Improving Cap Du Nord has Doncaster Sky Bet Chase in sights in bid to clinch Grand National place

Christian Williams celebrates the 2019 Welsh Grand National win of Potters Corner.Christian Williams celebrates the 2019 Welsh Grand National win of Potters Corner.
Christian Williams celebrates the 2019 Welsh Grand National win of Potters Corner.
CHRISTIAN Williams intends to target Doncaster’s Sky Bet Chase at the end of this month with Cap Du Nord in the hope of making the Randox Grand National cut.

The improving eight-year-old was a good winner at Newbury on his penultimate outing, before having to settle for second behind the impressive Royal Pagaille at Kempton over Christmas.

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He finished 19 lengths clear of the third horse, but had no answer to Venetia Williams’s winner – who has since been entered for the Cheltenham Gold Cup following a 14lb rise in the weights.

Williams, a former jump jockey who finished second in the 2005 National on Royal Auclair, is hoping his horse runs well enough at Doncaster on January 30 to get himself high enough up the weights for the National.

This was the Jack Tudor-ridden Potters Corner winning the 2019 Welsh Grand National for trainer Christian Williams.This was the Jack Tudor-ridden Potters Corner winning the 2019 Welsh Grand National for trainer Christian Williams.
This was the Jack Tudor-ridden Potters Corner winning the 2019 Welsh Grand National for trainer Christian Williams.

“Doncaster was the aim before Kempton really – we just didn’t want to wait eight weeks between Newbury and Doncaster,” said Williams, who enjoyed a brief stint with Yorkshire racing legends Sue and Harvey Smith during his riding career.

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“He’s quite a sturdy horse so eight weeks would have been too long to wait.

“When I was riding myself I rode Big Fella Thanks in the Kempton race – he unseated me on the second circuit when I felt we’d nearly have won and then we went to Doncaster and won, so I always had that in the back of my mind.

“Our horse is fairly adaptable regards the ground. We thought he wanted better ground after Newbury, but I think he’s fine on most because he’s run well on very bad ground before.

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“I just think he’s more the finished article now. He could have bumped into a 160-horse at Kempton. He won very well, but we made a bit of a race of it, and the pair were miles clear.

“We bought Cap Du Nord off a good friend of mine, and he’s always threatened to be a really good horse.

“Before now, while we’d had some fun, he was still lowly rated.

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“He’s finally shown this year he might be a decent one, which is nice because he’s for a good, supportive owner (Ian Marmion).”

Should Doncaster go to plan, Williams may be adding another string to his Aintree bow along with last season’s Welsh Grand National hero Potters Corner.

“He’s rated 137 now” added Williams.

“If he goes and wins this he could be a proper National horse, and that would give Jack (Tudor, jockey) something to think about with Potters Corner as well.

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“I think about 144 almost guarantees a run at Aintree, so you think he’d go up 7lb if he wins at Doncaster.”

Meanwhile, Nicky Richards intends to work back from a second outing in the Scottish Grand National with former winner Takingrisks.

After failing to complete on his seasonal return, Takingrisks underwent a wind operation before finishing fourth in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle, Richards said: “The main aim is to try to get him back to the Scottish National in good form.

“The old lad seems to be bonny at the moment.”

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