Jonathan Burke is all smiles after Ga Law's Paddy Power Gold Cup win

Jonathan Burke - rides Stay Away Fay

Randox Grand National news: Jonathan Burke to ride Stay Away Fay

By Graham Clark

Horse Racing

Tue April 01, 2025 · 9M ago

Paul Nicholls has swooped to secure the services of Grade One winning rider Jonathan Burke to partner Stay Away Fay in the Randox Grand National at Aintree on Saturday.

The eight year old, who is a general 66/1 chance for the world’s most famous steeplechase, was set to be partnered by Bryony Frost at the weekend.

However, with jockey being required back in France, where she is the number one rider to owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, it has forced Nicholls to look elsewhere.

But despite the late change of plan the trainer, who will saddle five runners in the race he won back in 2012 with Neptune Collonges, believes he has a solid super sub in Burke.

When the Grand National was won in a photo finish!

Nicholls said: “I’ve jocked Johnny Burke up on Stay Away Fay as Bryony rang me this morning to say she was unavailable for the ride. Bryony used to ride Stay Away Fay every day and I thought she would be a good fit to ride him, but these things happen. I’m delighted to have secured Johnny for the ride.

"I had been talking to him for the last month and I had in my mind that if he didn’t have a ride to have him as first reserve God forbid anything happened to any of the others. Johnny will have a sit on him on Wednesday morning and we will go from there.”

Although Stay Away Fay scored at the top level over hurdles when winning the 2023 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival he has so far yet to scale those heights in six starts over fences

And while Shantou gelding, who finished down the field on his return to fences in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Festival, is without a win since landing the Grade Two Esher Novices’ Chase at Sandown back in 2023, Burke is looking forward to the ride.

Burke said: “It is great to be riding for Paul in the race and it is great to be part of the race as well. You can take positives from his run at Cheltenham and as he has been aimed at the race, rule him out at your peril. He is obviously a high class horse and those fences you don’t know what they can do to him as they might just rejuvenate him. I’m going to pop down Wednesday morning to sit on him and tick all the boxes.”

While this represents a late change of plan Burke admits it is not the closest to the race that his services have been summoned.

He added: “The latest call up was on Regal Encore back in 2019 as I got the ride on the day after Barry Geraghty got injured earlier on during the meeting. That was at 11am on the morning so it is nice to have the best part of a week to focus on it. Paul mentioned there might be something floating around six weeks ago, but nothing really came of it. When you get to this stage nearly every ride is sewn up to get a ride at this stage is great as it is tough for English based riders to get a ride in the race.”

Before getting the leg up on Stay Away Fay the 29-year-old has high hopes of adding another Grade One success to his CV aboard Tripoli Flyer in the Trustatrader Novices’ Hurdle at the Merseyside venue on Friday.

The progressive six year old was forced to miss an outing in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival following a temperature. However, Burke is optimistic the Getaway gelding can make amends and back up his Grade Two success in the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton Park.

Burke said: “He missed Cheltenham as he wasn’t right, but Aintree should suit him as he ran well there in the bumper last year. The ground will be perfect for him and I schooled him this morning and he felt as good as ever. I’m really looking forward to him and he is kind of our flagship hope for the meeting. There are no negatives for him really.

“I think the flat tracks are better for him as well. He is probably not the most natural of jumpers, but we have done plenty of work with him. If he can bring what he has done at home to the track it wouldn’t be a worry.

“The undulations, and the twisting and turning at Cheltenham, meant that if he did start jumping badly it would make my job very hard. He was very impressive from the back of two out at Kempton Park so fingers crossed he brings that engine to Aintree.”

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