A French-bred gelding and full-brother to fellow John Smith’s Grand National contender L’Ami, Kelami originally raced for trainer Francois Doumen’s Haras d’Ecouves, before he was transferred to the ownership of the late Queen Mother for his British debut when second in a juvenile hurdle at Newbury on December 19, 2001. Following the Queen Mother’s death in March, 2002, he returned to the Doumens’ ownership until being bought by John Halewood at the start of 2004. Kelami has appeared at the Cheltenham Festival three times. He was pulled up in the 2002 JCB Triumph Hurdle, fourth in the 2004 William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase, and successful in the same race in 2005. He has only won four times during a 47-race career, although he has run some good races in defeat, most notably when third in the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup at Haydock and the Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown in 2005. For the 2006/07 season, he began with a victory over hurdles at Compiegne, France, in October. He did not appear to be at his best for his next three outings, before returning to form when second to Rambling Minster in the Agfa Diamond Handicap Chase at Sandown in February. However, he failed to repeat that level of form when pulling up on his next start in the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup at Haydock Park but bounced back again with a good second in a Grade Two Chase at Auteuil in March. Kelami had his second attempt over the John Smith’s Grand National fences in last year’s contest, having been brought down at the first in 2004, and made it over 28 of the 30 fences before being pulled up. This season, Kelami has once again contested some of this country’s top handicap chases, including valuable events at both Cheltenham and Sandown, without much success. His final start prior to Aintree did however produce an encouraging return to form with a staying on second behind Gungadu in the Grade Three Racing Post Chase at Kempton on February 23.

Race Record: Starts: 47; 1st: 4; 2nd: 8; 3rd: 10; Win & Place Prize Money: £280,523

Halewood International Ltd
Halewood International, based at Huyton in Merseyside, was set up in 1978 by John Halewood and is one of the major UK independent producers and importers of wine, spirits and speciality drinks, employing about 1,500 people worldwide with an annual turnover of £250 million. John Halewood was born on the Wirral and always dreamt of success in the John Smith’s Grand National. This came about when Amberleigh House, trained by Ginger McCain, won in 2004. Halewood’s local connection was responsible for him being introduced to Ginger McCain in the Red Rum days when the trainer was based in Southport and he bought his first horse in 1983. Before Amberleigh House, his one previous Grand National runner was the McCain-trained Dudie, who came to grief at the sixth fence in 1986. Halewood’s wife Judy Eaton used to train and ran Harley, who finished 12th in the 1991 National. Halewood, a lifelong Liverpool football fan who once had a trial at Anfield, has about 20 horses, some with Judy’s sister Lisa Williamson, who is based at Saighton near Chester, including the former Paul Nicholls-trained Cornish Rebel and also has Kelami in France with Francois Doumen. Other trainers for Halewood include Mick Easterby and Donald McCain Jnr. His company sponsors the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup, a major Grand National trial, at Haydock Park, and John had an estimated personal wealth of £80 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2007.

John Smith’s Grand National Record: 1986 Dudie (Fell 6th - owned by John Halewood); 2001 Amberleigh House (Fell 8th); 2003 Amberleigh House (3rd); 2004 AMBERLEIGH HOUSE (WON), Kelami (BD 1st); 2005 Amberleigh House (10th), 2006 Amberleigh House (PU Bef 21st), Inca Trail (8th), 2007 Kelami (PU Bef 29th)

Francois Doumen
Born by the side of the road in wartime France on June 11, 1940, Francois Doumen first came to the attention of the British racing public when Nupsala, a 25/1 outsider, grabbed a shock victory over Desert Orchid in the 1987 King George VI Chase at Kempton. Doumen has built on that success to land other notable prizes in this country. It is the exploits of The Fellow, winner of two King George VI Chases (1991 & 1992) and the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup (1994), which stand out. The Fellow fell at the Canal Turn on the second circuit in 1994 on his only attempt at the John Smith’s Grand National. Doumen’s spectacularly successful raids over here have helped boost the popularity of French half-bred horses with British trainers. Doumen, whose father Jean trained successfully, spent seven years running a fashion business in South Africa before taking out a licence to train in 1977, having ridden more than 100 winners as an amateur between 1956-70. Other good horses he has handled include King George winner Algan, Ucello II, Ubu III, Djeddah, Bog Frog, Val d’Elene, Moulin Riche, L’Ami, Innox, Kelami, Snow Drop, winner of the 2000 JCB Triumph Hurdle, and the great Baracouda, winner of the Ladbrokes World Hurdle in 2002 and 2003, as well as the 2000 King George VI Chase winner First Gold, who also won the totesport Bowl at Aintree in 2001 and 2003. Doumen also trained for the late Queen Mother. His horses were stabled at Lamorlaye near Chantilly, but three quarters of them are now at La Beauvoisiniere in Normandy and the rest have left Lamorlaye for a new yard at Chantilly. Much of his string is now Flat-orientated and has included the globe-trotting star Jim And Tonic, bred by his wife Elizabeth, whose successes include the 1999 Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin. His son Thierry was a jockey and is now also a trainer. Doumen Snr’s Aintree successes also include Bilboa in the 2001 John Smith’s Anniversary 4YO Novices’ Hurdle, and he is bidding to become the first French-based trainer to win the John Smith’s Grand National since Harry Lamplugh sent out Cortolvin from Chantilly to triumph in 1867.

John Smith’s Grand National Record: 1994 The Fellow (Fell 24th); 1998 Ciel De Brion (Fell 26th); 2000 Djeddah (9th); 2001 Djeddah (UR 8th); 2002 Djeddah (UR 27th); 2003 Djeddah (11th); 2004 Kelami (Brought down 1st); 2005 Innox (7th); 2006 Innox (Fell 1st), First Gold (Unseated 23rd), 2007 L’Ami (10th), Kelami (PU Bef 29th)