Ahead of the 2024 Grand National this weekend, back with another Joe Tizzard blog from the trainer and Coral ambassador where he previews his runners at Aintree and Taunton on Thursday.
We’ll have a small team running at Aintree this week, including Eldorado Allen in the big one on Saturday, of which more later in the week. We run Triple Trade in the Red Rum Chase, and fortunately, given all the rain that’s fallen, he will love the testing ground. He’s been really progressive in the last 12 months, winning four times,
For a lot of that time he hasn’t really had his ground either, so it was an easy decision to come here, his owners deserve a day out, and having won over £100,000, the horse owes us all nothing for the season. He’ll gallop all the way to the line, and while he’s not got much, if anything, in hand handicap wise, he’s got an each-way chance I hope.
Taunton round-up
While I’ll be at Aintree, the team will have a busy day at Taunton with eight runners. We run two in the 2.08, Nordic Storm and Sparkling Duke, and there wouldn’t be much between the pair. Sparkling Duke has been a slow learner but is really looking the part at home now and seems to be getting the hang of it, while Nordic Storm is a lovely big horse who we’re looking forward to going chasing with in the autumn, but Taunton might be a bit sharp for him right now.
In the 2.43 Hour Star will need to settle. He’s got an engine for sure, but he’s been very keen in his races, so Fred [Gingell] will need to hold him early on, otherwise he’ll use up too much energy in the first mile and not get home. He is a nice horse, and when he learns to settle, he will win races.
Western General in the 3.18 is probably our best chance of a winner on the day. I’d not been happy with him all winter, he bled at Exeter on New Year’s day and just hasn’t been right, but he worked brilliantly last week, and is off a very winnable mark here. He’s been placed over hurdles at Taunton, so I hope he’ll take some beating here.
We’re doubling up in the 4.28 as well, with West Orchard & Seymour Promise. They’re too very similar types, who actually ran against each other last time too, with West Orchard finishing second and Seymour Promise not quite getting home. The latter will keep going through the summer, while this will probably be the last run this season for West Orchard, and on a track that will suit, he should be competitive here.
The Bumper has split into two divisions and we run one in each, Western Knight in the 5.03, and Rupert’s Wish in the 5.35. Western Knight has just had a few niggly growing pains this year but we’ve been looking forward to getting him out again, and he’ll be a lovely novice hurdler next season. Rupert’s Wish is a gorgeous son of Walk In The Park who has done well in all his work at home, we never have our bumper horses wound up first time but I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t show something here. Again though, he will be a lovely horse for the future.
