Grand National Lucky Dip

In 2006 Numbersixvalverde won the Thyestes Chase and then the Grand National for trainer Martin Brassil and now the County Kildare based trainer has another Aintree contender on his hands after Longhouse Poet recently took this year’s version of the Thyestes Chase. Longhouse Poet was good enough to defeat Monkfish in a Bumper and to contest Grade One hurdles as a novice, but it was always likely that the horse would show his true potential once he was sent over fences. Trainer Brassil took a softly softly approach with Longhouse Poet initially over the larger obstacles, running him over distances too short to play to this gelding’s strengths. Indeed, Longhouse Poet didn’t break his duck over fences until he was sent to Punchestown in December 2020 for a 3m 1f Beginners’ Chase. Longhouse Poet ran out a one and a half-length victor that day but in winning he had a subsequent Troytown Chase winner (Run Wild Fred) and a Punchestown Grand National Trial (The Big Dog) behind him that day in what was a very hot novice chase. Longhouse Poet’s season was brought to a premature end after that Punchestown victory, but he bounced back this season with the aforementioned win in the 50k Thyestes Chase. The eight-year-old gelding was then made favourite for the Grade Two Boyne Hurdle (the race often used by Tiger Roll as a Grand National prep race) but Longhouse Poet was disappointing finishing thirty lengths behind the eventual winner, Thedevilscoachman. It does appear that Longhouse Poet needs soft to heavy ground to produce his best form but both his sire and dam have decent stats when their progeny run on good or good to soft ground so perhaps we shouldn't get too fixated with ground conditions. Longhouse Poet looks the ideal candidate for the Grand National in that he is a young, progressive horse who has already proved his quality when winning a top handicap. He looks to be one of the horses with the most appealing profiles for Aintree.