Rosy Redrum aiming to blossom at Aintree

Famous Liverpool name remembered in top-quality mares’ bumper.

Red Rum and Aintree are inseparable to racing fans – so Rosy Redrum can be expected to have plenty of support in the Goffs UK Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race on Thursday.

The Milton Harris-trained chestnut has a leading chance, too, and lines up for the Grade Two event having won her bumper debut at Wincanton in January.

A Listed race at Newbury the following month was the next port of call, one in which the mare was beaten into second by Emma Lavelle’s Top Dog.

“She is very good. I like her a lot. She is as nice a young horse as we have seen for a long time,” Harris said of his filly.

“All of mine wouldn’t want too much rain. So I’m hoping there won’t be too much.

“She is in good form, she is fresh and she is well and hopefully she’ll be a massive player.

“She has just done enough now, I’d be confident. She has a hood on to help her switch off early on.”

Also well-fancied is Willie Mullins’ Ashroe Diamond, fourth in a similar Grade Two mares’ bumper at Leopardstown in February.

“She ran really well at the Dublin Racing Festival and I think she’ll like the ground and the track,” said assistant trainer Patrick Mullins.

“We’re very happy with her at home and I’d be expecting her to be in the money again.”

Lorna Fowler has a live chance in Naughtinesse, a home-bred half-sister to graded performers Don Poli and Politesse and a decisive winner of a Fairyhouse bumper on New Year’s Day.

“She is living up to her name, she is very well and very naughty!” the trainer said.

“She does seem in very good form, we missed Leopardstown because of sore shins, they weren’t terrible but it was enough for it to make sense to back off.

“There are a lot of expectations for these fillies and I think everyone’s going to find out a bit more about how good they are.”

The race Naughtinesse won in January is historically a high-class one, with a roll of honour that includes Next Destination, Dunvegan and Whatdeawant – all horses with top-notch form.

“That was against the boys, she had a filly’s allowance there but she didn’t have a claimer on her back so it was good to see where she was at with the weights,” Fowler said.

“She won it nicely and she won it well, but she’s going to have to prove herself up at the next level.

“I wouldn’t say she’s improved because she went into that race in particularly good form, but there’s nothing like a bit of spring in the air for fillies.

“She’s just fresh, I’ve worked her plenty and she’s feeling great.”

Donald McCain – another famous Aintree name – has a pair of chances in the unbeaten Roc Of Dundee and six-year-old Nell’s Bells, who was a 17-length winner at Carlisle before finishing unplaced at Cheltenham in January.

Roc Of Dundee winning at Ascot
Roc Of Dundee winning at Ascot (Simon Marper/PA)

“Roc Of Dundee’s done nothing wrong, she’s won her two bumpers and she’s toughed it out and done it well,” the trainer said.

“Nell’s Bells was very impressive at Carlisle and then didn’t really come down the hill at Cheltenham.

“They’re both winners and they deserve to have a chance and run in a good race.”

Elsewhere in the contest is Dan Skelton’s Kateira, a winner on her sole start at Huntingdon in February, with Paul Nicholls’ Iliade Allen making her debut for the yard after impressing in three bumpers for Nick Williams.

Follow us on Twitter racing365dotcom and like our Facebook page.

Latest