Lucinda Russell was heading back to the drawing board after One For Arthur ran at Aintree yesterday.
The plan had been for One For Arthur, on his first run since winning the 2017 Grand National, to make a trouble-free comeback in the Betway Many Clouds Chase.
The reality was that he and Tom Scudamore only got as far as the third fence where One For Arthur rather guessed at a stride, got it wrong and fired Scudamore out of the saddle.
Having had a trot round loose, One For Arthur came back in his own time and Russell will now consider running the horse in the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby on Boxing day.
After that, hopefully all roads will lead back to Aintree next April for the Randox Health Grand National, just as it will for Walk In The Mill, who won the Becher Chase.
Walk In The Mill gained entry to this year’s National as a reserve only to be found lame the night before the race. But he showed his aptitude for the unique fences on the National course to give jockey James Best a thrilling spin round and then power away from the last to win by four-and-a-half lengths.
That left trainer Robert Walford with the easiest of decisions. "We know the plan,” he said. “There's only one way to go.”
There was only one plan for Sandy Thomson with Harry The Viking.
Thomson’s sequence of three successive victories in the Persimmon Homes Scottish Borders National at Kelso – two with Neptune Equester and Harry The Viking in 2016 – was only broken last year when the meeting was abandoned.
Harry The Viking has proven to be a bargain buy for Thomson, having cost just 14,000 guineas. He is a 28-1 shot with Paddy Power, who have chalked up West Of The Edge as the 4-1 favourite for the race, but Thomson is not ruling out one more pay day.
"He’s 13 now but we were happy enough with his last run at Carlisle. He’s a tremendous character – he loves life – and the ground looks about right for him,” Thomson said.
“He doesn’t want it to be too heavy for him, and the Borders National, for a horse rated about 120, is absolutely ideal.
"They get in off a good weight. He’s got ten-five and over four miles that gives them a hell of a chance against the better horses like Calett Mad and Mystereewho are carrying a lump of weight.
“He jumps well, so he’ll pop away and hopefully get into a nice rhythm and going happily within himself.”
Nicky Henderson was very happy within himself after Altior won the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.
Altior made a mistake at the first open ditch which jolted rider Nico de Boinville forward in the saddle briefly, but that was the closest it came to being a moment of concern as Altior took the lead from Un de Sceaux at the last to win by four lengths.
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