Ballabriggs and Synchronised bid to emulate National giants

THE 2012 GRAND National has it all – and the race hasn’t even started yet. Donald McCain’s Ballabriggs bids to become the first back-to-back winner since the legendary Red Rum, who was trained by his late father Ginger McCain, while Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Synchronised bids to become the first horse since Golden Miller in 1934 to complete the double in the same season.

Oh, and let’s not forget there are 38 other runners, at least half of them who can be considered to hold a live chance of landing the world’s most famous race.

Ginger McCain was on hand to see the celebrations in the winner’s enclosure 12 months ago when Ballabriggs romped home, and there would be no more poignant or emotional winner if the 2011 hero can do it again.

“I don’t see any reason at all why he shouldn’t go there and run his race again,” Donald McCain said. “He’s got more weight to carry, but he’s a big, strong horse and, if he takes to the place the same as he did last year, then he’s going to be thereabouts.”

Thereabouts covers first place, of course, and at 14-1 he looks great value to join “Rummy” in the history books.

Those same history books suggest Synchronised is up against it, but trainer Jonjo O’Neill is unperturbed and believed his classy top-weight has what it takes to pull off a remarkable double success.

The nine-year-old is certainly in a different mould to many who have tried, as a horse who has proven the sternest of stamina tests are to his liking by winning the Welsh and Midland Nationals.

Indeed, even his trainer admits he has always viewed his charge as more of a National horse than a Gold Cup horse and just because he landed the blue riband last month, he has no real reason to change his opinion.

“He came right in time for the Gold Cup and he just seems really well. If he had been third, fourth or fifth in the Gold Cup, everyone would have been saying the National was the right race for him,” O’Neill said.

“We’d have loved to have put him in a glass case and just hugged and kissed him forever but he’s a racehorse and this is the race that suits him.”

O’Neill never won the world’s most famous steeplechase during his illustrious riding career, but has already won it as a trainer as Don’t Push It gave Tony McCoy that elusive first National triumph two years ago. Synchronised has a history of taking his races hard, and needing time to recover from his exertions, but his trainer could not believe how well the gelding was the morning after his Gold Cup victory.

“He just came out of the race so good. He came out of his box the next day better than ever and he’s the best horse in the race on Saturday,” O’Neill added.

“He’s a sensible horse and as long as he doesn’t start diving at his fences and taking too much out of himself, hopefully he’ll get into a rhythm. The fellow on top (McCoy) might help a bit, too.”

Should Synchronised not come up with the goods, O’Neill also saddles Kim Muir winner Sunnyhillboy and outsider Arbor Supreme.

“Sunnyhillboy is in great form and he’s like Synchronised in that you just hope he gets into a rhythm,” said O’Neill. “He took longer to learn how to jump but we think he stays and he was staying on in the Irish National last year. He came out of Cheltenham well.”

Asked which of his trio he would ride, O’Neill added: “I’d ride the Gold Cup winner.

“He has a lot of weight but good horses can give weight away and if everything goes right he’ll be very close. The other one (Sunnyhillboy) will hopefully run a blinder, too.”

David Pipe saddles Junior and Swing Bill, with the former bidding to record a remarkable treble by winning at Royal Ascot, the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National. Pipe said: “This has been the plan since he won the Kim Muir last year and we’ve had a good preparation. The ground will be fine and if you get a bit of luck in running, you never know.

“There’s rules and there’s horses that break the rules, and this could be one of them.”

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has yet to win the race but has high hopes for Neptune Collonges.

“He’s slipped under the radar a little bit and there’s no pressure with him, but he’s a classy horse and has run well twice this year, so he could run really tidy,” Nicholls said.

Alan King’s West End Rocker was brought down jumping Becher’s Brook first time a year ago, but won the Becher Chase over the same fences in November. “I haven’t had many National runners, but I think this is the strongest challenge we’ve ever come with,” King said. “He’s done plenty of work and he’s good fresh, so fingers crossed.”