Rise in handicap on Auroras Encore too harsh, says Smith

Pulled up in the Scottish National at Ayr on Saturday, the showjumping legend claims that a 11lb rise in the handicap is too harsh for a 11-year-old horse.

Trained at High Eldwick by Smith’s wife Sue, Auroras Encore did not jump the final five fences under a sensitive Ryan Mania. As well as top weight, horse and rider were also hampered by a melee at the second fence.

“Being hampered is a hazard of the race,” said Smith, who says no winner of the National has won a subsequent race in the past 10 years.

“He got in the right position to go and win but weight stops trains. He ran a hell of a race until the weight got to him. The handicapper stopped him.

“Where they are going wrong is that they forget these horses are the stars. To stop them going on a racecourse is wrong.

“There were record crowds at Ayr and we had to take the horse, otherwise we would have let the general public down.”

He added: “If you keep sending a boxer into the ring and he keeps getting a good hiding, it is not long before he says he doesn’t want to go in there.”

British Horseracing Authority senior handicapper Phil Smith disagrees with Smith’s assessment after Auroras Encore became Yorkshire’s first National winner in 53 years.

He said: “Statistically horses have a 10 per cent chance of being in the first four in the Grand National. In the last 10 years, Grand National winners have subsequently run in 17 more Grand Nationals being placed in four of them at a rate of 23.5 per cent.”

Meanwhile, legendary jump jockey AP McCoy is likely to be out of action for “several weeks” after breaking several ribs – and suffering other injuries – in a crunching fall at Cheltenham.

McCoy, 39, is still being treated in hospital following last Thursday’s fall. The seriousness of his condition is reflected by the fact that he is missing several high-profile rides at this week’s Punchestown Festival.

Jonjo O’Neill, principal trainer to McCoy’s employer JP McManus, said: “I have been texting him and he is going to be staying in for a few more days. He is still pretty sore.

“I know his ribs are sore and suppose that it will be a few weeks until he is back.”

The injury setback does not affect McCoy’s status as champion jockey. An 18th consecutive title is guaranteed when the current season ends at Sandown and Market Rasen on Saturday because he is sufficiently clear of his great rivals Richard Johnson and Jason Maguire.

Yet, with the 2013-14 season beginning at Wetherby and Ludlow on Sunday, McCoy will find himself in the unaccustomed position of playing catch-up against those who can capitalise on the champion’s misfortune.

It will be an intriguing state of affairs as McCoy seeks the 120 successes that he still requires to reach the historic 4,000-winner milestone – his modus operandi has always been to make a fast start to each new season and build up an unassailable lead that saps the morale of his adversaries.