Cloud primed for Midlands Grand National tilt

Adam Morgan
March 15, 2024 1:57 pm

‘We’ve been waiting for this race, so fingers crossed,’ says Fergal O’Brien.

Autonomous Cloud will bid to regain the winning thread when he returns to his beloved Uttoxeter for the bet365 Midlands Grand National Handicap Chase.

Fergal O’Brien’s eight-year-old got the better of Jonjo O’Neill’s reopposing Iron Bridge when scoring on this card 12 months ago and supplemented that victory when returning to the Staffordshire track on his seasonal return.

He was pulled-up when sent off 9-2 joint favourite for the Welsh Grand National over Christmas but connections are hopeful he can recapture his best form and provide O’Brien with his second victory in this valuable contest.

“I was disappointed with him the last day in the Welsh National, but we have trained him for this race and fingers crossed he will go through the ground,” said O’Brien.

Very game today! Autonomous Cloud secures a first win since his debut in 2020 as he scores at @UttoxeterRaces for @adrianheskin and @OBMRacing… pic.twitter.com/Z2asNSGZ7Q
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 18, 2023

“He loves Uttoxeter and has won twice there and placed there. He goes in any ground and hopefully he just needed to be freshened up. He’s not a big, strong 16’3 horse, he’s quite narrow and Chepstow took quite a lot out of him.

“We’ve been waiting for this race, so fingers crossed.”

Not content with dominating proceedings at the Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins will attempt to land one last big prize of the week with Mr Incredible, who has not been seen since unseating Brian Hayes in the Grand National last April.

Before that, he was building an admirable CV in staying contests, placing in both the 2023 Classic Chase and Kim Muir, and he is joined in the line-up by fellow Irish raider and 2022 runner-up Young Dev.

Farceur Du Large in winning action at Sandown (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Harry Fry’s Exeter scorer Ask Me Early arrives in rude health, as does Jamie Snowden’s Farceur Du Large, who bids for a hat-trick having done the military chase double at Sandown earlier this year.

Snowden said: “He came over from Ireland, where he had some good back form but his recent form was uninspiring.

“I suppose a change of scenery has perked him up and dropping back into those military conditions races probably helped.

“He won those pretty nicely and the handicapper has had his say and stuck him up 6lb for them, but we thought it was worth a shot at a bigger race now and see how he gets on.

“He will like the ground and like the trip and we will just see if he can continue his recent form or slips back into his old ways. But he is in good order and we go there hoping for the best.”

Classic Chase heroine My Silver Lining narrowly failed to double up in Haydock’s Grand National Trial and has the chance to fill the vacancy of stable star at Emma Lavelle’s Wiltshire base following the retirement of Paisley Park.

Guetapan Collonges was third behind My Silver Lining at Warwick and Charlie Longsdon feels he is a stronger stayer than when fourth in this event 12 months ago.

Guetapan Collonges takes another shot at the Uttoxeter feature (Tim Goode/PA)

“I’m looking forward to seeing him run and I purposely avoided some of those trials like the Eider and the Grand National Trial because of the ground and to keep him fresh,” said Longsdon.

“He was fourth in the race last year and hopefully he can go a few places better. He is definitely a stronger horse this year and I’ve put a tongue strap on him as he sometimes hits a flat spot in these big races and hopefully that will take that away, especially on the heavy ground.”

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls saddled Truckers Lodge to win this in 2020 and the admirable 12-year-old is back for his fifth crack at the contest in the hands of Freddie Gingell.

Truckers Lodge is a regular in the Midland's Grand National — Truckers Lodge is a regular in the Midland’s Grand National (Steven Paston for the Jockey Club/PA)

“He is a standing dish in this race, won it in runaway style off a mark of 141 in 2020 and here he is back again for a fifth time,” Nicholls told Betfair.

“The heavier the ground, the more it will suit Truckers Lodge, who is only a few years younger than his 18-year-old jockey Freddie Gingell.

“I then ran him a bit too quickly in the Coral Welsh National after his fine win in the London National at Sandown. Truckers Lodge has had a nice break since then and is fresh and bouncing now. He has an each way chance with conditions in his favour.”