Clare hopes high in Grand National

FORTY horses will line up at Aintree on Saturday in the 2011 John Smith’s Grand National, with Noel Glynn’s Becasueicouldntsee hoping to bring the world’s most famous steeplechase back to the Banner County.

A point-to-point winner under John Thomas McNamara at Killaloe back in 2008, Becauseicouldntsee has really blossomed since going over fences inside the rails, winning a Fairyhouse Beginners’ Chase in good style before really emerging as a worthy National candidate when second in the four-mile National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham last year.
On that occasion, he was desperately unlucky having lost a shoe prior to the race before running his heart out for Nina Carberry as the pair were just edged out of it by the Katie Walsh-ridden Poker De Sivola after a titanic struggle up the final Cheltenham hill. A promising second to Dermot Weld’s Majestic Concorde in the valuable Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown last Christmas convinced Becasueicouldntsee’s connections that Aintree was a realistic target race in the meantime.
A leg injury, which necessitated minor surgery picked up at the Foxrock track, has kept Becauseicouldntsee on the sidelines since but Glynn is confident his charge will strip fit as he bids for National glory just after four o’clock on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking to The Clare Champion on Tuesday, the colourful Durra House handler exclaimed, “It is all systems go for now for the National. We schooled both Becauseicouldntsee and Gonebeyondrecall (he runs in Friday’s two-mile, five-furlong Topham Chase over the National fences) this morning over a National-type fence we have built here and both jumped really well. I could not be happier and I’m confident they will both do themselves justice,” Noel said.
Glynn has booked Davy Russell for his Grand National contender and the Youghal rider, who injured his hand in a recent fall, is expected to be back in action in time to take the ride aboard the eight-year-old.
“I spoke to Davy in the last few days and he assured me he will be back in action and is looking forward to riding my horse. He rode him a few times before and knows him quite well, which is a huge help. You need a lot of luck in running in the National, anything can happen with fallers and all the rest but I’d be hoping our fellow, who has a lovely racing weight of 10-8 on his back, will be running on when the rest are going backwards,” he added.
Having been present in 2005 when his cousin, Bernard Carroll’s Numbersixvalverde won for fellow Clare man, Martin Brassil and jockey Slippers Madden, Glynn got the bug for the race and readily admits that the National is the race all jumping enthusiasts dream of winning.
“There is something special about the race. It is very historic and while the likes of the Gold Cup or Champion Hurdle are more championship races, the National has a special aura about it. Great horses have won it over the years and there always seems to be a good story attached to the winner of the race.”
Interestingly, there is also a link to the Aintree showpiece in the shape of Glynn’s assistant trainer, Jason Titley, who won the race back in 1995 aboard Jenny Pitman’s 40/1 shot Royal Athlete.
“Jason has been working for me for the last four years and he’s a huge help. Having someone who has won the National helping out with preparations is a major plus as he definitely knows what it takes,” said Glynn.
Victory on Saturday would be just the fillip Glynn needs, having lost his very good horse, Old McDonald, in a freak accident at home just before Cheltenham.
“I was very down after that as I thought the world of Old McDonald. He was a serious animal and the best I ever had, or will have. In my eyes, he was a future Gold Cup horse and it only ever happens to the good ones,” he said.
All that may well be forgotten should Becauseicouldntsee register a famous success this weekend and, with the strapping 17th son of Beneficial available around the 33/1 mark with the bookies, that represents terrific each-way value at the very least.

O’Connor back on top
DEREK O’Connor returned to the top of the point-to-point jockeys’ championship when riding five winners over the weekend.
Headed for the first time this season when Jamie Codd bagged eight winners the previous weekend, O’Connor, who was honoured for his recent Cheltenham achievements at a special celebration in Tubber last Sunday night, bounced back in the best possible fashion.
The 28-year-old was in action at the North Down fixture at Kirkistown on Saturday afternoon where he opened his account aboard the Colin McKeever-trained Ballylinney (5/1) in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Prominent throughout, the Wilson Dennison-owned son of Bob Back was gutsy when tackled by eventual runner-up Adios Alonso two out, running on best in the closing stages to beat that rival by three lengths.
Half an hour later, the seven-time champion was back in the number one berth when successful aboard odds-on shot, Simonsberg (1/2F) in the open lightweight.
Trained by Ian Ferguson for owner Simon Tindal, the market leader gave his supporters a huge fright when ploughing through the second-last fence but O’Connor sat tight, keeping the partnership intact before drawing away to beat 20/1 outsider St Matthew by eight lengths.
O’Connor went on to complete a treble at the northern venue when guiding David Christie’s 3/1 shot, Bonaparte’s Retreat, to victory in the six-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Up front all the way in this 12-runner contest, Bonaparte’s Retreat kept on strongly on the run-in to deny the Mark O’Hare-ridden Cilliseal by a length and a half.
On Sunday afternoon, award-winning O’Connor was in action at the Ballynoe fixture in East Cork when he combined with Kinsale handler Robert Tyner to land a double.
Tyner, whose horses are running really well this season, supplied O’Connor with his opening winner of the afternoon as Its the Ice I Like came good in the six and seven-year-old geldings’ maiden.
Sent off at 7/2, this Oscar-sired gelding hit the front two and responded well to his rider’s urgings to beat runner-up Supreme Doc by half a dozen lengths.
The Tyner/O’Connor combination were back in the winners’ enclosure following the first division of the concluding mares’ maiden when Lemonfield runner-up Strange Talk (1/1F) made no mistake this time round when registering a comfortable success.
The well-backed daughter of Talking Man gave O’Connor his 61st winner of the season (one ahead of Codd) when pulling right away in the closing stages to beat James Sheehan’s Missvoque by eight lengths.
The Gain Mares’ Final was the feature at the Rebel County course with victory here going to the Mikey O’Connor trained and ridden Make It Better. The winner was being challenged by 5/4 favourite Oscars Business (Derek O’Connor) – who looked held at the time – when that rival fell at the last, allowing 3/1 shot Make It Better freewheel to an impressive 20-length success.