Matt Brocklebank hears from Oliver Greenall ahead of the joint-trainer's bid for glory with White Rhino and Gaboriot over the famous fences at Aintree this weekend.
Iroko landing the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the 2023 Cheltenham may have initially put training team Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero on the map, but there's no question it was the well-backed Gesskille winning the following season’s Grand Sefton Handicap Chase at Aintree that ensured everyone knew they were an outfit very much here to stay.
Homme Public took Grade 2 honours in Cheltenham’s Arkle Trial at the November meeting later that month to hammer the point home and while Iroko couldn’t quite pull off the maximum profile-booster when finishing fourth to Nick Rockett in the Randox Grand National last season, Jagwar had already done plenty for the Cheshire stable’s cause with back-to-back Cheltenham wins in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase on Trials Day and the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase at the Festival.
The highly promising Jagwar trades as antepost favourite for the Paddy Power Gold Cup ahead of his intended return to Prestbury Park later this month, but before then Greenall and Guerriero have Aintree on their minds again.
Speaking on a Thursday morning Zoom call organised by The Jockey Club and Aintree Racecourse, former jockey Greenall said: “It’s so easy to get forgotten and just to win at Aintree (with Gesskille) was very special and definitely got us going.
“We’re local to the track and a lot of our owners are from the North West as well, so they are there at the races and if they see us winning, or they’re watching the TV and see it, then they’ll have more horses with us."
This year the yard takes a twin-pronged approach to Saturday’s £85,000 Grand Sefton courtesy of general 5/1 joint-favourite White Rhino and Gaboriot.
Two-time chase winner White Rhino is on a retrieval mission after unseating rider early on in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton before also failing to complete (pulled-up, bled from the nose) in the Grimthorpe at Doncaster when last sighted.
Like last year’s third Gaboriot, White Rhino is a nine-year-old but he’s still relatively unexposed and for the first time in his career has the assistance of champion jockey Sean Bowen in the saddle.
Greenall said: “They are primed, we’ve targeted these Saturday races for a long time so they’ve been away to do a racecourse gallop which has put them spot-on. Our horses tend to come on for the run a little bit and hopefully improve through the season, but fitness-wise they’re ready.
“These races are hard to win but it’s going to be lovely ground and they’re going to have loads of space (on the course). White Rhino bled twice last season having shown a really good effort (at Haydock) so he’s a short enough price having had a long time off but he seems fine at home in his work.
“I’m just hoping he can get a load of space and they normally don’t go as quick as a normal Saturday handicap. He’s a bold jumper but he is accurate as well, he’s older than his experience would show and he’s always looked like a chaser so that’s why it was a bit frustrating.
“He just looks the perfect type and because he’s not a novice, and he’s rated so highly, if he was to go in a normal race, say a Cheltenham handicap next week, it would be a lot harder for him. This will be a nicer experience for him on his first start back.”
The booking of red-hot champion jockey Sean Bowen should not be underestimated and Greenall has huge respect for the Welshman who, with 127 victories on the board already, leads the jockeys' championship by a remarkable 75 winners, from his brother James no less.
“Sean is just so good," said Greenall. "He’ll have looked at all his form, will get a feel for White Rhino on the way to the start and he’ll trust us. He’s always been such a nice guy and there is no ‘side’ to him, most jockeys if they’ve just got beat then they’re angry, he just seems always the same and if he gets beat by one of yours he’s always first to say well done and it doesn’t feel false. He seems a genuine guy and studies his form.
“He’s got that ability to get on a horse and understand it, whether it’s a keen horse, a lazy horse, or it needs to go from the front or dropping in, he can just ride any sort of race. He’s got it all and the key is that they’ve got to be personable – he is very, very personable.
“Henry Brooke rides ours and the owners have full faith in him, it’s just since he’s been injured we’ve been struggling to find someone who we can get consistency with and also has the experience. Jonjo O’Neill obviously rides out JP (McManus) horses, we were hoping he’d be able to ride a few more but he’s pretty busy for his brother (AJ) and his dad. He’s unavailable on Saturday as he rides Johnnywho and Sean didn’t have a ride in the race so he was happy to ride."
Gaboriot is hardly the forgotten horse at 10/1 with Paddy Power and Greenall is optimistic he can improve on last year's placing from a 3lb lower mark and, importantly, some (reapplied) headgear to help him focus on the task.
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“With Gaboriot, he’s got the ability, he’s just a bit of a thinker, but he loves that track," said Greenall. "We’ve put the blinkers on and we feel that will really help.
“He just struggles to travel early and to keep with them – we obviously tried him at Newcastle over four miles and he just wasn’t himself that day at the end of the season.
“He’s had a long time off since then and I think these fences bring him alive and the trip will be fine, especially with the blinkers on. Hopefully he’ll be in a position coming over the Melling Road for the last time and not get too far back."
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