Grand National News |
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Mountainous Aimed at First £1-million Crabbie’s Grand National Friday 24th January 2014 |
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The improving nine-year-old relished the testing conditions in the Chepstow showpiece on December 28 and battled on gamely to score by a head from Hawkes Point.
Connections will be hoping he can follow in the hoof prints of Rag Trade (1976) and Corbiere (1983), who completed the Welsh National and Grand National double in the same season.
Lee reported: “Mountainous has come out of the Welsh National absolutely fine and will be given an entry in the Crabbie’s Grand National on Tuesday.
“I was delighted with him at Chepstow and he has obviously gone up (in the handicap) as a result, but that was to be expected.
“We hope he will get a nice weight now, but we will have to see what else is entered.
“Before Aintree, he will either go to Ffos Las for the West Wales National (February 1) or to Haydock for the Grand National Trial (February 15).
“He wouldn’t want the ground too quick at Aintree. He has got form on good to soft, but the softer the better really.”
The Crabbie’s Grand National is worth £1 million for the first time thanks to the new sponsor.
This is by far the highest amount of prize money offered for a jump race outside of Japan and the maximum 40 runners are likely to line up again for the world-famous chase which is staged on the third and final day of the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival, Saturday, April 5, at Aintree.
Due off at 4.15pm that day, the Crabbie’s Grand National is run over 30 fences and four miles, three and a half furlongs.
Last year’s Grand National was witnessed by a sell-out crowd of 70,000 at Aintree, watched live on television in Britain by nearly nine million Channel 4 viewers and seen worldwide by over 600 million people.
Andrew Tulloch, Regional Head of Racing Jockey Club Racecourses NW & Aintree’s Clerk of the Course, commented: “The 167th running of the world’s greatest chase, the Crabbie’s Grand National, on April 5 has £1 million in prize money and it is very exciting to have reached this landmark figure.
“It means the winning horse will receive £561,300 which is more than the total prize money for the race in 2002, and there are again prizes down to the 10th horse to finish.
“We are looking forward to receiving tremendous entries on Tuesday for the 2014 Crabbie’s Grand National.”
Modifications to the Grand National course have been made in recent years, which culminated last year with plastic frames being introduced into most of the famous fences and the start being moved forward by 90 yards.
Tulloch added: “We have made quite a few changes over the last six years and we are very happy with the new frames and how the fences have ridden.
“We were delighted with how last year’s Grand National went. Now is a time for stability and no further changes to the course are planned but, as always, welfare is uppermost in our minds and we do not stand still.
“The 2013 Grand National was a great story for British racing and for all parties involved – trainers, owners, jockeys, the welfare organisations with whom we consulted, and many others within equestrian disciplines that we involved.”
The entries for the 2014 Crabbie’s Grand National will be released at noon on Wednesday, January 29, with the weights unveiled on Tuesday, February 11.
