Ballabriggs
Ballabriggs is the Irish, 11 year old that has raced to the top of the bookies favourites for the 2012 Grand National. Trained by Donald McCain Jr, he is aiming for his second consecutive Grand National title on April 14th 2012.
McCain, whose father Ginger memorably won the National four times, last year wrote on his Bangor racecourse blog: “We decided on Ballabriggs intended route to the National after his win at Cheltenham [last season] and, so far, we are on course after his two wins, albeit that they have been in minor novice hurdle events.
“My father, who does have some experience in this particular area, was a little sceptical of this strategy at first. However, seeing as Ballabriggs has now won twice, he is definitely coming round to the idea – by the time we get to April, I suspect it might have actually become his plan all along.”
And how right they were. Ballabriggs, hardened as the 2011 ante-post National favourite after winning over hurdles at Ayr in January 2010. The then 10-year-old, ridden by Jason Maguire, was scoring his fifth straight victory as he took the novices’ hurdle over two miles and four furlongs.
On paper he was a cracker for this race having won all of his previous five races weighing in at 11-2 or higher so the handicap really went in his favour.
In the 2011 Grand National he ran a steady, flawless race and was always in the leading pack form the offset. Never out of the top three positions, he looked good to take the title and indeed he did giving Donald McCain Jr his first Grand National win as a trainer and Jason Maguire his first as a jockey.
Now, in 2012, he is back again and has a the Grand National in his sights. Despite, at the time, not having had a prep race, or even run since his victory in 2011, Ballabriggs was still given the second highest weight by the BHA handicapper at 11-09 which will no doubt make it incredibly difficult to achieve the same success as last year. A year older and nine pounds heavier, the odds are stacked against him.
His most recent race at Kelso was a great run out for him, not stretched by any means, but a decent fourth place in the totepool.com Premier Chase pleased the trainer and jockey alike.
He is a tremendous horse and could quite well defy the odds as he goes into the race ante-post at 16/1 with Paddy Power Bookmakers, behind race favourite Junior.
Photo Credit | Meteorshoweryn
