THE DECEMBER GRAND NATIONAL: SHAMROCK looks ahead to the Becher Handicap Chase at Aintree on Saturday which has plenty of Irish interest.
Times are a changing for the Grand National – literally.
The course announced yesterday a new start time for the great race from next April. The race will now start at 5.15pm – an hour later than previously.
The switch is designed primarily to increase TV ratings. This year’s race was watched by 8.9 million viewers with a further 600 million viewers internationally.
We’ll get a dress rehearsal on Saturday with the Becher Handicap Chase – run over the Grand National fences but over a shorter trip of 3m 1f 188y.
The Jim Dreaper trained Goonyella heads the ante-post market despite getting no further than the first fence in the same race last year where he unseated his rider. He went on to run excellent races in some of the biggest handicaps of the whole season. 3rd in the Thystes Chase at Gowran Park, winner of the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter and a close runner-up to Wayward Prince in the Scottish Grand National at Ayr.
The Tony Martin trained Heathfield is also prominent in the market after his win in the Ladbrokes Ireland Handicap Chase at Punchestown. However, he was tailed off on his seasonal reappearance in the ‘Monksfield’ Novice Hurdle at Navan.
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