a place in the National.
And Elliott said: “Pied Piper - if he snuck in at the bottom he’d be interesting. He’s been running well in those good handicap chases and we’d be looking forward to him.”
Elliott said it was too early to know whether many of his other entries will end up at Aintree, but did add that Favori de Champdou will “definitely run”.
A fourth victory in the Randox Grand National would see him equal the number of winners achieved by Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain and Elliott is no less determined to land the prize than he was when doing it for the first time in 2007.
He said: “It’s mad that it’s nearly 20 years since Silver Birch. It’s a great race and we’d love to win it again.”
Flooring Porter a contender for Cromwell
Fellow Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell would love to add the Randox Grand National to his trophy cabinet after landing last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and will look to Flooring Porter as his highest-rated contender.
Cromwell came close when Vanillier finished second in 2023 and the Navan-based trainer is hoping that his stable stalwart Flooring Porter can land the most famous race of them all.
Now 11 years old, Flooring Porter has been rated 157 by the handicapper and given a weight of 11st 1lb for the big day.
Asked if Aintree is still the target for the two-time Stayers’ Hurdle winner after his last outing in the Grade 2 Betfair Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January, Cromwell replied: “Yes, that’s the plan.
“I was happy enough with his Cheltenham run. He jumped well – he just got a little bit tired but he’s entitled to do that. He might go to the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham before Aintree.”
The JP McManus-owned Perceval Legallois lined up in last year’s National and was in midfield until falling at the ninth.
Perceval Legallois has 10st 9lb for this year’s race and Cromwell added: “We would look to have another go with him this year.”
Now Is The Hour, rated 149 with a weight of 10st 7lb, won last time out at Gowran Park last month but Cromwell is not sure about his participation, saying: “Obviously softer ground would suit him better. If it was like last year’s ground it probably wouldn’t suit him.”
On the 10-year-old Final Orders being rated 147 and given 10st 5lb, he said: “The better the ground the more it’ll suit him. He’ll go to the Festival [Cheltenham] first for the Cross Country.”
Cromwell’s fifth entry, Yeah Man is unlikely to make the 34 having been rated 143 and handed a weight of 10st 1lb, but his trainer said: “If he got in we’d probably let him take his chance.”
De Bromhead debates options with Monty's Star
Henry de Bromhead has admitted he has a tough decision to make with his highest rated Randox Grand National contender, Monty’s Star, after the handicapper put him up by two pounds.
The Knockeen-based trainer has had 17 runners in the Aintree spectacle, the first of them when Buckers Bridge finished 11th in 2014. He went on to make history by winning in 2021, when Minella Times helped Rachael Blackmore become the first female jockey to triumph in the race.
After learning Monty's Star’s rating of 159 and weight of 11st 3lb, de Bromhead said: "I can't understand how he went up 2lbs, but there you go. He ran well to a point last time [when sixth of 12 in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup] and he's come out of it well. He seems good but we haven't decided our plans just yet.
"We said we'd see what his mark was like and decide after that. I would imagine he would do one or the other [Cheltenham or Aintree] - I wouldn't think he'd do both. The top weight [I Am Maximus] is likely to run, you'd think, so that would give Monty’s a nice racing weight.
"Normally when they are rated over 150 they leave them on the same as their Irish mark, but this time they haven't. We'll see what he'll go for, we haven't confirmed just yet.
"The National is a great race and it was fantastic to win it back in 2021. We'd love to try and do it again."
De Bromhead’s next highest-rated challenger is the eight-year-old Gorgeous Tom, on a rating of 151 and 10st 9lb and he said: "That seems fair. It pretty much gets him in and it seems a fair mark for him. He ran well in the Coral Gold Cup [when fourth] and we said he'd head for the National after that.
“Hopefully he's got a bit more improvement yet, we're hopeful he can find a little more. It seemed the right time to go for this before we step him back into Graded company, so we're hoping so."
Amirite has been given a rating of 144 and a weight of 10st 2lb and de Bromhead said: "He would have a nice racing weight if he gets in. He won the Midlands National ]at Kilbeggan] really well during the summer and he'd probably prefer a bit of better ground, but he's in great form and that's where we're aiming for. It's a big plus that he takes to the fences, he really enjoyed it in the Topham last year."
Harry des Ongrais is one pound lower in the weights on 10st 1lb with a 143 rating and de Bromhead said the aim would be to run over the National fences one way or another.
He explained: "If he can get in he'd have a nice racing weight - he could go for the Topham otherwise. A lot of higher-rated horses are going for it nowadays so it just shows how hard it is to get in these days."
Of his fifth entry in the race - The Short Go, with a rating of 138 and a weight of 9st 10lb – he said: "You'd imagine he won't get in. We're going to go to Cheltenham with him, but he's having a fantastic season and has been running well. He deserves to win one of those big races and will more than likely run in the Ultima - we'll see."
O'Brien hoping Jordans has right profile
Joseph O'Brien will bid to add Britain’s most valuable jumps race to a CV already brimming with some of the world’s most prestigious contests.
The County Kilkenny-based trainer, who has won the Melbourne Cup, Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and Irish Derby, scooped more than £1.8 million on Saudi Cup night at the weekend with Sons And Lovers.
But he is still just as keen to compete for the top jumps prizes in Britain and Ireland, with a number of entries at the Cheltenham Festival next month.
And while the focus at the top of this year’s Randox Grand National weights is on King George VI Chase hero Banbridge, it is a younger contender who he is looking forward to seeing.
Seven-year-old Jordans began his career in France and has run nine times for O’Brien, including a second place at last year’s Randox Grand National Festival in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
He needs just seven horses above him in the weights to come out between now and the National to get in, having been rated at 150 and given a weight of 10st 8lb.
O’Brien said: "He looks like he might sneak in off a nice weight. He kind of has a profile of what the race seems to be trending towards in recent years, with a slightly younger horse.
“We know that he handles Aintree and he'll probably run in the Bobbyjo Chase [at Fairyhouse on Saturday 21st February]. If he runs well there it would be likely that he would go to the National.
"The horses seem to be trending towards being a little bit younger in the race so that would give you a reason to be hopeful that he'd be able to overcome that."
Of Banbridge – rated 167 and 11st 11lb – he added: "I think it's reasonable to assume that Banbridge would be carrying one of the top weights in the race if he ran there. We figured he'd be up there.
“Plans are still up in the air in terms of where his next run is going to be, but we'll see. He's come out of Kempton very well and he'll remain with his two options at Cheltenham [the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Ryanair Chase] and with three options at Aintree [the Grand National, the Bowl and the Melling Chase]. We'll keep everything on the table until we have to make the decision, I'd say."
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