National route beckons for Rocker

Haydock is continues along the road to the John Smith's Grand National.

Alan King's nine-year-old showed plenty of stamina to land the totesport.com Classic Chase at Warwick, just prevailing by three-quarters of a length from Minella Boys in a thrilling finish.

The Barbury Castle handler is now eyeing the totesport.com National Trial at Haydock on February 19 before heading for the Aintree extravaganza in April.

He was always travelling and jumped great, and I thought it was a super run. He'll now take in the Grand National Trial at Haydock en route to Aintree," he told www.alankingracing.co.uk.

King is planning a trip to Cheltenham with his other Warwick winner, Call Me A Legend.

"We were really pleased with Call Me A Legend, who won the two-mile handicap chase," he added.

"She has come back well, having fractured a pelvis last year, and, though she will go to stud at the end of the season, it would be a fairytale if she could bow out by winning the Grand Annual at Cheltenham. She won't run again before the Festival."

Grand National hero Tony McCoy eventually won the race

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Grand National

awards eventually won the Tony McCoy previous month, he spent a time after that there was still one clear forget on his CV.

The perennial champion jockey had never won the Welsh National past at Chepstow.

This separation due the meeting have been always clashes with Kempton's fixture at Christmas it meant that McCoy had not reality had that many rides in the race.

After a 15 year at Aintree he wait for first win, it would be ironic were McCoy to win two in a row but he himself harbours doubts about the winner's suitability for the unique fences.

McCoy said: “I've won the English, Irish and now Welsh Nationals for Jonjo and JP (McManus), so that's very special. He took a long time to learn how to jump normal fences and he doesn't jump out at me as a typical National horse. He might take to it, he might not. This was the ideal race for him, three miles five furlongs round here on soft ground. I don't know if he has the scope for the Grand National fences, but he did jump better than he has ever done.

“He's achieved his big target — this was his Gold Cup.”

Merigo still on National trail

At Aintree, Merigo's fall in the Becher Chase has not effected Andrew Parker to have a rethink about aiming for the John Smith's Grand National.

The bitter weather at his Lockerbie stables has been the more significant concern for Parker's.

"We've been severely held up by the weather, with the temperature getting down to minus 14C on quite a lot of nights, and that has scuppered a lot of our plans," said Parker.

"He'll be entered for the Grand National and for the Scottish National again.

"Timmy said he was jumping very well up to the point he fell in the Becher Chase. Basically he asked him for a long one and he came down too sharply when he's really a horse that you just leave alone at the fences.

"I schooled him myself a couple of days later and he was absolutely brilliant again.

"If he runs again before the weights come out for the National it will probably be over hurdles, which won't move his chasing mark up or down. But if he gets 137, it would make it difficult to get in."

Merigo is a general 25-1 shot at this stage.

Grand National first prize tops £950,000 for 2011

An augment first prize in this year's John Smith's Grand National creates the legendary steeplechase by far the richest jump race in Europe.

On 9 April,2011 race, which takes place the first prize for which will increase to a record £950,000, a rise of £25,000 on last year's race.

Under the sponsorship of John Smith it will going to be a seventh Grand National race and total prize-money for the three-day meeting, which starts on 7 April, will be £2,540,000.

Prize-money boost for National

For the John Smith's Grand National prize money has been announced by the Aintree and will increase to a record £950,000 next year - a rise of £25,000 on the 2010 race.

At the Liverpool course on Saturday, April 9, there would going to be The world's most famous steeplechase, to be run,will be the seventh under the headline sponsor, with 2011 being the first year in a new three-year contract renewal.

Aintree managing director Julian Thick said: "We are delighted the Grand National will be worth a record £950,000 in 2011, making it by far the richest jump race in Europe."

He added: "It is fantastic to have such a supportive partner in John Smith's, who have enabled us to continue to increase the prize fund for our showcase race."

Grand National Schedule Flat Track 2011

Grand National Championship today schedule, a series that will feature 22 races at 17 venues - an increase over last year. And the return of the Sacramento Mile, an addition that is sure to bring a smile to Northern California dirt track fans.

Gary Kidd Flat Track Manager of AMA Pro Racing said, "The expansion of the series is exciting news for our fans, riders and sponsors. We continue to work hard to showcase America's traditional form of motorcycle racing in various parts of the country. Our goal is to continue to work with our existing promoters while going out to find aggressive promoters near key markets that will further benefit the series."

Schedule of the Grand National series:

March 10 DAYTONA® Flat Track (Daytona Beach, Florida) Short Track
March 11 DAYTONA® Flat Track (Daytona Beach, Florida) Short Track
April 2 Southern Illinois Center (Du Quoin, Illinois) TT
April 23 Salinas Sports Complex (Salinas, California) TT
May 1 Yavapai Downs (Prescott Valley, Arizona) Mile
May 28 Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, Illinois) TT
May 29 Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, Illinois) Mile
June 11 Hartford Motor Speedway (Hartford, Michigan) Half-mile
June 25 Allen County Fairgrounds (Lima, Ohio) Half-mile
July 9 Hagerstown Speedway (Hagerstown, Maryland) Half-mile
July 16 I-96 Speedway (Lake Odessa, Michigan) Half-mile

July 23 Metra Park Raceway (Billings, Montana) Half-mile
July 30 Cal Expo Fair (Sacramento, California) Mile
August 6 Castle Rock Race Park (Castle Rock, Washington) TT
August 21 Peoria Race Park (Peoria, Illinois) TT
August 27 Indiana State Fairgrounds (Indianapolis, Indiana) Mile
September 3 Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, Illinois) Short Track
September 4 Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, Illinois) Mile
September 10 Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, Iowa) Half-mile
September 24 Canterbury Park (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Mile
October 1 Calistoga Speedway (Calistoga, California) Half-mile
October 9 Yavapai Downs (Prescott Valley, Arizona) Mile

Thanks on National trail

Despite crashing out in the Hennessy Gold Cup Big Fella Thanks remains firmly on course for a tilt at the Grand National in the spring.

For the Newbury a major contender is Big Fella,but only made it as far as the third fence before parting company with Graham Lee.

"He's fine and he'll probably have a run over hurdles in January somewhere," said the West Witton handler.

"After that he'll probably go for the Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury, which he won last year, before going back to Aintree for the National."

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.