Graham hoping to be in attendance for Aye Right’s Trophy bid

Trainer expects to make midweek decision after being hurt in lorry accident.

Harriet Graham has still not given up hope of being at Newbury when Aye Right runs in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury on Saturday.

Graham, who also acts as clerk of the course at Musselburgh and Hamilton, only trains a small string in the Scottish Borders and Aye Right has already taken her to the Cheltenham Festival.

He caught many an eye when third to Cyrname in the Charlie Hall Chase last time out, and ever since has been among the favourites for one of the most prestigious handicaps of the season.

Graham’s attendance has been in doubt, though, since she was run over by her own lorry when attending to what she thought was a driver in distress. In the accident Graham broke her pelvis.

“I’m definitely better than I was and getting better by the day,” she said.

“I’m still hoping to go. I’ll make a decision on Wednesday, all I need to be able to do is sit in the lorry and hobble around when I get there. So I’m hoping to go, but it’s not definite yet.”

As for Aye Right, having been second on his seasonal debut over an inadequate trip at Kelso to subsequent Old Roan winner Nuts Well, he ran a career-best at Wetherby.

“He’s very well at home, we haven’t changed his routine, he’ll do a bit of work on Monday or Tuesday and then he’ll just lob and canter until we go down.

Aye Right in the parade ring at Cheltenham
Aye Right in the parade ring at Cheltenham (Harriet Graham)

“His first run this season we always viewed as a prep race, the trip was always going to be a bit sharp, but it sharpened his jumping up because he jumped really well at Wetherby.

“Being a small trainer we can only train with the horses we have here. We sometimes take him to other yards to school and he did have a school around Perth, but there’s nothing like a race to sharpen him up.”

She added: “I think we need to be honest with ourselves and Cyrname could have beaten us a lot further if he’d wanted, but I don’t think Vinndication was that far away from us. Cyrname is a different class to Aye Right, and most of the others in Britain to be honest.

“We think in time he’ll stay even further than this, he just jumps and gallops, he doesn’t really have a turn of foot. The Scottish National has been mentioned, but in this day and age that is a long way off, it didn’att happen last year.”

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Ladbrokes Trophy Harriet Graham

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