grand national 2013 /

Moonshine Bidding to Put Harvey Smith Back on Top
25/03/13

Former top show jumper, Harvey Smith, enjoyed a hugely successful and colourful career over many decades but should his wife, Sue, land the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on April 6 with her Mr Moonshine, it could very well be the highpoint of the Smith’s sporting lives.

Mr Moonshine
© Racehorse Photos

Harvey spends a great deal of time at the couple’s racing yard at Bingley in West Yorkshire and is heavily involved, but Sue in charge, and has proven herself a talented trainer over the last 15 years or so.

The Grand National 2013 has been the target for Mr Moonshine for some time. After running a fine race at Wetherby on Boxing Day when pushing the very useful Cape Tribulation – winner of Cheltenham’s Grade 2 Argento Chase next time out - all the way in the Grade 3 Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase, connections have been building up to tackling the Aintree showcase contest.

Well fancied for the Grimthorpe Handicap Chase at Doncaster in early-March, Mr Moonshine ran as though short of peak fitness when fading into sixth place behind Quentin Collonges, but showed more dash at Haydock recently when finishing fourth to McMurrough.

That result suggested that he is coming back to his best just at the right time to give a good account of himself against the other Grand National runners this April.

Available at up to 80/1 in places, the gelded son of champion Flat stayer, Double Eclipse, looks the type who could very well take to the daunting Aintree fences and give supporters a decent run for their money. He stays, handles most types of ground, and has never fallen in his 22-race career over hurdles and fences to date.