17 In A Row?

Owner Andy Stewart believes Big Buck's is as enthusiastic as ever as he goes for an amazing 17th win on the spin in the BGC Partners Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree.

The Paul Nicholls-trained nine-year-old has won the extended three-mile event, which opens the three-day John Smith's Grand National meeting, for the last three years and made Cheltenham history when lifting the Ladbrokes World Hurdle for a fourth time last month.

"Obviously he is feeling it because he is nine years of age, so youth is just on his side, but it's not quite the same as when he was seven. One day he will turn around and say I don't want to do this any more but I think we are miles away from that at the moment," said Stewart.

"After this year's World Hurdle you wouldn't have known he had a race - he could have gone round again.

"I wouldn't say he is better at Aintree as the fields he's been facing there haven't been as strong as at Cheltenham. Saying that, last year he beat Grands Crus one and three quarter lengths in the World Hurdle and then five lengths on the bridle in the Liverpool Hurdle.

"I think Grands Crus just had a very hard race at Cheltenham, and, albeit we had a race, Big Buck's just seems to recover so quickly."

National News

Synchronised will complete his John Smith's Grand National preparations with a pipeopener on Thursday ahead of the Aintree spectacular on Saturday.

Providing he comes through the exercise at Jonjo O'Neill's stables with no hiccups, the Cheltenham Gold Cup hero will head a team of at least four for owner JP McManus.

"He'll do his final bit of work in the morning and we'll see how he is, but it's so far so good," said his racing manager Frank Berry.

"He's not doing a lot in the morning, just a little, and if all is well he will go there.

"Sunnyhillboy is well. He came out of Cheltenham fine and is in good form. With a bit of luck he should go well round there as long as he takes to the place.

"We should have four runners (Quiscover Fontaine and Arbor Supreme are the others) and we have one (Smoking Aces) waiting to get in."


McManus, O'Neill and jockey Tony McCoy tasted National glory with Don't Push It two years ago and he was third to Ballabriggs 12 months ago. But no Gold Cup winner has gone to triumph at Aintree the same year since the mighty Golden Miller in 1934.

Ballabriggs will attempt back-to-back victories in the world's greatest steeplechase, a feat last achieved by his trainer Donald McCain's father Ginger in 1974 through the legendary Red Rum.

"Everything's fine with him and Donald's happy with him," said owner Trevor Hemmings' racing manager Michael Meagher.

"It would be amazing if he could do it again. It's a big ask, but he has got a chance."

Sedgefield Review

With the Grand National itself now less than a fortnight away, Donald McCain and Jason Maguire warmed up for the world's most famous steeplechase as Chamirey landed the Sean Magee's Full Set Durham National at Sedgefield.

The pair can look forward to Ballabriggs defending his title at Aintree on Saturday week and they combined to take a far less prestigious, but just as attritional National in atrocious conditions.

The ground was officially described as good at the start of the day but a couple of hours later, the course had been lashed by rain, wind, hail and snow, leaving just six runners to go to post in the feature event.


Maguire sensibly set a sedate pace before moving things up a gear heading down the back straight for the final time, and the 13-2 chance soon had his opponents toiling in the mud before safely negotiating the final couple of obstacles to secure an 18-length verdict over Bellflower Boy.

McCain said: "He went to Enda Bolger for a go at cross-country racing for a while but it wasn't really his thing, so I bought him back. The ground has come right for him as while he handles decent ground all right, he loves it when it's really testing and he's obviously enjoyed himself today. It's nice to see him win again."

Success in the feature event was the second leg of a double for McCain and Maguire after Saga De Tercey toughed it out to complete a hat-trick of victories in the SAFC Foundation Novices' Hurdle. The 8-11 favourite made all the running and held off the challenge of Walser by a neck.

The brace takes Maguire's seasonal tally to 138, leaving him four winners behind Richard Johnson in the race to finish second to Tony McCoy in the jockeys' standings, and he said: "It's nice to have another winner and I'll just keep my head down and keep working and see where we end up."

Positive tactics also paid dividends on Kealigolane as he justified 7-2 favouritism in the John Wade Waste Recycling Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final. Barry Murtagh's recent Haydock winner made every post a winning one in the hands of Lucy Alexander, making light of the testing ground to score by 14 lengths.

Alexander said: "With the wind and rain it's pretty tough conditions out there, but it's nice to have a winner and this is a nice prize." She then completed a double, guiding Ann Hamilton's late arrival Fred Bojangals (8-1) to success in the digibet.com Handicap Chase.

Hamilton said: "We had blizzards up in Newcastle and I didn't think we were going to get here, it was touch and go. It was worth it in the end, I just hope we can get home now!"

News On The National

Gordon Elliott believes the early stages of the John Smith`s Grand National will be crucial for Chicago Grey.

