Murphy in waiting game to make it third time lucky for Big Fella Thanks

MOST trainers would be content if their horse led the John Smith’s Grand National field over the final fence – but that will be too soon for Ferdy Murphy who knows that the race is invariably won or lost on the long run-in.

“If he gets to the front just after The Elbow, or later, I will be very happy. Not before,” says the North Yorkshire trainer.

He means it. Ever since the giant Big Fella Thanks stepped off a horse box at Murphy’s picturesque Wensleydale yard last summer, there has only ever been one race in mind – the National.

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Sixth and fourth in the last two Aintree renewals when owned by gambler Harry Findlay, and trained by Paul Nicholls, Murphy’s priority has been getting the strapping nine-year-old in the form of his life ahead of Saturday’s date with destiny.

Nothing is being left to chance, even with Findlay selling the horse last month to hairdresser Max Fawbert and entrepreneur Nic Williamson of the aptly-named Crossed Fingers Partnership. Both men will be making their first visit to Aintree this weekend.

As Big Fella Thanks strides up the windswept gallops, with Murphy’s assistant, Tory Hayter, in the saddle, the trainer surveys the horse’s progress through a telescope that has been fitted inside a raised shed that is his own vantage point.

“Grand,” says Murphy after the equine giant, 17 hands tall, comes through one of his final workouts without mishap. “Just what we want.”

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An admirer of the horse since he won the 2009 Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster, Murphy never thought he would have the chance to train such an accomplished steeplechaser until Findlay abruptly withdrew his horses from the Nicholls stable last summer.

Named after the former owner’s champion greyhound, Murphy’s priority has been to ensure that the bay gelding has sufficient reserves of stamina for the gruelling run-in, after 30 ferocious fences, when the world’s greatest steeplechase is won and lost.

There are no worries on the riding front – jockey Graham Lee came from ‘another county’ to capture the 2004 National on Amberleigh House and provide Red Rum’s trainer, Ginger McCain, with an historic fourth victory in the race.

Yet the level of preparation is exemplified by the horse’s recent prep race at Newbury. Big Fella Thanks ran in the middle of the field to see if he could settle and conserve energy. He did not, hence the hold-up tactics that will be deployed on Saturday in the hope that he does not suffer the fate of horses like Crisp – the brilliant front-runner collared on the line by the fast-finishing Red Rum in 1973.

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There are risks – fallers upfront and stray horses – but Murphy is happy to take the chance as he bids to train Yorkshire’s first National winner since Neville Crump’s Merryman II prevailed 51 years ago.

“I’m happy. The fact Big Fella was fourth, as an eight-year-old, suggests that he will strengthen up and is now in his prime,” says Murphy, who has watched countless re-runs of last year’s race when his horse failed, between the final two fences, to keep pace with AP McCoy on the winner Don’t Push It.

“If you watch the race, he was running with his choke. He was running a bit free. They key is to get him settled – and then hope for a bit of luck in running.

“Eight-year-olds also have a bad record in the race. Hedgehunter fell at the last in 2004 and then won the next year. Hopefully, Big Fella Thanks is of similar scope.”

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Having trained Addington Boy to finish fourth in 1999, Murphy is struck by how the quality of the National has improved in the past decade as better horses take their chance in the race following safety modifications to the course.

“The whole campaign has evolved around Aintree from the moment that he stepped into the yard. And, while he has three pounds more to carry than last year, I wouldn’t swap him for anything,” says Murphy.

“The National is the National. It’s one race – and I’d love to win it, but I haven’t got time to worry about the others, there’s a yard to run for the rest of the year.

“I’ve had National favourites before, Joes Edge for example, and they don’t get any luck in running. All you can do is get your horse there in the best possible form – and then hope for a little bit of luck – but course experience is a big plus.”

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As he speaks, Murphy is finalising entries, briefing a vet on another horse’s muscle injury – and personally overseeing the schooling of a quirky horse.

A National victory would transform the yard’s profile but there are no certainties in racing, even more so after a year when the stable has spent so long battling the big freeze.

Yet it is Hayter, who joined the stable a year ago following a point-to-point background in East Anglia, who has noticed the steady transformation in the condition of Big Fella Thanks from her unique vantage point – in the saddle.

A horse who was bitten when he first ventured into a field at Murphy’s West Witton stable, is now leader of the pack – a giant who likes to roam with stable star Kalahari King, who runs at Aintree tomorrow, and Kellystown Lad, another horse to run in the blue colours of the Crossed Fingers Partnership.

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“He has changed a lot,” says Hayter, 31. “He feels a lot stronger, even after his last run. He’s 10 times better than he was. To me, he has been trained to perfection.”

In between munching apples and carrots, Big Fella Thanks has galloped with Kalahari on Redcar beach and has been schooled over a mock National fence.

But, while the horse has proven Aintree form, it will be a new experience for his owners, long-time racing enthusiasts, who only recently made their acquisition.

Both Fawbert and Williamson, from Derbyshire, are unperturbed about buying a leading National fancy so close to the race – Party Politics had a change of ownership a week before his 1992 election year triumph. “At least, we’ve had three weeks to get used to the idea,” jokes Fawbert, whose other horses include Desperate Dex. “Neither of us have been to Aintree before but we have the right team with Ferdy and Graham Lee.

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“He needs holding up and Graham is a hold-up specialist. We have 39 others to beat. But, if he comes back sound, that’s all that matters – we bought Big Fella also with a view to future years.

“My dad was a small, independent bookmaker and I spent more time racing than at school. It is probably why I ended up as a hairdresser. But, if he could look down on this, he would think it was absolutely wonderful.

“As the partnership name implies, let’s keep our fingers crossed. But if Big Fella is as far back as Graham was in 2004 on Amberleigh House, I think I might have a heart attack!”

Yet, if Murphy is right, it will be all part of the plan – the only way that Big Fella Thanks can make it third-time lucky in the world’s greatest horse race.

MURPHY AND LEE: NATIONAL HISTORY

Graham Lee’s Grand National record

2003: Amberleigh House – 3rd.

2004: Amberleigh House – 1st.

2005: Amberleigh House – 10th.

2006: Amberleigh House – Pulled Up 21st.

2007: Joe’s Edge – Pulled Up 20th.

2009: Kilbeggan Blade – Pulled Up 21st.

2010: The Package – Unseated Rider 19th.

Ferdy Murphy’s Grand National record

1999: Addington Boy – 4th.

2000: Addington Boy – 5th.

2001: Addington Boy – Unseated Rider 2nd.

2001: Paddy’s Return – Fell 3rd.

2002: Streamstown – 9th.

2002: Birkdale – 10th.

2002: Paris Pike – Fell 1st.

2002: Ackzo – Pulled Up 20th.

2003: Ballinclay King – Pulled Up 15th.

2004: Luzcadou – Fell 1st.

2005: Europa – 20th.

2006: Joe’s Edge – 7th.

2006: Haut De Gamme (ridden by Keith Mercer, pictured) – Fell 20th.

2007: Joes Edge – Pulled Up 20th.