Minella Trump aiming to enhance McCain family’s National record

PA Sport Reporters
April 9, 2023 11:38 am

50 years on from Red Rum triumph, Donald McCain has Aintree contender.

The name McCain is synonymous with Aintree success and on the 50th anniversary of Red Rum’s first triumph on Merseyside, Donald McCain will bid for his second Randox Grand National victory with Minella Trump.

Ginger McCain won the world’s most famous steeplechase four times thanks to Red Rum’s hat-trick in the 1970s and Amberleigh House’s win in 2004, while the younger McCain added his name to the Grand National record books when saddling Ballabriggs to strike in 2011.

McCain has been missing from the Grand National start sheet since Across The Bay was pulled up in the race in 2015, but the Bankhouse handler could have found the ideal horse to end his National hiatus in style.

Minella Trump and Brian Hughes jump the last to go on and win the Lyn And Holly's Big Birthday Celebrations Novices' Chase at Catterick — Minella Trump and Brian Hughes jump the last to go on and win the Lyn And Holly’s Big Birthday Celebrations Novices’ Chase at Catterick (Tim Goode/PA)

Minella Trump returned from a 10-month absence over hurdles at Bangor recently, but has won eight of his last nine outings over the larger obstacles and will fulfil an ambition of the handler to provide long-standing owner Tim Leslie with a Grand National runner when lining up at Aintree as a 66-1 chance.

McCain said: “He’s in good nick and it was good to get the run into him the other day (at Bangor). It wasn’t ideal to run over timber but there was nowhere else to go unless you want to get involved at Cheltenham.

“I’d sooner he’d have run in a chase, but there wasn’t one so we went over hurdles. He did what we wanted him to do in that he’s had a good blow and he’s come back in good shape. We’re all happy.

Donald McCain’s next Randox Grand National runner is in the box of his last Grand National winner 👀
Minella Trump next week 🤞 pic.twitter.com/szxCBSFWvU
— The Jockey Club (@TheJockeyClub) April 6, 2023

“He’d done a lot of racing and won a lot of races, so we just gave him a good break. It’s not been that smooth in that we’d have liked to have got a run in when it was appropriate, but the ground was very heavy and there was nowhere to go, so we’ve had to do things slightly different – but it’s never smooth.

“He’s a great little horse and I don’t know if he’s going under the radar a bit, as he knows how to win. He’s probably not the most impressive when he’s doing it, but that’s probably the reason why he keeps managing to win, because he’s never doing it by too far. We’ve got a good racing weight in a big field handicap, so it’s a positive for sure.

“He’s beaten some smart horses, including the Grand National favourite Corach Rambler. He’s had a much smoother journey to Aintree and that sort of stuff and looks a thorough stayer and so on, but Minella Trump is in good nick and we’re looking forward to getting him there.”

Trainer Donald McCain is bidding for his second victory in the Randox Grand National (Simon Marper/PA)

He continued: “We’re not there yet of course, but it would be very nice to have our first runner for a few years.

“It will be very special to have it for Tim Leslie, too, as it’s been an ambition of his since I started training to have a runner in the race. To get there and have a runner for him would be fantastic as he’s been a wonderful supporter.”