Murphy looks for an Edge as Cloudy stays on course

Mar 19 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

BEING the favourite for the John Smith’s Grand National proved too great a burden for Ferdy Murphy’s Joes Edge last year. But Donald McCain junior is hoping it doesn’t for this year’s market leader Cloudy Lane.

Both trainers were at Aintree yesterday for the traditional media lunch at the second forfeit stage ahead of the 4m4f marathon.

McCain has the Trevor Hemmings-owned duo Cloudy Lane and Idle Talk among the 115 entries who were still engaged yesterday, with both on course to take their place on April 5.

Joes Edge, pulled up in last year’s National when sent off the 8-1 co-favourite, is the only one of Murphy’s four entries with a realistic chance of making the 40-strong maximum field for the 4m4f marathon.

The former Scottish National winner has run twice since suffering an injury in last year’s race. He unseated Formby-born jockey Keith Mercer at Doncaster in the Grimthorpe Chase, won by Cloudy Lane. But the 11-year-old was a much more encouraging 10th behind High Chimes in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup Chase at last week’s Cheltenham Festival, in which Idle Talk finished fifth.

Joes Edge – a best-priced 33-1 with Ladbrokes, William Hill and totesport this time – looked in rude health as he worked under Evan Williams in a gallop at Aintree yesterday alongside stable-mate Aces Four, who was partnered by Michael McConnell.

Afterwards Murphy said it was all systems go for the 11-year-old’s third attempt at the National.

The West Witton handler said: “We needed to get another run into him after Doncaster, then the rain came the morning of the race. In normal circumstances, we wouldn’t have run him but we were just so desperate to get him on the racecourse again.

“Nina (Carberry) thought at the top of the hill that she’d have a good chance of getting into the money but he just didn’t get home in that ground. But he’s in grand order and we really couldn’t be happier with him.

“He has been fantastic for the owners. He has won a Scottish National, won at the Cheltenham Festival and he’s won at Aintree too. They have had some ride out of him and if every horse was like him, it would fantastic.

“He hasn’t had much luck here, but maybe it will be third time lucky. The first year he ran in the National the ground was fantastic on Thursday and Friday then on Saturday morning it absolutely tipped down. He finished seventh and he wasn’t beaten that far.

“Then last year on the canal bend a horse went down in front of him and it just whacked him on the side of his tendon and Graham (Lee) said he just couldn’t steer him after that. He just had to pull him up.”

McCain, like Murphy 12 months ago, has the added pressure of saddling the ante-post favourite, who is currently a best-priced 7-1 with Sportingbet. But having secured a second Cheltenham Festival success with Whiteoak and continued his impressive form with his 52nd winner of his best season with Rosie All Over’s win at Warwick yesterday, he is taking it in his stride.

He said: “I don’t feel any pressure at the moment with him being favourite. We have just had Cheltenham and I am a little switched off at the moment. I am sure it will all start nearer the time. Yes there are expectations when you have the favourite, but you wouldn’t swap him really.

“It is better to put up with the pressure of having a horse like him than not to have him.”

Cloudy Lane has won three in a row and comes into National in fine form.

McCain added: “The horse is in great order. Everything has gone as well as we could have hoped for since the weights came out. He went up to Ayr and won. It was a bit of a nonentity of a race rally.

“But then he went to Doncaster and won well again. we couldn’t have been more thrilled with him.

“He doesn’t take a huge amount of work. We tried to give him a quiet week after Doncaster, but he got a bit stupid. So he is back grafting away. He cantered this morning. Hopefully we can just keep it sensible and keep working away and kick on to Aintree.”

And on his other runner, Idle Talk, he added: “He jumped around Cheltenham the other day. He made one small mistake but he was very good and galloped all the to the line to finish fifth in the Kim Muir. He ran a nice National trial and he has a decent weight.”

The weights for the race have risen by 2lbs and will rise a further pound due to the defections of top weights Beef Or Salmon and Celestial Gold.

TODAY’S NAP: At The Money (4.25pm Chepstow).