Pickings starting on road back to Aintree

Nov 6 2007 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

SLIM PICKINGS is expected to start back on the road to Aintree when he makes his seasonal debut at Naas this Saturday.

Trainer Tom Taaffe will monitor the ground before giving his eight-year-old the go-ahead to start his campaign in the 2m3f James And Helen Hannon Memorial Handicap Chase at Naas.

Slim Pickings finished an excellent third to Silver Birch in the John Smith’s Grand National in April and although the Irish trainer is not making too many plans, he could be aimed at going one or two better next yeart Aintree.

Slim Pickings is a general 25-1 chance with most firms for National glory in 2008. First, though, Taaffe is hoping to use a run at Naas as a starting point.

He said: “Ground permitting, he’ll go. He’s well and I’m very keen to get a run into him but it’s all be subject to the ground. If it’s on the genuine easy side of good we’d be happy to go to Naas.

“If it’s not, he’ll give it a miss.”

He added: “We’ll be keeping our all options open at this point in time.”

Meanwhile State Of Play, runner-up to Ollie Magern in the bet365 Charlie Hall at Wetherby on Saturday, will not be heading to Haydock for the Betfair Chase. Instead Evan Williams is looking at sending last year’s Hennessy Gold Cup winner at the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 28.

He said: “He’s better coming out of the Charlie Hall than he was coming out of the Hennessy last year.

“Maybe because he’s a little bit older, stronger and perhaps hardened at this level a little bit now.

“We’ll look forward to Christmas now, we’ll probably go to Ireland for the Lexus.

“I was devastated he got beat. I really couldn’t speak as I had him as good as I could get him and I thought he was better than last year. He’s come out of the race well and he’s run a very sound race.

“I would love to go to Ireland as I don’t think Kempton is the right sort of track.

“I’m not going to rush him back to take on Kauto Star and the others at Haydock in the Betfair Chase so I’d like to aim towards the Lexus and see how the rest of the season pans out from there.”

TODAY’S NAP: Lily La Belle (2pm Lingfield).