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Longsdon to Give Creek a Grand National Entry
28/01/10

Entries for the John Smith’s Grand National close at noon on Tuesday, February 2, and trainer Charlie Longsdon is hoping to chase the dream of a first triumph in the world’s greatest steeplechase with Palypso De Creek.

This year’s renewal of the famous handicap chase over four and a half miles and 30 fences takes place at Aintree on Saturday, April 10 - the culmination of the three-day John Smith’s Grand National meeting.

The race is worth a record £925,000 and over £520,000 of that lucrative purse - the biggest by far in jump racing - goes to the victor.

Palypso De Creek, a French import who made his British debut with a smooth victory in a Towcester novice hurdle in October, has already sampled the unique Grand National course.

The seven-year-old handled the big spruce fences when fourth to Vic Venturi under Tom Siddall in the totesport.com Becher Chase over three and a quarter miles at Aintree on November 22.

He won a valuable handicap chase, the Grade Three Prix Du President De La Republique, over just short of three miles at Auteuil in April, 2008, on heavy ground.

Now owned by Lancastrian businessman Alan Halsall, Palypso De Creek showed that he is a horse to note when runner-up to Our Vic in the Grade Two Peter Marsh Chase, run in testing conditions at Haydock on January 23, a race in which last year’s John Smith’s Grand National hero Mon Mome was a pleasing fourth under top-weight.

Oxfordshire-based Longsdon revealed today: “Palypso De Creek will get a John Smith’s Grand National entry.

“We are very pleased with his Haydock run at the weekend. He has come back extremely well and we won’t run him again until the weights come out (Tuesday, February 16).

“We always thought he was a good horse and I don’t think he has improved particularly since he came to us. He was given a mark of 134 and then the handicapper dropped him for no real reason after the Becher Chase. That meant that we thought he was well handicapped for his run in the Peter Marsh Chase.

“He has made progress and is in fantastic form but I think everything was always there with him and he has just proved that he is the horse we thought he was.

“He likes testing ground but he won his novice hurdle on what was almost quick ground. It wasn’t a great race but he beat Lord Generous, who is now rated 130, by almost five lengths, giving him 7lb. I would think he would be just as good on good ground - I wouldn’t let him go on fast ground.

“He loved the Grand National fences when he ran in the Becher Chase. He pulled a front shoe off right at the beginning of the race, which made him slightly careful over those fences, but he jumped well. He is a tidy, economical jumper, which I presume is what you need round there anyway.

“He would certainly run once more before the John Smith’s Grand National, possibly twice more. He will get entries in plenty of races and could go to Cheltenham and then on to Aintree. We will enter him in races like the William Hill Chase and the Kim Muir, but it is too early to say for certain where he will run.”

The entries are announced at noon on Wednesday, February 3. Weights for the 2010 John Smith’s Grand National, which has a safety limit of 40 runners, are unveiled at the Grand National Launch lunch in London on Tuesday, February 16.