Gone To Lunch ~ 2010 Grand National Runner
The photo above shows Gone To Lunch mid-race
Gone to Lunch, foaled in April 2000, is trained by farmer turned trainer Jeremy Scott, who has about 20 horses whom he trains under public licence at Higher Holworthy Farm, in Exmoor. Gone to Lunch is owned by Gary Lever, who owns and has shares in four or five of the horses at Holworthy Farm.
A former Point to Pointer who moved on to Novice Hurdles in 2007, the nine year old is looking likely to run in the 2010 Grand National, with antepost odds of 36/1 with Betfair, having ended last season in great form, going down by just half a length in the Scottish National, to Hello Bud.
He then capped off the season with an excellent performance at the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown, but again he was caught out, this time by Dessie Hughes’ Rare Bob.
Gone to Lunch has won seven of his nineteen runs, and come second in six, and is usually raced by A.P. McCoy but has recently been taken out by Nick Schofield, who brought him to ninth place in the United House Gold Cup Handicap Chase, at Ascot.
Trainer Jeremy Scott was quite pleased with the chestnut gelding’s eighth place behind The Last Derby at Ascot, in which he was conceding nearly a stone to his rivals.
Gone to Lunch’s main issue at the moment is his weight, but whilst this is the main thing that could hamper him in the Grand National, Scott is pleased with the way he is shaping up. His current handicap mark would have seen him race off a pound less mark than Comply or Die, the 2008 National winner, so he therefore needs to drop his weight to be competitive in the 2010 Grand National – which shouldn’t be difficult with his bottomless stamina!
