Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
AYE, IT’S RIGHT
Graham: ‘Absolute star’ can out stay them all
HARRIET GRAHAM is pinning her hopes on Aye Right’s staying power to end a sequence of heroic defeats in the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr this afternoon.
The eight-year-old (above) heads the market for the four-mile test, put back 24 hours as a mark of respect to the late Duke of Edinburgh, whose funeral took place yesterday.
If there’s any justice, Callum Bewley’s mount will mark his seventh start of the campaign by taking the £84,405 winner’s cheque back to Graham’s Jedburgh stable in the Scottish borders.
“He’s been an absolute star,” said Graham, who combines training her team of eight jumpers with clerk of the course duties at Musselburgh and Perth.
“He has gone up in the weights for running so well, but I suppose he would have gone up by more if he’d won one.
“It’s a pity that he has got to carry top weight, but obviously the horses who were above him in the handicap went to Aintree last Saturday.”
This season, Aye Right – whose owners Geoff and Elspeth Adam will see their horse run for the first time during the campaign – has claimed a minor medal behind Nuts Well, Cyrname, Cloth Cap, Takingrisks and Vintage Clouds.
As a result, he has risen from a British Horseracing Authority Handicap mark of 146 to 154 and must shoulder 11st 11lb if he is to get his head in front.
But today’s test is the first time Aye Right has raced beyond three and a quarter miles. Graham added: “He jumps wells and he gallops.
“He’s got a good cruising speed and his jumping most of the time is superb. When he gets it right, he can take a length out of other horses at his fences.
“You can’t replicate it at home, but we hope he will stay – his vulnerability has always been at the end of a race, but he doesn’t finish tired and he recovers really quickly.
“Obviously we don’t know, but there aren’t many in the race who have gone over four miles before. Everybody is asking the same question.”
» BROOME is set to return to Epsom for the Cazoo Coronation Cup on June 4 after the 2019 Derby fourth landed odds of 1-2 in the Alleged Stakes at the Curragh yesterday.
Aidan O’Brien’s son of Australia – beaten half a length, a nose and a short head behind stablemate Anthony Van Dyck in the colts’ Classic two years ago – motored home under Ryan Moore to claim the 10-furlong Group 3 prize by half a length from Thundering Nights.
“He will probably love going up to a mile and a half again,” said O’Brien, who combined with Ryan Moore a four-timer at odds of just under 31-1.
O’Brien is likely to target Royal Ascot’s Queen Anne Stakes with Lancaster House, who made a winning return in the Group 3 Gladness Stakes.
“He’s a very solid horse and Ryan was very impressed with him,” added the master of Ballydoyle.
» HARRY SKELTON is 1-20 to win the National Hunt jockeys’ title for the first time after a Bangor double took him six clear (145-139) of reigning champion Brian Hughes.