Tag Archive for: Autonomous Cloud

Cloud primed for Midlands Grand National tilt

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Autonomous Cloud will bid to regain the winning thread when he returns to his beloved Uttoxeter for the bet365 Midlands Grand National Handicap Chase.

Fergal O’Brien’s eight-year-old got the better of Jonjo O’Neill’s reopposing Iron Bridge when scoring on this card 12 months ago and supplemented that victory when returning to the Staffordshire track on his seasonal return.

He was pulled-up when sent off 9-2 joint favourite for the Welsh Grand National over Christmas but connections are hopeful he can recapture his best form and provide O’Brien with his second victory in this valuable contest.

“I was disappointed with him the last day in the Welsh National, but we have trained him for this race and fingers crossed he will go through the ground,” said O’Brien.

“He loves Uttoxeter and has won twice there and placed there. He goes in any ground and hopefully he just needed to be freshened up. He’s not a big, strong 16’3 horse, he’s quite narrow and Chepstow took quite a lot out of him.

“We’ve been waiting for this race, so fingers crossed.”

Not content with dominating proceedings at the Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins will attempt to land one last big prize of the week with Mr Incredible, who has not been seen since unseating Brian Hayes in the Grand National last April.

Before that, he was building an admirable CV in staying contests, placing in both the 2023 Classic Chase and Kim Muir, and he is joined in the line-up by fellow Irish raider and 2022 runner-up Young Dev.

Farceur Du Large in winning action at Sandown
Farceur Du Large in winning action at Sandown (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Harry Fry’s Exeter scorer Ask Me Early arrives in rude health, as does Jamie Snowden’s Farceur Du Large, who bids for a hat-trick having done the military chase double at Sandown earlier this year.

Snowden said: “He came over from Ireland, where he had some good back form but his recent form was uninspiring.

“I suppose a change of scenery has perked him up and dropping back into those military conditions races probably helped.

“He won those pretty nicely and the handicapper has had his say and stuck him up 6lb for them, but we thought it was worth a shot at a bigger race now and see how he gets on.

“He will like the ground and like the trip and we will just see if he can continue his recent form or slips back into his old ways. But he is in good order and we go there hoping for the best.”

Classic Chase heroine My Silver Lining narrowly failed to double up in Haydock’s Grand National Trial and has the chance to fill the vacancy of stable star at Emma Lavelle’s Wiltshire base following the retirement of Paisley Park.

Guetapan Collonges was third behind My Silver Lining at Warwick and Charlie Longsdon feels he is a stronger stayer than when fourth in this event 12 months ago.

Guetapan Collonges takes another shot at the Uttoxeter feature
Guetapan Collonges takes another shot at the Uttoxeter feature (Tim Goode/PA)

“I’m looking forward to seeing him run and I purposely avoided some of those trials like the Eider and the Grand National Trial because of the ground and to keep him fresh,” said Longsdon.

“He was fourth in the race last year and hopefully he can go a few places better. He is definitely a stronger horse this year and I’ve put a tongue strap on him as he sometimes hits a flat spot in these big races and hopefully that will take that away, especially on the heavy ground.”

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls saddled Truckers Lodge to win this in 2020 and the admirable 12-year-old is back for his fifth crack at the contest in the hands of Freddie Gingell.

Truckers Lodge is a regular in the Midland's Grand National
Truckers Lodge is a regular in the Midland’s Grand National (Steven Paston for the Jockey Club/PA)

“He is a standing dish in this race, won it in runaway style off a mark of 141 in 2020 and here he is back again for a fifth time,” Nicholls told Betfair.

“The heavier the ground, the more it will suit Truckers Lodge, who is only a few years younger than his 18-year-old jockey Freddie Gingell.

“I then ran him a bit too quickly in the Coral Welsh National after his fine win in the London National at Sandown. Truckers Lodge has had a nice break since then and is fresh and bouncing now. He has an each way chance with conditions in his favour.”



