PRINCE OF JOCKEYS IS SPOILED FOR CHOICE: Shamrock tipped Prince De Beauchene for his winning Grand National trial and has also nominated Seabass for the Aintree marathon. But that means jockey Ruby Walsh is spoiled for choice.
Prince De Beauchene v Seabass. If the bookies were betting on a match in the Aintree Grand National, they would have to make Prince De Beauchene favourite, but is it that easy to choose between them? It gives Ruby Walsh a bigger headache than mine.
I took 41.0 Seabass for this column and tipped you off that Prince De Beauchene would win the Bobbyjo and become favourite for Liverpool.
I feel I’ve done enough (always quit while you are ahead) but it will be my job to choose between them – or against them both! – on the day.
Am I sweating? Not half as much as Ruby, who must choose which one to ride between his father’s horse and the new favourite. This is his problem:
Prince De Beauchene was impressive in the Bobbyjo, despite a two-months’ absence, disposing of former Grand National third, Black Apalachi, but that one’s best days are history.
The third, Roi Du Mee, is also a below-average yardstick and the fourth, Magnanimity, has been disappointing since his RSA fourth to Bostons Angel at Cheltenham.
Prince De Beauchene is very lightly raced and no hardened campaigner, and is short on match practice, having run only once between winning the John Smith’s at the Aintree Festival and this month’s Bobbyjo.
His official rating has been fairly static between 138 and 143, with Seabass already hiked to 144 after seven straight wins and with the handicapper likely to have more say after yesterday’s game success at Naas.
That was a Grade-2 win for Seabass, which matched Prince Du Beauchene’s Grade 2 Bobbyjo. How so? Well, again, the winner was beating an out-of-form hero of yesterday in Tranquil Sea.
And the second horse, Zaarito, had been beaten 85 lengths in his two previous runs and hadn’t scored since his novice days.
Both Seabass and Prince De Beauchene are good jumpers. Against Seabass is that his record so far is on softer ground, and he is by the soft-ground sire Turtle Island.
Who’s to say he might not prefer the better surface at Aintree? Well, I hear the word of warning today from trainer Ted Walsh that this horse has not been easy to train and has been written off a couple of times.
That very often means legs, and that means a harder surface would be against him, but it’s all surmise and I just hope that, between the two, we are headed for our first National since we left off a sequence (2005-7).
They were Hedgehunter, Numbersixvalverde and Silver Birch. What’s it to be Ruby? Prince Du Beauchene or Seabass to follow that illustrious scroll of honour?
SHAMROCK’S BETS
NAP: Deep Pockets (3.45 Plumpton)
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