A total of 90 horses remain engaged in the Randox Grand National following the first scratchings stage.
The world’s greatest steeplechase takes place over four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards at Aintree on Saturday April 10.
Kimberlite Candy has twice finished runner-up over the Grand National fences in the Becher Chase (2019 and 2020) and has been allotted 10st 10lb. The JP McManus-owned nine year old could warm up for Aintree in the Listed Premier Chase at Kelso this Saturday.
Trainer Tom Lacey reported: “Kimberlite Candy seems in really good order and he’s entered at Kelso on Saturday in the Premier Chase. We’ll monitor the ground (before deciding whether to run him).
“He does have a good record fresh, but you mustn’t underestimate the need for match practice, so we’ll take stock and then make a decision in midweek whether to have a prep run or not.
“A host of recent winners have carried between 10-10 and 11-06, and he’s in that range, so statistically he’s got a chance. He’s the right age and has got proven form around there, so he goes there with a big chance.
“The Grand National was always the target from the moment he came back in from his summer break. We’ll be hoping for some April showers, but he’d manage on good to soft. He’s a much stronger animal than he was this time last year.
“I think he’s actually the finished article now whereas last year he was still improving – he hit the line very hard in the Classic Chase and I feel he’s strengthened up even more on the back of another summer.
“I hope he’s got a chance. In the Becher Chase this year he was a bit clumsy over the first, but thereafter his jumping was very accurate.”
Trainer Evan Williams has gone close to success in the Randox Grand National before, with Cappa Bleu taking the runner-up spot in 2013 and State Of Play finishing in the first four on three occasions.
This year he could be represented by Secret Reprieve (10st 1lb), who was last seen claiming the Welsh National at Chepstow on January 9th.
Williams said: “Secret Reprieve is good, and we’re happy with everything. I’ve sort of discussed the National with Mr and Mrs Rucker (owners), and we’re going to leave him in, but we wouldn’t want to fully commit to this race at this stage yet, because obviously the ground and how he is over the coming weeks will be a major factor in whether we decide to have a crack at the race. We’ll see how things develop.
“What we’d like to know is exactly how everything is going to look like come April - we wouldn’t like to start being bold because that would be unfair to the horse. His last run was in the Welsh National so we just want to make sure everything is spot on with him as regards to everything really – his wellbeing, the ground and everything else. We’re taking every week as it comes.
“He wouldn’t be in the race if we didn’t hope he would be the type of horse that wouldn’t be able to excel around there. With these horses like him, it’s always best to take every week as it comes but if he could bring his best form to the table then obviously it looks like there’d be plenty of positives.
“Because he’s very inexperienced or young – rather than being bold and saying ‘this will suit him and that will suit him’, we’d be far happier ticking away and letting him tell us if he’s right.
“We’ll talk about Cheltenham after this week, because he’s due to do a piece of work in the middle of the week and I imagine come the weekend Mr and Mrs Rucker and myself will have a good chat about Cheltenham around this time next week. So let’s deal with the Cheltenham question first and then the Aintree question after.”
Williams has another potential starter in Prime Venture (9st 10lb), although the trainer acknowledges that the nine year old is far from certain to make the line-up on April 10th.
He continued: “He’s a horse that I can say that if he got a run in the Grand National we’d be delighted to take our chance, because he’s the complete opposite to Secret Reprieve.
“He’s proven in those long distance handicaps and has been placed in a Welsh Grand National and a Midlands Grand National and if he got a run we’d be delighted to have a crack at it. Our first preference with him, because he’s got less chance of getting in, would be the Midlands National at Uttoxeter.
“He’s a funny old devil! We’ve kept him fresh especially (in case he was to sneak into the Grand National) and I can say that Aintree would be right up his agenda. Those fences could spark him right up and he could still be going when other boys have had enough.
“He would relish the fences. He would be a big price, but I could see that fella relishing the job. If he gets in, he’ll be running in the Grand National.”
