How do you like a fairy tale, writes Tony Stafford. As so many English trainers have noted, the inflexible rules concerning the Grand National weights do not allow such potential winners as Midlands Grand National hero Mr Vango from giving Sara Bradstock the chance to join her late father John Oaksey with a place in Aintree history. Next year his adjusted rating will ensure he gets in.
Saturday’s race has the usual proliferation of multiple trainer entries, but it’s not just Willie Mullins with seven that takes up a fair proportion of the 34 available places. Shock horror, Paul Nicholls, still complaining that people were doubting him after a poor, by his standards, season until Caldwell Potter’s Cheltenham Festival success, has five.
Other UK handlers were calling for something I’ve been advocating for years – a maximum for any trainer. Looks like only the multiple champions of Ireland and the UK would be the sufferers if that came to pass.
True, there’s a few more of Gordon Elliott’s lower down if they get past the safe 34, which in itself has been a hindrance to the reputation of the great race. The not so Grand National is like a park race, but as I said at the start, how would you fancy a little flutter on a 13-year-old not guaranteed a run? It is a 150/1 shot to be fair and money-back, no run too.
The relatively new Philip Hobbs / Johnson White team has a horse in Celebre d’Allen here that in four of his last seven has run at Aintree. His sole spin over the Mildmay course in October 2023 resulted in a 16-length victory in a veterans’ chase under claimer Lizzie Gale.
He’s also run three times over the National fences, in successive Topham Trophies over 2m5f, finishing eighth in 2023 and a staying on fourth last year only two lengths behind the eventual winner.
In between he was also fourth in the 3m2f Becher Chase in December 2023, tiring in the heavy ground. The fact he has successfully jumped round Auteuil for Louisa Carberry and started life after her with a hat-trick over hurdles for Hobbs, twice on heavy ground at Haydock, suggest he is the sort of adaptable horse that might suit the once supreme test.
Fewer than ever horses are nudged out at either the five-day (later today) or Thursday’s 48-hour stage, but the Hobbs policy of not harming his 145 rating after Bangor has a fair chance of proving to have been a wise one.
One name that appears on his form lines is Inothewayurthinkin, the horse that would have been the shortest priced ever favourite for the race had he not been taken out a few days after his epic Gold Cup victory.
Celebre d’Allen suffered his single non-completion in the Kim Muir of 2024, won so spectacularly by J P McManus’ horse, who came from a long way back to beat the brave Git Maker at his leisure a year ago.
His in-running comment for that race reads, “hampered by faller and unseated at the 17th”. He does tend to be ridden with restraint as was the case at Bangor, when Callum Pritchard rode him, and it would be great if Ben Pauling’s promising young conditional could get a mount in the big race.
The analysis of that race in the Racing Post confirmed what his overall card suggests: he goes well fresh. Five months since the last run might be stretching it a bit, but with the likelihood of multiple places for each-way bets, the fact he’s cleared 57 National fences without a hitch should be worth clinging onto.
For the win, though, what a story if Shark Hanlon and Hewick can take the prize. Gordon Elliott, Tony Martin and Charles Byrnes have all returned from bans in recent times unashamedly continuing their business of winning big races so why not John Joseph?
He entrusted his stable to Tara Lee Cogan during the rap over the knuckles – not much more than that in reality - for his transgression and no doubt had a fair degree of influence on Hewick’s preparation which resulted in a couple of unplaced runs.
Back with the licence, the flame-haired massive presence that is the Shark, was soon in business in a conditions hurdle at Thurles late last month, Hewick winning as he liked by five lengths.
Gavin Sheehan is lined up for the mount on the 2023 King George winner – he beat Nicholls’ Bravemansgame that day by close to a couple of lengths – and will have that Nicholls horse among the 33 he will need to beat, on 7lb worse terms.
You would say, though, that of the pair, Hewick has shown no sign of deterioration in a far-reaching programme involving (earlier) winning the American Grand National (over hurdles) at Far Hills and running second to the very smart Losange Bleu in the French Champion Hurdle over more than three miles. Bravemansgame has looked a fair bit short of that level in the interim.
I was confident that Vanillier, second to Corach Rambler in the 2023 Grand National, would win the Cross Country race at the Festival this month and if he hadn’t gone straight on at the Grand National-style Canal Turn replica at Cheltenham first time round, he probably would have, rather than finishing third behind his Gavin Cromwell stable companion Stumptown.
