Oscar Time

Moving rapidly up the bookies odds, Oscar Time appears to be the one to watch on April 9th. An Irish horse, trained by Martin Lynch of Dublin, he’s 10 years old and been very generously handicapped by Phil Smith who gave him 10-09, which is almost the perfect weight to win the 2011 Grand National.

Oscar Time did very well in the 2010 Irish Grand National when he placed 2nd, going off at 22/1. The race is shorter than the English Grand National at 3m 5f but it does show excellent stamina as well as terrific jumping ability, two key factors when considering him.

According to part owner Robert Waley-Cohen he was bought with the specific target of going to the National. Despite this very positive vibe, Oscar Time does have some issues not least the fact that he only seems to run and travel well on heavy ground.

He has also never run over 3m 5f and his weight of 10-09 will represent the highest mark he has raced off over fences so it really is unknown territory.

In the 2011 Grand National, with Sam Waley-Cohen at the helm, despite being an amateur jockey, Oscar Time had the race of his life, being narrowly pipped to the post by Ballabriggs. Despite a fantastic race, no errors and a strong energetic performance he just didn’t have it in the tank on the final furlong but second place is an incredible achievement for Waley-Cohen and if he runs again in 2012 he will definitely be one to watch.