Honeyball full of hope for good Aintree run from Sam Brown

Many Clouds outing will offer insight to plans for rest of the season.

Anthony Honeyball feels Sam Brown has a “good chance” of landing the Boylesports Many Clouds Chase at Aintree on Saturday after deciding to bypass the Becher Chase on the same card.

The 10-year-old, who was third to Protektorat in the race last year, was subsequently a good runner-up to the classy Royale Pagaille in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock, and ended the season in spectacular fashion, accounting for Shan Blue by 15 lengths in a Grade Three handicap over course and distance.

The Black Sam Bellamy gelding was beaten four lengths by Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on his seasonal bow, with the reopposing Ahoy Senor – one of five opponents in the Grade Two contest this weekend – behind.

Honeyball has the Grand National in mind as one of several options at the end of the season. He is a general 50-1 chance for the April 15 spectacular.

Of missing the Becher, the Dorset-based handler said: “We are working back from three options. One is, I suppose, a negative option, of the handicap he won at Aintree last season.

“But at the age he is now, we are all quite keen to have an entry for the Grand National. Or if he is capable of winning races like the Many Clouds, he will go for races like the Betfair Bowl, the Grade One at Aintree.

“If he won the Many Clouds, we would probably go for the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham and maybe play it by ear. It just depends.

“He was just showing such progressive form, even though he is at the age of 10, over regulation fences. So, why take the gamble over the National fences with the rest of the season ahead of him?

“We have schooled him over the National fences at Lambourn.

“All we need to do is see how far he can go over the regulation fences and if we are Grade Two horse all day long – and I feel that is what we are – and can’t step up to a Grade One, then we’ve had a go and we can come back and say, ‘let’s have a look at the Grand National’.”

Sam Brown is relatively lightly-raced for his age, having won three of his 10 starts over fences, and six of 14 runs overall.

He rose 2lb to an official and career-high mark of 159 following his last run and the time could be right to target the world’s most famous steeplechase.

“He is a real good jumper and he might just take to the National,” Honeyball added.

Anthony Honeyball has plenty of Aintree option
Anthony Honeyball has plenty of Aintree options (Neil Munns/PA)

“He might just be a touch careful, but he is very accurate, and it is definitely worth a try.

“When we schooled him over the National fences, he took to them nicely.

“We have that up our sleeve. It just depends. By April, you might go for a Grade One chase at Aintree or might go for the handicap.

“At Aintree, we have everything covered at the end of the season – unless he progresses another 9lb and we are suddenly thinking about a Gold Cup. That would be a dream, but I think we are a genuine, solid Grade Two horse. We’d have to jump forward again to be suddenly something more than that.

“In any case, it is lovely to have a horse in races like the Many Clouds, and I think he goes there with a good chance.”

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