Hello Bud 25-1 to become first teenager to win Grand National since 1923

After Sergeant Murphy in 1923, Hello Bud is 25-1 with Coral to become the first teenager to win the Grand National after grinding to a courageous win in the totesport.com Becher Chase at Aintree yesterday.

The 12-year-old,made most of the running under trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies' son Sam, he landed last year's Scottish National at Ayr,he also shows true grit to fend off the challenge of Royal Rosa by a length and a quarter

Twiston-Davies snr, whose veteran finished a fine fifth in the John Smith'ssponsored spectacular last April said that "Hello Bud is made for these fences and we will definitely come back and have another try at the National in the spring,Our worry was that he wouldn't get in, but he will now. He prefers good ground and, although we have put him in the Welsh National, the ground is unlikely to be right for him"

The race was predictably full of incident, with just seven of the 17 starters making it to the finish.

Paddy Mangan, son of Grand National-winning trainer Jimmy, had to be taken to Fazakerley Hospital after his mount, Whatuthink, fell at the first fence.

Twiston-Davies' Gold Cup hero Imperial Commander, who made a winning return to the fray in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday, faces a week's box rest before being readied for Kempton's King George VI Chase.

"He came back with a little cut on his foreleg, but hopefully we should have him back cantering after that," reported Twiston-Davies.

Push set for hurdling campaign

Before a return to Aintree,Grand National winner Don't Push It is likely to be campaigned over hurdles

Jonjo O'Neill's 10-year-old finally provided Tony McCoy with a victory in the famous race after 14 previous attempts for the rider. With a chase rating of 164, O'Neill does not fancy running him in competitive handicaps over fences, so it is likely he will spend time over timber before his season kicks into gear.

"He's in fantastic nick, but a rating of 164 doesn't afford us too many options. As I don't really want to run him in a chase over three-miles plus with the big weight he'd almost certainly have to carry, the sensible option seems to be to look for a suitable race over hurdles," said O'Neill.

"The ground will dictate where we go, but hopefully it will be sometime at the beginning of next month."

2010 GRAND NATIONAL FAVOURITE

The sporting eyes are back on Carlisle race course once again on Monday when the joint favourite for last season’s John Smith’s Grand National makes his seasonal debut.

All roads are set to lead to Aintree again next spring for Big Fella Thanks, who finished fourth in the world’s greatest steeplechase earlier this year.

Paul Nicholls the championship trainer was having horse with him at that time but he has been moved to the North and is now stabled with Ferdy Murphy, who sends many horses to run at Carlisle.

The Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury is the next target for Big Fella Thanks. The trainer wants him to have a race over regulation fences before heading south to Berkshire when he was having his last run over the spruce obstacles at Aintree

The Carlisle race he will run in is the feature £25,000 Weatherbys Bank Graduation Chase over three miles.