88 GO FORWARD FOR 2009 JOHN SMITH'S GRAND NATIONAL

office sweepstake pdf www.attheraces.com/images/national/AtThe...tionalSweepstake.pdf

Walsh odds-on to be leading Aintree jockey

LAST year's top Aintree jockey Ruby Walsh has been installed the clear 8-13 favourite by Bet365 to take the 2009 leading riders' awardthis week.

Set to ride 7-1 favourite My Will in the Grand National, Walsh dethroned Tony McCoy, who had previously landed the prize from 2005 to 2007, with four winners in 2008, and kicks off on Thursday with three fancied rides for last term's leading trainer Paul Nicholls, including World Hurdle winner Big Buck's.

McCoy, who is still in search of his first Grand National win, is 5-1 to stop Walsh winning the title for the third time.

Robert Thornton and Barry Geraghty are both 10-1 shots to claim their first and Richard Johnson, who is reunited with Mighty Man in the Liverpool Hurdle on Thursday, is 20-1 to win the honour for the first time since 2002.

The top 40 in the John Smith's Grand National all stood their ground for the big race on Saturday, with the exception of the already-scratched War Of Attrition.

It means the Phillip Hobbs-trained Zabenz is the last horse to make the field with Maljimar the unlucky horse finishing just below the cut line.

However, Nick Williams' charge, along with three other reserves Companero, Iron Man and Patsy Hall could still make the line-up if any of those above them are forced out due to injury.

The Donald McCain-trained Cloudy Lane heads the weights on 11st 10lb while last year's winner Comply Or Die will bid for a repeat success from a 4lb lower mark.

Silver Birch, successful in 2007, will carry 11st while probable favourite My Will (11st 4lb) is one of four runners for champion trainer Paul Nicholls, with Eurotrek (11st 3lb), Big Fella Thanks (11st 1lb) and Cornish Sett (10st 10lb) all lining up.

My Will's owner Andy Stewart believes there will be 'no excuses' if his charge doesn't perform although says his odds no longer reflect the horse's chance.

"It's great Ruby chose to ride him and it's a major plus for a horse who sometimes makes the occasional mistake," Stewart said.

"Having a jockey with that experience round Aintree and who has also ridden the horse beforehand is important.

"I think the price the bookmakers have got him is far too short and he should basically be that price to get round.

"But he's never been better so there will be no excuses and Paul Nicholls is feeling very bullish," he told At The Races.

www.racingpost.com/horses/racing.sd?race...59&r_date=2009-04-04

Aintree attendances hit by corporate cutbacks


A DROP in hospitality sales was blamed by Aintree for the Grand National meeting's smallest first day crowd since 2003.

Like Cheltenham last month, the chronic economic climate got its claws into Aintree, where 25,218 people bathed in sunshine on a day that last year attracted 27,608 racegoers.

Despite the reverse, Aintree managing director Julian Thick was more than satisfied with the numbers inside the racecourse.

"We are pleased with the attendance," he said. "Anything over 25,000 is a good start to the meeting. We are a bit down on where we were last year, but the gap is largely due to a reduction in hospitality sales.

"It's been a great start to the meeting and plenty of people have had a good day, but obviously it's very disappointing to have lost a horse as talented as Exotic Dancer.

THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO,HIBBY & SCOTIA.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
CHEERS

Only 1 horse in the last 19 runnings has won carrying more than 10 stone 12lb

Well its not royal Ascot but its Ladies(maybe) day Liverpool style











The girls seem to have had a nice day out

Late move for last year's winner Comply Or Die

CAN lightning strike twice? Clearly punters think so as last year's winner Comply or Die was the late mover in the Grand National market on Friday.

Bookmakers are still predicting favouritism for My Will over Butler's Cabin but Comply Or Die, who was an on-the-day plunge to go off 7-1 joint favourite with Cloudy Lane a year ago, is as low as 12-1 from 16-1 with Ladbrokes and all the 20-1 has gone with bookmakers as Coral went 14-1 from 20-1 and William Hill go 16-1 from 20-1.


Recorded bets flew in for David Johnson's runner on course last year with a dozen £5,000 bets and one of £10,000 and, with trainer David Pipe already on the mark with Madison Du Berlais at the meeting, punters clearly can see a second coming.

Bookmakers estimated Comply or Die's win cost the industry around £10m but this time around he could be coming to their rescue as all the talk on Friday was about how much success for either My Will or Butler's Cabin would cost them.

After Bobbyjo cost them a pretty packet in 1999, bookmakers were again playing the name game, predicting a million people with christian name or surname William or Williams would support the Ruby Walsh-partnered runner. They estimated that could cost them £50m, although Hills went as far as to say it would be a £100m calamity.

Skybet reported late money for Darkness, whose connections controversially jocked off Dominic Elsworth this week. He is 16-1 from 20-1, while Irish contender Black Apalachi was cut to 14-1 from 16-1 by Skybet.

That move for a soft-ground performer might have been on the back of the weather forecast but while overnight rain was looking a near certainty on Friday, it was not causing great concern as the quantity predicted was not much more than had been put on the track artificially on Thursday night simply to maintain the ground as it was .

Clerk of the course Andrew Tulloch said: "Rain is coming in about midnight, but it will hopefully clear by about 7 a.m. We are looking at three to four millimetres, but there's an ouside chance of five to six, in which case it would have an effect on the ground.

"Racegoers will find temperatures will be a little lower - down to around 12 degrees, but it will be mainly dry, with just a possibility of the odd shower."

Tulloch is moving hurdles and rails in order to provide fresh ground for the last day of the meeting. He said: "All the hurdles will be moved to fresh ground on the inside, and all the chase bends will be moved too."

Bouggler (left), Copper Bleu (centre) and Ainama (right) battle it out for the Mersey Novice Hurdle with Bouggler triumphing



Kalahari King gives Graham Lee a boost on his return from injury with victory in the Maghull Novice Chase


Liam Treadwell needs to take swift action on Mon Mome to avoid fallen jockeys Denis O'Regan and Robbie Power at Becher's Brook second time around


After a gruelling run, last year's winner Comply or Die defies a heavy weight to battle it out to the finish line with Mon Mome


1. Mon Mome (L Treadwell) 100-1
2. Comply Or Die (T J Murphy) 14-1
3. My Will (R Walsh) 8-1
4. State of Play (Paul Moloney) 14-1

Fly-past to salute the Grand National winner

DURING a Grand National homecoming like no other before, there was a celebratory fly-past over Venetia Williams' stable cheered by 300 guests on Sunday.


A twin-seater aircraft with a Union Jack painted on the wings, looped the loop and gave a victory salute over the Herefordshire stable which overlooks the River Wye.

At the time, the hero of the day, 100-1 winner Mon Mome, was tucked away in his box, but he was out later to parade on the trainer's front lawn.

Williams, who looked remarkably fresh on just two hours' sleep after a party at the Lough Pool pub in Kings Caple, had yet to see the replay of the famous triumph.

"My Sky-Plus failed to work, so I'm hoping to seethe race somewhere later," she said.



She confirmed that her winner, although returning unscathed, will not be asked to race again this season. She also revealed that Aidan Coleman had the choice of rides in the National, and picked Stan in preference to Mon Mome, leaving the runaway winner for a grateful Liam Treadwell.

Stan took a heavy fall, but although quiet and looking sorry for himself standing in his box, he was reported to be free of injury.

Treadwell said the first to congratulate him was Tony McCoy. "AP came up and told me 'well done', as I'd managed to achieve on my first ride in the race what he had failed to do in 14 attempts. Him saying that meant a lot to me."