Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THEY NEED A MIRACLE AGAINST THE SAINT
Willie’s Irish National hero Burrows to claim Bobbyjo on way to Aintree
BY
BURROWS Saint might prove best of an Aintree-bound quartet in the Grade 3 Tote Bobbyjo Chase in Fairyhouse.
Today’s feature has been used as a stepping-stone to the Randox Grand National for many years and today’s renewal features Ted Walsh’s Any Second Now and the Willie Mullins-trained Burrows Saint, who filled third and fourth places respectively in the 2021 showpiece on Merseyside.
Any Second Now (below), beaten little more than eight lengths, was unlucky in the National, having been badly hampered at the twelfth.
His preparation for this year’s race has involved two outings over hurdles, most recently when sixth in the Galmoy at Gowran Park.
But, rated 157, he must concede 8lb. to Burrows Saint, officially rated 1lb. inferior, in today’s race. And, on that basis, the Closutton runner gets the vote and might give Mullins his tenth win in the race in 12 years.
Burrows Saint, runner-up to fellow Closutton inmate Acapella Bourgeois in this race last year, hasn’t won since capturing a conditions hurdle at
Punchestown on New Year’s Eve 2019.
Last April, he travelled strongly into contention in the National before his stamina, apparently, ebbed away behind Minella Times.
On his seasonal debut, Burrows Saint finished a distant third behind Western Victory in a Clonmel hurdle in early December.
And, last time, he ran a solid race to be beaten four lengths by dual Gold Cup winner and stable-companion Al Boum Photo (conceding 7lb.) in a listed event at Tramore on New Year’s Day.
The field is completed by a pair of Gordon Elliott-trained contenders, including last year’s Thyestes winner Coko Beach, a solid fourth to another Cullentra horse Death Duty in the Grand National Trial at Punchestown last time, and a threat here, despite his 8lb. penalty.
Blinkered for the first time, Escaria Ten, eighth in the Thyestes, has prospects on figures and his good third to stablecompanion and leading Gold Cup fancy Galvin in last year’s National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.
Mullins might also take the other Grade 3 contest on the card, the Norman Colfer Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle, with French import Icare Allen, a smooth winner on his Irish debut at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.
He then contested the Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival and, sent off third favourite, performed creditably in finishing fifth, beaten less than ten lengths, behind two of the best juveniles around, Vauban and Fil Dor.
Dropping in class here, Icare Allen looks another likely winner for in-form Mark Walsh and JP Mcmanus.
And the Joe Murphy-trained John Cannon, with a rating of 120 and runner-up to Banbridge and Pinkerton on his last two starts, sets a decent standard in the Red Mills Auction Maiden Hurdle, with Charles Byrnes’ long-absent Vinnie Is Busy a potential danger.