Can 'my Will' Triumph In The 2010 Grand National?
Anyone who follows horse racing and, in particular the Grand National
, will know that french bred horses are notorious for their poor performances. In fact it had been so long since one won the actual race that most people discounted them in 2009.
But in April 2009 we saw three of them finish in the top 5 spots and My Will, ridden by Ruby Walsh came very close to stealing the thunder from Mon Mome but ultimately ended up in third place with Cerium, another 100/1 outsider coming in fifth.
Owned by the Stewart family, the French bred gelding My Will went into the 2009 Grand National as joint second favourite at odds of 8/1. This is pretty remarkable given all of the perceived obstacles in his way, namely that he's French and had never run the race before. But clearly there is more to him than that including that he had just returned, in November 2008, from a nineteen month absence when he entered and took fifth place in the Hennessey Gold Cup.
He then followed this up with another credible fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, where he truly belied his 100/1 starting price. He showed he is a consistent runner, who runs well on good to firm ground, and he had run well on the Melling course, displaying his ability to act on flat left-handed track.
Prior to the 2009 National, this nine year old had placed in eighteen of his twenty seven chase starts which is always a good indication of a horse worth an each-way bet. He had fallen only once and while the Aintree National fences are unforgiving, he had proved that his jumping capabilities were up to par. The handicappers gave him 11-4 for the big day which is generally over and above the ideal weight and despite the fact that it wasn't the lowest it wasn't the worst and may even have given him a slight edge over the heavier horses in the race.
Couple all that with the resounding plus that he is trained by Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls and two-time Grand National winning jockey Ruby Walsh chose to ride him and you can see why he was so heavily favoured as a potential winner. And while third place is nothing to be sniffed at, Ruby Walsh admitted afterward that four or five mistakes cost him valuable impetus indicating that he believes he has what it takes to win the Grand National outright.
So is My Will genuinely in for a fair shot at the 2010 Grand National or should we be looking else where for a potential winner? Generally horses who are 9 or 10 years old fair better than others in this race and My Will will turn 10 years old a couple of weeks before the Grand National 2010 giving him the ideal age.
When it comes to stamina, which is desperately needed to get around the Aintree course, we know that he has completed it before which is always a good sign and he races generally tend to be in the 3 mile bracket which puts him ahead of the pack.
He carried 11-4 last year on his debut and it's unlikely that it will be any lower this year especially with last year's performance still fresh in the mind. He may be handicapped even higher this year, reducing his chances slightly.
Since April 09 he has only run one race and that was in November 2009 where he finished a respectable 2nd after The Listener at Down Royal. Importantly though the going was soft which shows his ability to ride well on a number of different grounds which is important for the Grand National.
If Ruby Walsh decides to ride him again, rectifies the errors he believes he made last year, My Will gets a couple of run-outs between now and then and doesn't get too heavily handicapped he could be a good bet.
by: Gen Wright
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