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| Aintree Grand National 2011 |
Backstage Favourite for Grand National? Killyglen Best Outsider?
08/04/11
Three years have passed since young Irish trainer Gordon Elliot won the Grand National and on Saturday, Elliot has strong claims of another win with the 9-y-o Backstage.
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Prepared for the race last year, the passage to Aintree was not totally smooth but Backstage was travelling notably well when Lady Luck withdrew her support and an encounter with a loose horse ended proceedings. Kept on the go for part of summer, the gelding didn’t sparkle but a good break followed by a couple of fluent and easy wins in the point to point field smacks of a decent preparation.
All has reportedly gone well in recent weeks and with decent ground suiting the horse, connections are hopeful of a very good showing. Currently, fellow Irish challenger The Midnight Club is the market favourite but it would not be a surprise if Backstage were to be well-backed on the day.
We all like to have a few pounds on an outsider each-way and there are worse options than Killyglen. Formerly trained by Howard Johnson, the lightly-raced 9-y-o is quite classy when on song and he might just be the type who will benefit from being trained in a smaller yard. There was certainly a lot to like about his single prep-race this year where he jumped notably well and led for a long way in a decent handicap up at Doncaster. A massive effort will be required but at 66/1, the horse looks an interesting each-way bet, especially if the ground dries out.
Recommendation: Backstage (e/w) Killyglen (e/w)
