Jefferson not put off from entering Grand National despite heartache

The winner of nearly £250,000 in prize money and a feature at the yard for seven years, Malton-based Jefferson had forged a strong bond with Peter Nelson’s home-bred.

On the back of his best year as a trainer with a couple of winners at Cheltenham and the same two horses following up on Merseyside, Jefferson found the loss hard to take.

However, he remains a supporter of the National and feels it is time to stop tinkering with the conditions of the race.

“He was one of my favourites so it’s hit me very hard,” said Jefferson.

“As a trainer, and it’s the same for anyone in racing, you don’t go to the races expecting to lose your horse.

“All owners love their horses, especially Peter. Everyone seemed to know about According To Pete, too, he had that big white face and he loved his racing. Tina Pearson, his lass, is devastated.

“It was just a freak accident. He was loving it, jumping for fun – I always thought he would. If he’d just been brought down and got back up again we’d be taking him back next year, but he broke his shoulder unfortunately.

“You can’t do anything about it, it’s just a freak accident that could have happened anywhere but because it was the National everyone saw it.

“They can’t carry on making changes. In my eyes the fences should be bigger to slow them down. If they were a foot higher Pete would still have jumped them.

“Now they are trying to please everybody and you can’t. People say make the field smaller, but what if next year another two die? Then they’ll want 20 runners.

“Watering to ensure softer ground might help. There was a lot of carry on after last year’s race, and I just wish they’d stop trying to please everyone because you can’t.

“The National is a great race and the only reason you get such a reaction is because so many people watch it. If I have a suitable horse next year I’ll enter him. You’ve got to support the race, it’s our biggest day of the year.

“The last month just sums up racing.

“I had two winners at Cheltenham, the same two horses followed up at Aintree, which had never been done before, and then I lose a horse in the National.”

Ruby Walsh missed the race through injury for the second time in three years after falling in the Aintree Hurdle, this time from Zarkandar.

He hopes to be back in action at the end of the week, or possibly sooner.

“I don’t feel too bad now,” said Walsh.

“I suffered a lot of bruising and soreness but hopefully I can be at Cheltenham on Wednesday or Thursday, and if not then, we’d be looking at Friday.

“After the incident, I was trying not to think of the prospect of not riding in the National. But it was a pretty heavy fall and I was feeling very sore, so the doctor had no option to quite rightly stand me down.”

Walsh would have been riding On His Own but passed over the ride on the eventual winner, Neptune Collonges, and the third, Seabass, who was ridden by his sister Katie.

“I wasn’t actually that nervous as they (Seabass and Katie) were jumping so well,” he said.

“At the second-last I thought she could win, but at the last you could see they were tiring. I was delighted for Katie and she loved every minute of it.

“I was also looking out for On His Own and of course, Neptune Collonges. It was a great result for Paul (Nicholls) and I was very pleased for the yard. He jumped super and it shows you have to stay to win an English National.

“I think it was very unfortunate and unlucky that those two horses died. Synchronised got injured running loose and According To Pete was brought down, so you can’t blame the fences directly.

“What I would say is that I thought the BHA and Aintree did a first-class job prior to the race. I thought the modifications to the fences were right as were the post-race horse welfare measures, and they also were very thorough in all their briefings. I thought they did a great job, and couldn’t have done much more.”

Attention turns north of the border on Saturday, and Junior has been left in the Coral Scottish Grand National after his early exit at Aintree.

David Pipe’s charge came down at the second fence in Liverpool and would carry top weight at Ayr. West End Rocker, another early Aintree casualty, is also still in the mix for Alan King, while Nicholls looks to follow up the victory of Neptune Collonges with ante-post favourite Harry The Viking.