02.04.08 - THE GRAND NATIONAL, RACING AT AINTREE

Katarino bids to match Credit Call's Fox Hunters' record

Katarino heads a field of 20 runners for tomorrow's John Smith's Fox Hunters' Chase over the Grand National's famous fences.

The 13-year-old gelding won the race in 2005 and 2006, but missed last year's contest after picking up an injury when winning a point-to-point.
Twelve months later he is back bidding to match Credit Call's achievement of winning the John Smith's Fox Hunters' Chase three times.

Credit Call first won the race in 1972 under Chris Collins - now chairman of Aintree's parent company, Jockey Club Racecourses - and in 1975 and 1976 under Joey Newton, a steward at this year's John Smith's Grand National meeting.

Robert Waley-Cohen, who owns and trains Katarino at his home in Warwickshire, said: "Running in a point-to-point last year cost us dear, so we decided to head straight to Aintree this time without a prep race, but he's a real professional and not difficult to get fit. Good to soft ground is perfect for him, but it looks a stronger race than when he won two years ago."

Waley-Cohen's son, Sam, who has such a good record over the National fences, rides Katarino again. He won this race on Katarino in both 2005 and 2006, and took the John Smith's Topham Chase on Liberthine in 2006. 

Scots Grey, who won the race for Nicky Henderson's stable last year, will be partnered by Jamie Snowden. This time last year Snowden was sidelined with a broken ankle, and Richard Burton stepped in for the winning ride - Burton now partners the Ian Emes-trained Alvino, who won a Wincanton hunter chase on his latest start, while rising star Josh Guerriero takes the mount on Christy Beamish for Wolverhampton trainer Paul Jones. Christy Beamish was second to Katarino in 2006.

Yorkshire-based trainer Cherry Coward and rider Oliver Greenall team up hoping to land a unique double. At Cheltenham last month, they won the Christie's Foxhunter Chase with Amicelli and now they are reunited with Sonevafushi.

Several trainers and riders have achieved the double with the same horse - Reg Wilkins and Ron Treloggen were the most recent thanks to Double Silk's victories at Cheltenham and Aintree in 1993 - but no yard has won both races with different horses.

Sonevafushi, a former handicap hurdler and chaser, has won two open point-to-points this year in the colours of hotelier Tom Bannister and Lord Daresbury, who is Greenall's father and chairman of Aintree Racecourse. A top-flight amateur jockey who rode as Peter Greenall, Lord Daresbury won the John Smith's Fox Hunters' Chase in 1982 on Lone Soldier.


Champion trainer Paul Nicholls runs two horses in this year's John Smith's Fox Hunters' Chase - Thisthatandtother, the mount of Nick Scholfield, and Whitenzo, who will be ridden by Colman Sweeney - while Irish stables are represented by Arctic Times, Where Now and Younowhat.

Where Now and Arctic Times were third and fourth in last year's race and the latter has since finished third in the Christie's Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham.

The sport of three-day eventing has a representative in the John Smith's Fox Hunters' Chase - Jane Starkey, who trains Buckby Lane for her mother Ann, has represented Britain in the World and European Championships, and finished third at Badminton. Starkey said: "The horse is in great form, but when it comes to training racehorses I haven't got a clue what I'm doing."

That may be true, but Buckby Lane has won two point-to-points this year, so Starkey is doing something right, not least in booking Polly Gundry to take the ride. Gundry, five times Britain's champion woman point-to-point rider, won the John Smith's Fox Hunters' Chase in 2002 on Torduff Express.