WILLIE’S TURN
Mr Incredible can end a Grand drought
WILLIE MULLINS has won every major national hunt race in the past few years, in most cases multiple times, which makes it even more hard to fathom why the Closutton maestro hasn’t landed the world’s greatest race for 19 years.
Yes, it was Hedgehunter who famously propelled Ruby Walsh to a 14-length victory in the 2005 Grand National.
Since then, the Brits have the edge over the Irish raiders by a score of 10 to seven, but the Emerald Isle have landed the gold medal in five of the last seven starts.
With up to eight Mullins runners appearing in this year’s renewal at Aintree, that Irish dominance is set to continue and it is the most enigmatic of those entries I fancy to win Saturday’s famous race. MR INCREDIBLE has been a difficult horse to train, and has only run
11 times under rules.
But when he is on his game, the selection has looked a natural for this race, none more so than 12 months ago.
Hunted around the inside, the gelding was still going supremely well on the second circuit when a leather broke and gave
Brian Hayes no chance of staying in the saddle.
Of course, it was too far out to say he would have been involved in the finish, let alone beaten Corach Rambler.
But we know that he is a strong stayer and had looked well treated off a mark of 145.
Amazingly the handicapper raised him 5lbs in the weights this year, which makes no sense as he hadn’t run since.
But to a certain extent, that new mark was vindicated when he humped 12 stone in heavy ground around Uttoxeter to finish second in the bet365 Midlands Grand National last month. Granted a clear run and off a lovely racing weight, I think he has seriously solid claims of making his mark this year with ground conditions also likely to be in his favour.
Last year, I thought Corach Rambler was merely dossing out in front, but I’m not sure how much he would have found had Vanillier started his whirlwind finish earlier is hard to say.
On 9lbs better terms, I think the grey will reverse the form especially as the 2023 hero had a hard race in the Gold Cup.
By the way, Vanillier only went up for 4lbs for finishing second compared to Mr Incredible – how do you work that one out?
Outside the 2023 runner-up, I think Meeting of the waters is another unexposed young chaser worthy of a second look following his strong-staying third in the Ultima Chase at Cheltenham,
while best of the rest could be Coko Beach and the mare Galia Des Liteaux.
That duo both adore plenty of juice in the ground, the last named was not stopping at the end of the Warwick Classic over 3m5f when just touched off by My Silver Lining, the winner having cemented the form since when just behind the selection at Uttoxeter.
Coko Beach is hardly the best handicapped horse in the race and raced too freely up front when pulled up the race last year. The nine-year-old’s chance probably depends on the ground being genuinely heavy and him being held on to for a bit longer, but at the weights I think that Mr Incredible will prove too strong for him.