Don’t Fall For National Trickster

Was I watching the same Cheltenham Gold Cup as the bookies, in particular the representatives of Coral? Asks Elliot Slater.

While Imperial Commander was making the best of his way home to beat the gallant Denman in a thrilling renewal of the blue riband of steeplechasing, didn’t I see Tricky Trickster running a shocker to be beaten 106 lengths, tailing off having never for a moment appeared to be travelling or jumping with any degree of fluency?

By common consent Paul Nicholl’s charge ran very poorly and finished 76 lengths behind last year’s Grand National hero Mon Mome, who ran an absolute screamer to grab third from the gallant Carruthers in the dying strides.

Most firms have now pushed Tricky Trickster’s Grand National odds out to 14/1 having previously quoted him as favourite for the Aintree marathon, but Coral seem to have seen something that nobody else spotted and made him a 9/1 joint-favourite on the back of that dismal effort, along with stable companion Big Fella Thanks.

I can only assume that Coral have significant liabilities running up on the horse and aren’t interested in doing any more business. I am struggling to think of any Grand National winner who came into the race having run quite as badly on their previous outing as Tricky Trickster did at Cheltenham last week.

For Nicholls to turn the horse around and produce him on the top of his game to win the most grueling horse race in the world would be one of the greatest training performances of all time. The master of Ditcheat will have done very well indeed if he has the horse straight enough to even complete the course.

Punters should focus more on Nicholls’ other leading contender Big Fella Thanks, and also think very seriously about the possibility of Mon Mome “doing a Red Rum” and winning back-to-back renewals. His effort last week was really special and suggests he is at least as good, if not better a horse than when winning the race last year.