Bindaree primed to go the distance

Welsh wizard: Bindaree has a great chance

14 April 2012

Carl Llewellyn has won two Grand Nationals and might have won four granted a little more luck. No one is better qualified to judge what sort of horse is needed to succeed at Aintree, and the evergreen Welshman has two firm viewpoints as he prepares for his 14th tilt at the Aintree marathon.

"The first thing I'd say is that my horse Bindaree is a big price at 33-1 or thereabouts," he said.

"And the second is that Carrie Ford has a serious chance of winning the race on Forest Gunner."

Llewellyn won his first National aboard Party Politics in 1992 and landed his second when Earth Summit stormed home in 1998.

"The race is a strange mix of bedlam and excitement," he said. "The noise at the start is incredible, and once the tapes go up you have 40 horses scrapping for room and 40 jockeys shouting and screaming trying to get as clear a run as possible."

Finding a run aboard the giant Party Politics proved no problem in the year John Major won the General Election for the Conservatives, while Earth Summit ploughed through the heavy going to reward favouritism seven years ago.

"Party Politics was a hell of a horse when he won the National and would probably have beaten anything that day," said Llewellyn.

"It rained all day when Earth Summit won, which suited him perfectly, and once the ground turned heavy we knew he would take plenty of beating."

Llewellyn prefers not to dwell on the fact Beau looked capable of giving him a third National success until a mistake soon after halfway deprived his rider of any steering in 2001. The fact he passed up the winning ride on Bindaree the following year is another sore point, but the flashy chestnut is back in great form for his latest visit to Aintree.

"What price a horse is doesn't really interest me, but I'd say Bindaree is more of a 16-1 chance than a 33-1 shot," said Llewellyn.

"He needs extreme distances to be seen at his very best nowadays, so there aren't that many races which are ideal for him, but he ran a great race for fifth in the Welsh National over Christmas. He didn't reproduce that form at Haydock last time, but he's never seemed to shine there.

"We've deliberately kept him fresh for Aintree since, and I'd sum him up by saying that if he gets the bit of luck on the way round that every National horse needs then he's one of a handful of horses with a realistic chance of winning the race."

Clan Royal and Hedgehunter also feature among the latter group and, despite what traditionalists such as Ginger McCain might say, Llewellyn is adamant that the woman who has dominated the headlines in the build-up to this year's National might still be in the limelight after it.

"Forest Gunner has an outstanding chance," he said.

"The National is only a difficult race to ride when you are on a horse who needs shoving the whole way. Forest Gunner looks a push button horse who jumps very cleverly and if he gets into his rhythm on Saturday then I'm sure he'll give Carrie Ford a hell of a ride."

MORE ABOUT

P Funk

Bindaree primed to go the distance

Read More