Comply Or Die can fulfil a pipe dream

Published on Saturday 3 April 2010 21:17

IN THE pantheon of great racing families, the Pipes are right up there with the Piggotts, O'Briens and Baldings. David Pipe, son of the legendary Martin, made it so two years ago when he trained Comply Or Die to win the Grand National.

Martin Pipe had been champion National Hunt trainer 15 times, and won the National with Miinnehoma in 1994 at the age of 49, but son David landed the world's most famous jumps race when he was just 35 to send his own fledgling training career into orbit.

On Saturday at Aintree, Comply Or Die will attempt to become the first horse since Red Rum to come back and win the National again, Rummie having finished twice in succession after his first two wins before he triumphed in the 1977 renewal.

Comply Or Die was second last year and has slightly less weight to carry this time. Owner David Johnson has both him and The Package in the big race, and the multi-millionaire might well find himself with two horses in the frame.

David Pipe revealed that he will be going to Aintree in a "relaxed" frame of mind, as he has already achieved one of his greatest ambitions by winning the National. "It is the dream everyone wants to fulfil, whether you are owner, trainer or jockey," he said. "Winning it gives you a feeling unlike anything else. It's great for me to have won it so early on in my career, and I can go there relaxed every year now.

"The race is worth a lot of money, but more important is the fact that the National is known worldwide and you are always known as a 'Grand National-winning trainer' from then on."

Pipe wants the 'double' and has two or possibly three serious chances of winning the race. Comply or Die will not be favourite this year as he was in 2008, but he has been trained for the occasion and Pipe says he is "fine" and ready to race.

Comply or Die was 42 lengths back in 13th place in the William Hill Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival, but as per the last two years, the 11-year-old has been trained with Aintree in mind and that Cheltenham running can safely be ignored as he finished down the field in the same prep race last season.

Pipe said: "Comply obviously has the form round there, having finished second last year and winning the year before that. He got tired at the top of the hill but the run has brought him on a lot.

"He's not a horse who does a lot at home but he still shows all the same enthusiasm and I'm sure when he gets to Aintree he'll be lit up."

Had Timmy Murphy started his late run a second earlier, The Package would have nailed Chief Dan George on the line in that William Hill Trophy. But the 33-1 shot hung on by a head, so The Package's effort became a hard-luck story.

Pipe tackled the issue of the horse's age – a seven-year-old has not won the National since Bogskar in 1940 – by saying: "The Package has been in a lot of competitive handicaps, he has a lot of experience, so I wouldn't worry about that. He is fine and came out of the Cheltenham race well."

The only other doubt is whether he will stay the four-and-a-half miles of Britain's longest turf race: "He jumps brilliantly, but whether he will get the trip or not we will not know until the day, but the way he races you would expect him to."

Much will become clear when Johnson's retained jockey Timmy Murphy makes his final decision about which of the two horses he will ride. Will he stay loyal to Comply Or Die, which gave him his sole National win, or jump on to The Package on which he was so unlucky at Cheltenham?

Pipe said: "It's going to be a hard choice as to what Timmy rides. He has not made his mind up."

The final plans for one of his entries, Madison Du Berlais, have still not been finalised, said Pipe: "Even though he is a top weight in the National he would have a chance if he goes in the race, but he has the option of the totesport Bowl (on Thursday] or he could go to Ayr for the Scottish National. It will probably be a fairly late decision."

Madison Du Berlais won the Bowl last year when Denman fell two out, and if he is sent to that race again, it would be a sure sign that he would be worth betting. The likelihood must be that with Denman set for Ayr, Pipe will come north, too, where Madison Du Berlais and Lucinda Russell's Silver By Nature will be the only other horses in the handicap proper. Watch out for announcements of Pipe's plans later this week, and if The Package and Comply Or Die both go for the Grand National they must be worth an each-way bet.

Before the Aintree version, there's the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse tomorrow, and rain in recent days has made the course north of Dublin heavy all round.

Ireland's champion trainer Willie Mullins saddles Ballytrim, Equus Maximus and Pomme Tiepy, with stable jockey Ruby Walsh opting for Equus Maximus. Ruby's choice is a good enough indication and Equus Maximus should be backed each-way.

The Scottish Flat season starts today at Musselburgh where the going is good, good to soft in places, and the racing starts at 2.20pm. The big race is the totesuper7 Musselburgh Gold Cup at 3.50. Mark Johnston's Gargano has an each-way shot.