Taurus Grand National Horses

Acapella Bourgeois is a classy performer having won Graded events over hurdles and fences including when taking the Grade 3 BobbyJo Chase for the last two years. The BobbyJo Chase has been a useful stepping-stone to the Grand National with six winners going on to finish in the first three at Aintree over the past twenty years.  This season he has also confirmed he is in decent form when finishing runner up for the second time to the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo in the New Year's Day Chase at Tramore in January. Acapella Bourgeois has already proven his liking for a marathon test when finishing a fine seven length third in the Irish Grand National two seasons ago.  Willie Mullins’ eleven-year-old gelding is very versatile as regards ground conditions having won on good, soft, and heavy and he also does not have too many miles on the clock for a horse of his age having had just nineteen chase starts. Willie Mullins won the Grand National back in 2005 with Hedgehunter and has had another four horses finish in the first four places from forty runners over the last twenty years.

Former Irish National winner Burrows Saint was sent off the 9/1 third favourite for last year’s Grand National and each-way punters were rewarded as the Willie Mullins’ trained gelding finished fourth behind Minella Times. Finishing fourth may seem like a positive result but with three fences to go Burrows Saint’s supporters must have felt they were in with an excellent chance of a winner as their horse looked to be full of running. However, in-between the third and second-last jockey Patrick Mullins went from appearing to have a horse full of running underneath him to one that was desperate to make it to the finishing line. Burrows Saint had travelled really well and had jumped superbly but ultimately it appeared that the gelding’s petrol ran out with two fences to go, and he finished over twenty-five lengths behind the winner. The inability to properly see out the 4m 2f distance would have been a surprise as the horse had previously won the Irish National over 3m 5f and looked one of the more likely candidates to be suited by the extreme stamina test of the Aintree Grand National. Indications from the Mullins’ camp are that Burrows Saint will be aimed at Aintree again but it’s difficult to see where the extra stamina is going to come from if the nine-year-old is to improve on last year’s finishing position. Burrows Saint has started the season promisingly having run former dual Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo to four lengths at Tramore on New Year’s Day. The ground at Tramore that day was soft to heavy and perhaps as Burrows Saint is getting older he is more favoured by a softer surface (it was good to soft at Aintree) and a wet spring may give connections cause for optimism when it comes to a return trip to Aintree.

Any Second Now hails from the Ted Walsh yard, who won the Grand National in 2000 when Ted teamed up with son Ruby to land the race with Papillon.  In last year's Grand National, Any Second Now was sent off the 15/2 second favourite and ran really well to finish third, just over eight lengths behind the winner, Minella Times. Before that race there had been a question mark as regards the gelding’s stamina for the Grand National as in his previous victory he had shown enough speed to win a Grade Two over the minimum trip of two miles. However, the son of Oscar demonstrated that marathon distances are very much within his range at Aintree, especially as he was badly hampered by a faller at the twelfth fence. The handicapper has raised Any Second Now by five pounds for his Aintree exploits but a return visit to Liverpool looks very much on the cards next April.  Any Second Now is currently vying for favouritism for the 2022 Grand National and looks certain to be well supported as he tries to go two places better than last year.

Former Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Santini has recently been moved to a new stables by his owners Mr and Mrs Kelvin-Hughes. The nine-year-old has left Nicky Henderson and is now back with Polly Gundry where the gelding originally began his career. Overall season plans seem to be fluid given that the gelding’s final run of last season (pulled up in the Gold Cup) was particularly disappointing. However, Gundry is targeting a 3m 2f handicap at Cheltenham in early December as a starting point for this season.

It’s unlikely you will see an easier winner of a long-distance chase than Secret Reprieve's victory in last year's Welsh Grand National. Trainer Evan Williams had made an excellent job of getting his charge well handicapped and Secret Reprieve could be seen going ominously well just behind the leaders as the field made the turn for home at Chepstow. Jockey Adam Wedge took the lead on the seven-year-old gelding at the third last and from there defeat looked highly unlikely. Secret Reprieve just needed to be kept up to his work to eventually run out a comfortable three length winner from the game The Two Amigos. Connections’ hearts must have been in their mouths though as Secret Reprieve’s girth came undone shortly after he took up the lead and Wedge did exceptionally well to keep the partnership together over the last couple of fences. The jockey had been on the receiving end of two bad falls earlier in the day so managing to steer his mount home in such a high-pressure situation was a tribute to Wedge’s jockeyship. This victory was all the more laudable given that Secret Reprieve’s stamina for this 3m 5f trip was not proven given that the furthest the gelding had previously run was a bare three miles. Secret Reprieve was also noticeably keen in the early stages of the race, giving the impression that the six pound he has been put up by the handicapper may not be enough to stop his progression. After the victory at Chepstow, focus immediately forwarded to Aintree, especially given the relationship Secret Reprieve’s owners, Mr, and Mrs Rucker, have had with the Grand National. Horses they have owned have been placed an amazing seven times in the big race with State Of Play (three times), Cappa Bleu (twice) and Alvarado (twice) all coming close without actually winning.  Evan Williams was initially reticent to confirm that Secret Reprieve would definitely be heading to Aintree given that the horse was still a novice and a relatively inexperienced seven-year-old. As it turned out Secret Reprieve didn't make the cut for the forty horses to race in the National but the gelding ius likely to be aimed at Aintree for 2022. One point of concern could be his jumping which was noticeably low at several fences at Chepstow. Secret Reprieve also doesn’t appear to be the biggest horse from the television pictures so perhaps an Aintree test may not play to his strengths? It will be fascinating to see how Secret Reprieve gets on at Aintree where he is certain to be one of the favourites in the betting.