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| Aintree Grand National - 14th April 2012 |
Roulez Cool on Course for Aintree; Nina Carberry to Ride Organisedconfusion 24/02/12
Robert Waley-Cohen is pleased with his John Smith’s Grand National hope Roulez Cool’s preparation for the 2012 renewal of the world’s most famous chase, which takes place over four and a half miles and 30 fences at Aintree on Saturday, April 14.
The nine-year-old is owned and trained by Waley-Cohen, who saw the Martin Lynch-trained Oscar Time narrowly denied when carrying his colours to take second behind Ballabriggs in last season’s John Smith’s Grand National.
With Oscar Time on the sidelines in 2012, Roulez Cool will carry the hopes of Waley-Cohen in the John Smith’s Grand National, which has record prize money of £975,000.
Roulez Cool, ridden like Oscar Time by Waley-Cohen’s amateur son Sam, is a 25/1 chance with Betfred in the Grand National betting.
Waley-Cohen said: “Roulez Cool is on course to run in the John Smith’s Grand National. He will either go to Cheltenham for the Christie’s Foxhunter Chase or a point-to-point at around that time and then on to Aintree.”
Roulez Cool was well fancied to win the Christie’s Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2010, but he was brought down four fences from home when still holding every chance. However, he atoned for that defeat when winning the Stratford Foxhunters Champion Hunters’ Chase over three and a half miles in May of the same year.
Waley-Cohen continued: “He has been off the track since May, 2010, with an injury, but he has returned in great form and I’m very happy with him.
“I think 10st 5lb is a lovely weight in the John Smith’s Grand National and Sam will be able to do that weight very easily. I think the horse will take to the place and good to soft ground would be perfect.”
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The Naas handler said: “Organisedconfusion is due to run at Leopardstown next weekend and we will take it from there. He was a little sore after his fall at Leopardstown the last day, but he is fine now.”
On last year’s Irish Grand National success, he said: “It wasn’t a surprise, we were very happy with him going into the race and everything went well during the race. He had run in the Leopardstown Chase last year and he was a good staying-on third in that so we felt he was entitled to take his chance in the Irish National.
“This year the Irish National and the John Smith’s Grand National are the same week, and it will all depend on how things go at Leopardstown next weekend before deciding where we go.”
The last seven-year-old to triumph in the John Smith’s Grand National was Bogskar in 1940, but Moore believes the demands of Aintree will pose no problem to Organisedconfusion, currently a 33/1 chance with Betfred, the official betting partner of the John Smith’s Grand National meeting.
Moore continued: “He was mature enough to win the Irish Grand National at the age of six, so I don’t see why his age would be a problem. He has plenty of experience and the ground wouldn’t be a worry either - he has won on good and he has won on heavy.
“I am very happy with 10st 8lb, it is a lovely racing weight and, all being well, Nina Carberry will ride him.”
Organisedconfusion fell at the first in the Leopardstown Handicap Chase on January 28 when partnered by Carberry whose only other ride on the horse was for his Irish Grand National victory.
Bobbyjo (1999) and Numbersixvalverde (2006) both won the Irish Grand National the season before their Aintree victories.
Carberry and Sam Waley-Cohen will be bidding to become the first amateur to win the John Smith’s Grand National since Marcus Armytage scored on Mr Frisk in 1990.
Betfred currently have Junior (14/1) at the head of the market for the John Smith’s Grand National after a brilliant performance in last season’s Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
The five co-second favourites at 16/1 include last year’s winner Ballabriggs, Grade One Lexus Chase victor Synchronised and the Betfred Becher Chase hero West End Rocker, who was brought down at Becher’s Brook in last year’s renewal.
The next scratchings deadline for the 2012 John Smith’s Grand National is on Tuesday, February 28, details of which will be revealed on Wednesday, February 29.
The 2012 John Smith’s Grand National meeting runs from April 12 to 14 and showcases top-class racing on each day.
