Features 
/ Timeform / 01 April 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Can Ballabriggs defend his title?
""It goes without saying that, if there is one race that we would always choose to win, it would be the Grand National."
The McCain family have long held a certain affiliation with Aintree and the victory of Ballabriggs in the 2011 renewal of the Grand National marked their fifth win in the contest...
Donald McCain had not yet turned three years old when Red Rum mowed down Crisp in the dying strides of the 1973 Grand National to record the first of four victories in the World's most famous steeplechase for the late Ginger McCain, but that victory, and what was to occur across the course of the next four years, ensured the McCain family entered Grand National folklore.
Red Rum would go on to land another Grand National victory the following year, before finishing second in 1975 and 1976, and then becoming the only horse in the history of the race to win three times when completing the hat-trick in 1977.
Since then, no horse has managed to complete the double, let alone the treble, with Willie Mullins' Gold Cup runner-up Hedgehunter coming closest of those to have tried; falling when in the lead at the final fence in 2004, before posting a victory 12 months later, and then finishing in second place behind Numbersixvalverde in 2006.
Coincidentally it was the 2004 Grand National where Hedgehunter's final fence departure paved the way for Ginger McCain to claim his fourth and final Grand National success as Amberleigh House finished from a mile back to outstay Clan Royal and Lord Atterbury in the final furlong.
That victory acted as a catalyst for the McCain stable, as the yard began to grow in strength, and Donald took over the reins from his father in 2006. Idle Talk became the trainer's first National runner when failing to complete the course the following year, before finishing 14th and 12th in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
Unlike his father, Donald's priorities have not always been races over the National fences, with the likes of Cloudy Lane and Whiteoak providing the young trainer with his first taste of success at the Cheltenham Festival within the first couple of years of him taking out his license.
Cloudy Lane also went on to represent McCain three times in the National, sent off the join-favourite and finishing sixth in 2008, before failing to complete in 2009, and finally finishing eighth in 2010.
At around the same time the stable also began to attract new owners such as Tim Leslie, and his association with the yard has delivered exceptional results in recent seasons, with the likes of Peddlers Crossand Overturn the flag bearers. The former was the winner of big prizes at both the Cheltenahm and Aintree Festivals in 2010, whilst the latter has demonstrated an admirable and consistent attitude for the yard, picking up various prizes over hurdles as well as the 2011 renewal of the Chester Cup on the Flat.
Seven years after his father's final Aintree victory, Donald managed to ensure there was another McCain on the Grand National roll of honour, completing his finest training performance to date by saddling Ballabriggs to victory in the 2011 renewal. Ballbriggs gave owner Trevor Hemmings his second National in six years with Hedgehunter having scored in 2005.
The Grand National had long been the plan for Ballabriggs who was touted as a possible Aintree candidate when first joining the yard, with the ten-year-old gelding recording a two-and-a-quarter length victory from Oscar Time, the runner-up ridden by Gold Cup winning-amateur Sam Waley-Cohen.
"You never expect to win a Grand National but we expected Ballabriggs to run very well and we always thought that he would take to the place," said McCain.
"There was a little question mark over him getting the trip and you never know how they are going to cope with Aintree until they run there. It was smashing when it came off because we had been aiming him there for a long time.
"It goes without saying that, if there is one race that we would always choose to win, it would be the Grand National.
"It was smashing to do it for Mr Hemmings with a horse who we had thought might be an Aintree horse for so many years because he has put a lot of faith in us.
"From the moment that Ballabriggs came into the yard, we always hoped that he would be an Aintree horse one day - it was literally that long in the planning. The way he did everything meant that we always had the Grand National in the back of the mind and that's what made winning it all the more special."
The target for Ballabriggs and Donald McCain this season has always been to recapture the same prize, a feat that would mean all the more after Ginger McCain's death in September of last year.
Ballabriggs has had just the one outing this season, finishing fourth in his preparation run over an inadequate two miles and six furlongs at Kelso where he shaped as if in great need of the outing. Ballabriggs looks likely to carry 11-09 (top weight of 11-10 if Synchronised doesn't run) on his defence mission, with the recent statistics seemingly against horses carrying such weights.
Aintree is a unique course that only certain horses take to. Red Rum did so spectacularly and it's not difficult to envisage Ballabriggs going very close to retaining his title in 2012.
........................
Read all the latest Grand National news, tips and features on betting.betfair.
Timeform's Adam Brookes discusses the obstacles that stand in the way of the 40 runners and riders who'll line up for the 2012 Aintree Grand National on April 14......
Timeform's Adam Brookes delves into the history books and reports his findings on the world's most famous steeplechase, the Grand National at Aintree......
Fresh from compiling a similar piece for the Cheltenham Festival, Timeform's Adam Brookes provides his A to Z for one of his favourite races in the whole calendar, the Aintree Grand National......
No comments:
Post a Comment