Pipe National team grows to six

With the news that Or Noir De Somoza has joined the Pond House squad,David Pipe's John Smith's Grand National team has been extended to six.

I am very grateful to the new Swiss owners of Or Noir De Somoza for sending him to me to prepare for Aintree's great race," said Pipe.

"We have had Or Noir De Somoza in the yard before and he finished fourth in Ascot's Victor Chandler Chase behind Master Minded. He stays very well and I have always thought he looked like an ideal Grand National candidate.

"I am delighted to have him and he is a very exciting addition to our team of entries for the big race that consists of I'msingingtheblues, Comply Or Die, Piraya, Faasel, and Junior," he told his website, www.davidpipe.com.

Merigo returns at Ayr

Andrew Parker is happy to be getting a much-needed run into his smart staying chaser Merigo at Ayr.

For the totesport.com Grand National Trial at Haydock on February 19,Scottish National hero was warms up for the totesport.com,with a spin over the smaller obstacles in the Bet Now At victorchandler.com Novices' Hurdle, in which he will face five rivals.

"It's something we do now and again with him. If you look in the past we give him a run over hurdles just to sharpen him up when we're struggling with a race for him," said Parker.

"We'll then go to Haydock in a fortnight for the big chase. It's a case of getting some race sharpness back into him. We had a lot of hard frosts and we were struggling for six weeks.

"Two years ago we ran him in a three-mile hurdle at Ayr at around the same time when he was second, but we're not going to go for the Eider this year. Hopefully he'll go to Haydock for the Grand National trial in 12 days' time."

Finger will be kept cross by the Lockerbie trainer as Merigo will get a run in the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree on April 9.

If not, he will bid for back-to-back victories in the Scottish version the following Saturday.

Noel Glynn confident over Grand National bid

Noel Glynn has revealed that he had faith in Becauseicouldntsee's chances in the forthcoming Grand National.He further expressed that Peter Marsh Chase guests of horse racing packages could give a good indication.

Glynn claimed the eight-year-old was in "good form" in the run-up to the big day and revealed his camp had been looking for opportunities to test his fence-jumping.

"We'll give him this run this weekend and that might be his last over fences, but we'll see how we get on," he explained. "He's a tank of a horse and although they say weight stops trains, he can carry it."

It has been predicted by Glynn that he has full confidence that Becauseicouldntsee will perform "well" at Haydock and revealed that Nina Carberry would be fined with riding the horse, although he had initially considered handing the job to a professional jockey.

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."