Walsh To Ride Big Fella Thanks
Fresh off the back of yet another successful Cheltenham Festival, where he was champion jockey, Ruby Walsh is set to partner up with the Paul Nicholls trained Big Fella Thanks for the 2010 John Smith’s Grand National on April 10th.
Walsh had been given the choice to ride either Tricky Trickster or Big Fella Thanks in this years National. Tricky Trickster had a poor 9th place finish in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and has since slipped down the list of bookies favourites with Big Fella Thanks now topping the list of potential winners.
Added to that the fact that he had an impressive 6th place finish in last years Grand National and an impressive win at Newbury last time out and it would appear that the decision was an easy one for Walsh who opted for Big Fella Thanks in a bid to win his third title.
Nicholls, who thinks Tricky Trickster’s performance in the Gold Cup has influenced Walsh’s decision, wrote in his exclusive column in Saturday’s Racing Post: “It’s great that Ruby’s going to ride Big Fella in a fortnight’s time because he has been instrumental in the way I’ve trained the horse this season.
“It was he who suggested we stick to two-and-a-half miles in the build-up to Aintree, which is why he’s had his last two runs over that trip.”
Nicholls has never won the National and hopes his luck his about to change. “After we managed two in the first six 12 months ago, I came away thinking my luck may be starting to turn,” he added.