For me then it’s Hewick, Vanillier, with a dream 150/1 saver – indeed lifesaver if he wins! – on Celebre d’Allen.
**
I’m not done yet with the 2025 Horses in Training Book. Had it been published a little later, one immediate correction would not have been necessary. It lists Raphael E Freire as operating from Felstead Court, in Folly Road, Lambourn. His 25 listed horses are all owned by Amo Racing.
Freire had his first victory of 2025 with 6/4 favourite Diablo Rojo at Lingfield a week ago, when his true location was revealed as recently retired Sir Michael Stoute’s former yard, Freemason Lodge, off the Bury Road in Newmarket.
I visited Roger Varian’s yard earlier this year and the signs of building as you come along the track off the Bury Road with Freemason Lodge on the left and Varian’s Carlburg Stables up ahead, was intensive. Obviously, everything was readied for Raphael in time for the turf season.
Indeed, he saddled on Saturday Mr Professor, last year’s winner of the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster, but Amo stable rider David Egan could get him no nearer than 13th of the 22 runners in a repeat bid. Freire moved alongside Mr Professor’s previous trainer Dominic Ffrench-Davies in the summer last year having waited for some time for his visa to come through. He’s Brazilian and cut his training teeth in Norway.
On joining the team, he had special involvement with the ever-expanding intake of juveniles. Genial Dom, meanwhile, has gone the way of many previous Kia Joorabchian trainers. He hasn’t a single Amo horse, although Raphael, to his credit, has left a couple of three-year-olds with Dominic. They are twice-raced Flor Do Rio and Mum’s Called, a filly that last went through the ring for 1,000gns.
Ffrench-Davies has three two-year-olds listed in his care. They cost 28,000, 7,000 and 1,500. Last year he had more than 60 in training at the start of the season, now it’s 30, but, knowing Dom, he’ll still be smiling and doing a great job for his mix of smaller owners and syndicates.
Raphael Escobar (that’s what the E stands for) Freire doesn’t have all the Amo horses. They got off the mark at the first time of asking in Saturday’s Brocklesby Stakes, when the 3/1 favourite Norman’s Cay won for the Richard Hannon team.
Norman’s Cay wasn’t listed among any of the 91 juveniles in Hannon’s 202-strong squad in HIT 2025. It’s impossible to know from the book how many others he has in his care for Amo as no owner’s name is listed by Hannon, but after this instant success for the 60k buy from the Somerville Yearling sale (the first of the season last autumn) at Tattersalls, there might be a few more going down to Herridge before long.
I had to have a second look at the result. I see Exclamation finished third for Grace Harris as a 40/1 shot. The previous Exclamation was also by this one’s sire, Acclamation, except they were foaled 18 years apart. The 2005 Exclamation won the £189k Tattersalls October Auction Stakes at Newmarket for Raymond Tooth, but my fondest memory was when, as a four-year-old, he took part in a memorable gallop at Brian Meehan’s stable.
That Thursday morning, before we tucked into the sausages, bacon and the rest, four horses lined up for a gallop that was meant to cement top 2008 juvenile Crowded House as the real deal for the new season’s Classics.
Exclamation and the three-year-old Nasri were also in the line-up, and they finished second and third with Crowded House a poor last of four.
The easy winner of the gallop was Delegator and Mrs Poilin Good’s colt was available at 33/1 for the 2,000 Guineas that morning. I call a pal to get on but neglected to avail myself of the place option. He finished second at Newmarket – to Sea The Stars.
That brilliant John Oxx-trained colt went on to win the Derby (from Fame And Glory); the Coral-Eclipse (beating Rip Van Winkle), Juddmonte (Mastercraftsman), Irish Champion (Fame and Glory again) and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Youmzain).
To think I had 33/1 about him at Newmarket and didn’t bother to back him each-way, never mind lay anything off the horse that started 3/1 favourite for that Classic!
- TS
Other Recent Posts by This Author:
- Monday Musings: Hegemony
- Monday Musings: When You’re Luck’s Out…
- Monday Musings: A Classic Weekend for Godolphin
- Monday Musings: The Glory Trail
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