McCain prays for National run

Ginger McCain has always talked a good race, and most of all when the race in question is the Grand National.

Ever since the weights for this year's renewal were published last month, he has been telling anyone with a moment to listen that Amberleigh House is as strong a contender as he has had since Red Rum's third victory, a quarter of a century ago.

The problem is that unless 14 horses are scratched over the next seven days, talk is as far as his challenge will get.

McCain sent Amberleigh House, who won the Becher Chase over the National fences in November, to Bangor racecourse yesterday, for a 12-furlong gallop with a stable companion in the hands of Warren Marston. The 10-year-old, according to his trainer, is now "just about spot-on." The preparation is over, but now the waiting begins.

If a bookie were to offer a price about Amberleigh House getting a run on Saturday week, he might well be an even-money chance. Florida Pearl, the top weight, seems unlikely to run, but finding another 13 likely absentees among the 53 names above McCain's runner is more difficult.

"All I need is for him to get in as I think he would have a hell of a chance," McCain said yesterday. "They went a mile and a half and I was very, very satisfied. In the next 10 days we will just put a fine edge on him, but if the race was tomorrow he would run a blinder."

Moor Lane, another who needs horses to defect to get a run, pleased connections in a schooling session over specially adapted fences on trainer Ian Balding's Kingsclere gallops.

Balding had some Grand National style fences constructed and Barry Fenton, who will be on board at Aintree, partnered the Great Yorkshire Chase winner over the obstacles.

After the work-out the trainer's son and assistant Andrew said: "He's fine. He jumped well and everybody is happy with him - no problems."

Davids Lad, one of the favourites for the National, was also the subject of a positive report yesterday, and if the ground dries out over the next nine days, his chance will improve still further, according to Tony Martin, his trainer.

"He won the Irish National on good ground last year," Martin said, "and the better the ground, the better his chance of staying. I've always thought him a speed horse, but I think he'll get the trip held up." Some of Martin's horses have run poorly in recent weeks, and Davids Lad is being stabled away from the bulk of his string in Co Meath, but the trainer has no plans to ship to Aintree any earlier than necessary.

"We've got some horses with problems, but Davids Lad is separated from them and he's fine," Martin said.

Tony McCoy will hope to have passed Sir Gordon Richards' record of 269 winners in a season by the time the National meeting opens a week today, and he is now within one very good day of drawing level with the great Flat champion. McCoy returns to racing today after a short holiday with four rides at Exeter, and victory on all four would take him up to 269.

Kieren Fallon, Darryll Holland and Pat Eddery, three of the leading contenders for this season's jockeys' championship, all rode winners yesterday, with Holland completing a double on Northern Desert and Junkanoo in the first and last races at Nottingham.

Eddery had a single winner, Ionian Spring, at the same meeting, while Fallon had a double at Lingfield. Kevin Darley, the second favourite in the title betting, drew a blank at Catterick, despite riding two odds-on chances.

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