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Thomas backing Iwilldoit to regain Welsh National crown

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Sam Thomas hailed Iwilldoit as “the horse of a lifetime” as he goes in search of a second win in the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow.

Gold Cup-winning rider Thomas has been training since 2015 and Iwilldoit has provided him with two of his biggest wins to date.

Not content with winning this marathon contest in 2021, some 383 days later without the aid of another run he landed the Classic Chase at Warwick.

His comeback this year was over hurdles at Aintree, a pleasing effort in a Pertemps qualifier where he finished two lengths behind the useful Gentleman At Arms.

The 10-year-old will now return to fences and Thomas is hoping he will be in his element when partnered by 7lb claimer Dylan Johnston.

Iwilldoit winning the Classic Chase
Iwilldoit winning the Classic Chase (Nigel French/PA)

“We’re absolutely over the moon with him and he’s in great form,” said Thomas.

“He had a prep run at Aintree a little while ago now and has had plenty of time to recover from that. He’s since had a couple of away days and is in a really good place, we’re really happy with him.

“He will want it as soft as possible and we have decided to claim off him as well, taking 7lb off his back. We just feel if we’re ever going to go and win it again – he’s not getting any younger – we just want to do everything we can to give him every chance.

“Dylan was put to me by Olly Murphy a while ago and I’ve since used him on another horse. He’s a very good young lad and has a wise head on young shoulders. It’s a lot of responsibility for a 7lb claimer in a big race and the last thing we want to do is put any pressure on a young lad, but he looks like he will be fine.

“He’s been amazing for us and he would be a horse of a lifetime for any yard really. We’ve won some nice, big races with him and fingers crossed we can keep him in one piece and this might not be his last Welsh National yet.”

Joe Tizzard will saddle The Big Breakaway, an eight-year-old who finished second in the race last year and is regular in these staying chases.

Joe Tizzard's The Big Breakaway
Joe Tizzard’s The Big Breakaway (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

His most recent outing was in the Becher Chase at Aintree earlier in the month, where he was pulled up when not taking to the task over the Grand National fences.

The chestnut has had a day’s hunting to reignite his enthusiasm and Tizzard would love to see him go one better than last year to take the trophy run in memory of his late sister Kim Gingell.

“He let us down a bit in the Becher Chase, he just didn’t take to it – simple as that – but he didn’t have a hard race,” he said.

“He went hunting on Saturday and he proved last year that he’s capable of running a massive race.

“It’s the last year of the race being run in memory of Kim, so we will have the blinkers back on him and hope he runs a massive race. I think he has a big one in him, but he has let me down and we left the blinkers off over the big fences and now they are back on.

“He proved last year with a lot of weight he is capable of doing it, it just all needs to click.”

Fergal O’Brien’s team is in good form and he runs Autonomous Cloud in the race, a seven-year-old who made a winning start to the term when taking a Uttoxeter chase by six and a half lengths in November.

“He had his prep run at Uttoxeter a few weeks ago and if you could have planned a prep run, you couldn’t have planned it any better because there were three of them in a line and unfortunately one fell at the third-last and brought down the other one, so he had a gallop round for three miles but didn’t have a hard race,” O’Brien explained.

“That was ideal and he’s been training really well and we’re very happy with him.

“I think he had five or six runs as a novice over fences and he’s a lovely horse. If he’s not one for this Welsh National, he could be for another Welsh National or another National, he’s a beautiful horse.”

Gavin Sheehan is also in good from and he looks to extend a fine run with a ride on Jamie Snowden’s Super Survivor.

“I’m looking forward to him, he’s a lovely horse and had a great prep run,” he said.

“He ticks a lot of boxes for the race and hopefully it goes well on the day.”

Other notable contenders include Gary Moore’s Nassalam, winner of the Welsh National Trial earlier in the month, and the Paul Nicholls duo of Complete Unknown and Truckers Lodge.



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