Vinnie Lewis storms to National success
Whittington’s stayer in control at Plumpton Next Destination stays on track for Cheltenham
Trainer Harry Whittington looks to have an exciting young staying chaser on his hands after Vinnie Lewis recorded an authoritative six-length success in the At The Races Sussex National at Plumpton yesterday.
The seven-year-old had won for the first time for Whittington when recording a wide-margin victory at Sedgefield on his previous start and the Handicapper, who put the horse up a stone for that success, will be raising his rating of 127 again after yesterday’s win.
Winning jockey Harry Bannister said: He’s very straightforward and he has done everything right. He jumped and travelled and loves this soft ground. He’s young and improving and hopefully he can keep going forward.”
Saturday’s Coral Welsh National winner Raz De Maree, who at 13 is just three years younger than winning jockey James Bowen, will need testing conditions at Aintree if he is to try to add the Randox Health Grand National to his Chepstow success.
Raz De Maree is the oldest horse since before the Second World War to win the staying chase while Bowen is the youngest rider to win the race. Yesterday trainer Gavin Cromwell reported his charge to be in great shape after arriving back in Ireland. “He’s out in the paddock and in good order. It was a great result and a fantastic day,” he said.
Raz De Maree was eighth on his first attempt at Aintree in 2014 when trained by the late Dessie Hughes and last season unseated his rider at the sixth, Becher’s Brook. He could attempt to make it third time lucky but only if testing conditions prevail and has the Midlands National at Uttoxeter – in which he finished second in 2015 – and the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse as alternatives.
Cromwell said: “The problem is that Aintree is the last of the three and there could be a danger that we wait for that and then the ground comes up good and we’d regret it.”
Next Destination kept his unbeaten record over jumps intact with a workmanlike victory in the Grade One Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle yesterday.
The Willie Mullins-trained sixyear-old was looking to complete a hat-trick after two easy victories in lower-class races and, while it was not as straightforward as many expected, he got the job done in the hands of Paul Townend.
Mullins said: “He’s improving all the time. He looks like a Ballymore or an Albert Bartlett horse [at the Cheltenham Festival].”