Alex Hammond is looking ahead to Newbury this weekend where her long-range 2000 Guineas hope bids to enhance his credentials.
What was your overriding impression of this year’s Randox Grand National?
Well, nothing that hasn’t been said before, but this is a different race to the one that Red Rum made his own in the 70s, so to compare I Am Maximus is difficult despite him emulating Rummy in regaining the trophy. There’s every chance he could also win this for a third time. Despite the change of test, it would be a momentous achievement, and I hope he’s back fit and firing next year.
I’ll never know if my pick Captain Cody would have finished in the places after unseating four out, but he gave me a run for my money.
How do you reflect on the title-winning season for Dan Skelton and how long is this domestic domination likely to last?
Well, there’s no sign of him slowing down any time soon and he has the fire-power to keep his relentless quest for winners up for many years.
We all know that training can be a tough way of life but even the seemingly untouchable can go through bleak spells. However, if he keeps hold of his big-spending owners then he’s in a strong position to continue his domination. The Skeltons are a tight team and when your dad is an Olympic gold medal-winning show jumper and brother a former champion jockey, you don’t need to look far outside your inner circle.
Only today I read that Dan had snagged a record-breaking lot at the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale when he set a new auction record of £435,000 for a winning Irish point-to-pointer. He’s approaching the £5 million mark in win and place prize money after a lucrative Aintree and at this rate, he’ll be vying to be champion for years to come.
The Guineas meeting is fast approaching – how do you weigh up the trials so far and what’s still to come this weekend?
It’s very much up in the air as far as informative trials go and maybe we’ll learn more at Newbury this weekend with Saturday’s Greenham.
Bow Echo is Sky Bet’s 11/4 favourite and trainer George Boughey is choosing to go straight to Newmarket for the Classic at the beginning of May. I hope Zavateri wins at Newbury for Eve Johnson Houghton and keeps their Classic hopes alive. Albert Einstein is an intriguing runner there too having blotted his copybook on return.
Zavateri is 25/1 for the 2000 Guineas.
Is there a horse or two at Newbury, Ayr or elsewhere that punters should be looking to back on Saturday?
Zavateri aside, there are some lovely horses and some large fields at Newbury. I’ll be there for Sky Sports Racing so have given those races due diligence. Pride Of Arras goes well fresh and I hope he can go on at four. He was gelded in July and that helped him as he subsequently won the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur at York in August.
The Spring Cup Handicap looks devilishly difficult with a host of progressive handicappers in the field. Linwood and Urban Lion have made my shortlist for that one.
The Coral Scottish Grand National is the biggie up at Ayr and I’ll give Montregard a chance. He comes here fresher than some and trainer Tom Lacey is in good form.
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