Well backed for the Aintree spectacular in recent days, the 2011 Cheltenham Festival winner has been prepared with one race in mind all season. But the nine-year-old has got detached before early on in his races, and Elliott is worried that he could get too far behind too early.

"He schooled last week, schooled very well and stays well, he won the four-miler at Cheltenham last year," said Elliott.

"He`s done everything we`ve wanted him to do this year, Paul Carberry is going to ride him.

"If he can get into a nice rhythm in the first half of the race I think he`ll run a massive race. The first four or five fences are going to be very important, if he can get into a rhythm and get jumping.

"He`s probably not the best jumper in the world, he`s adequate, he has his own technique. It`s hard to know what horse is going to take to it.

"He`s been round a lot of the park courses, I think he`ll be OK as he`s got a good man on his back. I just hope he doesn`t get detached early," he told At The Races.

Paul Nicholls is down to just one representative after the retirement of Niche Market due to injury, and expects Neptune Collonges to take his place. The striking grey, who has won three Irish Grade Ones and been placed in a Cheltenham Gold Cup, has been back to staying handicap chases this term and most recently finished second in the Haydock Grand National trial.

"He has been a wonderful horse and I'm almost certain he'll run," said Nicholls.

"It was a shame about poor old Niche Market. This horse has a touch of class and could run a solid race. I suppose he could have done with 10lb less on his back. He's got 11st 5lb, I'm sure he'll cope with that, but I haven't got a strong opinion on it."

Here Come The Girls!

Hayley Turner is to join North American stars Chantal Sutherland and Emma-Jayne Wilson to form the first ever female team at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot on August 11.

Turner, who has taken part annually since 2006, is Britain's most accomplished lady rider in history, winning two Group Ones last season as well as becoming the first of her sex to ride 100 winners in a calendar year.

She has plenty of assistance through Wilson, who has ridden in the Shergar Cup once before and is one of the top jockeys in Canada, while the glamorous Sutherland, who is also Canadian, rode a Grade One winner in the USA last year and also competed in last week's Dubai World Cup.

They will be against three male teams, representing Great Britain & Ireland, Europe and the Rest of the World.

"The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup has regularly reinvented itself and we thought that the time was right to break new ground by seeing how three of the most successful female riders of all time can fare against three teams made up of some of world's top male jockeys," said Ascot spokesman, Nick Smith.

Turner added: "The three of us rode against each other in the Pimlico Female Jockey Challenge in the USA last year and I told Ascot straight afterwards that if there was ever an all girls team at the Shergar Cup, we'd definitely be keen to take part.

"I'm thrilled that it's going ahead and having been with Chantal in Dubai last week, I can tell you that we're both really up for putting one over on the boys on August 11 and I know Emma-Jayne will be too!"

James Doyle gets an automatic invitation as a result of winning the Dubai Duty Free and will make his Shergar Cup debut for the Great Britain & Ireland team. The remaining riders will be announced in due course.

50/1 Opener!

Punters will be hoping the 50-1 victory of Norse Blues in the William Hill Spring Mile at Doncaster is not a sign of things to come for the rest of the Flat season.

The traditional turf season curtain-raiser looked competitive on paper, but the massive Tote return of £106 on the winner told the story of just how difficult he was to find.

Sylvester Kirk's four-year-old was never far away from a strong gallop and when former champion apprentice Lee Newman made a bold move two furlongs out, he could not be caught. Kyllachy Star made late ground for second, a length and three-quarters away.

Lincoln Review

Richard Fahey achieved a long-held ambition when finally landing the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster with Brae Hill.

The Malton handler has had numerous horses placed in recent years, including Brae Hill 12 months ago, when he beat all bar Sweet Lightning.

Back to exactly the same handicap mark, despite subsequently winning the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket, Brae Hill was providing Tony Hamilton with the biggest victory of his career.

Prominent throughout, Brae Hill (25-1) got a break on the field with over a furlong to run but Mull Of Killough, in rear early, flew home and closed to within a short head. Fury was third, with Edinburgh Knight (my selection at 22/1>11/1) fourth.

With Paul Hanagan now riding for Hamdan Al Maktoum, Hamilton may find himself in the spotlight more often this season - a situation Fahey is totally at ease with.

The trainer said: "I've wanted to win this race, but felt I was destined to never do it. I think I have had three seconds and plenty of others placed. He's very hairy and hasn't come in his coat, so when you hear trainers talking about that it just shows it's a load of rubbish.

"It's great for Tony, and I am lucky that I have got some very good jockeys. Tony will never let me down. Brae Hill is owned by (Dr) Marwan (Koukash), so all roads will lead to Chester."

Hamilton added: "He stuck his head down and galloped to the line. I did think I had won. It's the biggest race I've ever won. Marwan was keen on me to make it and there wasn't much pace early. It could not have worked out any better.

"I've been with Richard about 10 years, we've always got on, and with Paul getting the big job he's got I might get a few more opportunities, we'll have to see."