Yorkshire facing blank National

IT IS a near certainty that no Yorkshire-trained horse will line up in next month's Crabbies Grand National following the latest big race declarations.
Mr Moonshine, ridden by Danny Cook, clears the last fence on the way to winning the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Haydock in February (Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire).Mr Moonshine, ridden by Danny Cook, clears the last fence on the way to winning the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Haydock in February (Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire).
Mr Moonshine, ridden by Danny Cook, clears the last fence on the way to winning the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Haydock in February (Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire).

With a maximum field of 40 runners going to post on April 9, Sue Smith’s Mr Moonshine and Alan Swinbank’s Big Water are so far down the handicap that they will need dozens of horses to be withdrawn in order to make the cut.

Mr Moonshine, who has twice lined up in the National, is 73rd in the revised handicap with Big Water 74th.

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It is another poor reflection of the state of jump racing in the North following a particularly barren Cheltenham, which was dominated by the major yards from the South – and Ireland.

Principle hopes for the North remain with Highland Lodge from the Cumbrian yard of Jimmy Moffatt. A winner of the Betfred Becher Chase over the National fences last December, the 10-year-old’s participation is still dependent on a dozen higher-rated horses being withdrawn in the week of the Aintree marathon.

Connections will be unlucky if they do not make the cut, especially in-form Middleham jockey Henry Brooke who rode Highland Lodge to victory at Aintree and who has been booked for the ride.

However, two-time Welsh National winner Mountainous, one of the horses that has helped establish first season trainer Kerry Lee, needs 21 horses to be withdrawn

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Of the confirmed absentees, the most high-profile is the Willie Mullins-trained Don Poli, who was a brave third in last Friday’s Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, which was run on unsuitably fast ground.

Other notable performers taken out include Valseur Lido, Foxrock, Sam Winner and Shotgun Paddy.

Former Gold Cup winners Lord Windermere and Long Run, the latter retired after a laboured comeback run at Carlisle on Sunday, have also been scratched.

Last year’s winner Many Clouds is 8-1 favourite following a victory at Kelso 10 days ago, with dual King George VI Chase winner Silviniaco Conti and The Last Samuri – victor of Doncaster’s Grimthorpe Chase – next in the betting at 12-1.

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Willie Mullins has confirmed Annie Power to be on course for next month’s Doom Bar Aintree Hurdle.

The brilliant eight-year-old became the first mare in 22 years to claim the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham a week ago and she is set to take on the boys once more on the first day of the Grand National meeting on April 7.

Annie Power was one of three mares to strike gold at Prestbury Park for Ireland’s champion trainer, with Vroum Vroum Mag taking the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle and Limini justifying the hype in the inaugural Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

Mullins said: “Vroum Vroum Mag is in very good order and we’ll most likely keep her for Punchestown, although she might get an entry at Aintree.

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“As for Annie Power, I’m very pleased with how she’s come out of her race at Cheltenham and we’ll be looking at the Aintree Hurdle for her next.

“Limini was very impressive and she could run at Punchestown. The good thing is that Rich Ricci (owner) has no plans on retiring any of the three mares any time soon.”

Wesley Ward will make a surprise early-season raid on Britain after confirming unraced filly Create A Dream an intended runner in the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster’s season-opening meeting on the first weekend of April.

The American trainer has enjoyed multiple successes at Royal Ascot in recent years with the likes of No Nay Never, Hootenanny, Acapulco and Undrafted.

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Ward said last autumn he hoped to saddle more runners in Britain in 2016 and has a five-strong team of juveniles booked for a trans-Atlantic flight later this week. “The problem is we don’t have a lot of opportunities to run the two-year-olds with grass pedigrees in the early part of the year,” he said.

Hurdler Jasani was a shock 40-1 winner at Wetherby for Malton trainer Alan Brown and jockey Gary Lavery. The meeting also saw the Cole Harden team of Warren Greatrex and Gavin Sheehan, out of luck at Cheltenham, take the novice chase with Ballyculla. Meanwhile Hartside was a popular winner for South Yorkshire singing jockey Ryan Winks – the rider’s father Peter trains the horse.

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