Revitalised Saphir Du Rheu has hit best form at the right time
Paul Nicholls-trained contender ticks all the right boxes for today’s race, says Marlborough
The positive effects of an easy, confidence-boosting success should never be underestimated in racing as they often provide a potent catalyst for improvement or resurgence, which has been the case for my Grand National selection, Saphir Du Rheu.
His facile victory over much inferior opposition at Kelso in February – his first success for more than 15 months – has prompted a rediscovery of enthusiasm and form as he showcased with a fine effort in the Timico Gold Cup at the recent Cheltenham Festival.
The level of that performance is far above anything he has achieved since his novice chasing days, when he looked a top-class prospect, and, at last, he seems ready to fulfil that early potential.
He raced just behind the pace at Cheltenham and impressed with his economical jumping, an area that warranted concern not so long ago. While never looking like the winner, he kept on solidly from the final fence and was beaten just over six lengths in a race that was run in a good time. Armed with this form, the Handicapper would surely have allotted him more weight.
The Young Master has looked a Grand National type for some time and, while his fall here in December was disappointing, there was much to admire in his staying-on sixth at Cheltenham last month. It appeared to be an ideal preparation. Stamina will certainly not be an issue, nor will the decent ground he will encounter, and the assistance of amateur rider Sam WaleyCohen, who has a fine record over these fences, can be seen as a strong positive, too. While Vincente’s season has been something of a let-down considering how well he won the Scottish Grand National last April, the Form Book suggests he is a spring horse and enjoys fast ground. Conditions have come right for him and it would be no surprise if he bounces back. Certainly, Trevor Hemmings, his new owner, saw something that appealed enough to buy the gelding not long ago and he would know a Grand National horse, having owned three previous winners.
Double Shuffle looks a massive price at 50-1. He has a strongly progressive profile, jumps for fun and acts well on the ground. He is also ridden by a top rider, who passed over Aintree specialist Saint Are to ride him. With most bookmakers paying down to fifth place, he appeals as a solid eachway proposition.
Plenty of others make appeal in an open year, but perhaps the pick of the rest is Cause of Causes. He revelled in the demands of the Cross Country race at the recent Cheltenham Festival and it takes an agile horse that can get into a relaxed rhythm to excel in that sphere, much as it does in this race.
Remarkably, it was the third time he had won at the Festival, having landed the 2016 Kim Muir – a race that has proven a strong National pointer in the past – and in the four-mile National Hunt Chase in 2015, so he has plenty of stamina.
His form credentials are hard to fault but in recent years he has struggled to string two races together and that is of sufficiently-strong concern to justify passing him over. He should go well, though.