Past Aintree heroes hope to Roll Along for success

Apr 2 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

CARL LLEWELLYN and owners the Burrough family are familiar with success at the John Smith’s Grand National.

Now together they will team up to bid for more Aintree glory this Friday.

The Llewellyn-trained Roll Along aims to go one better than he did at Cheltenham when he lines up in the John Smith’s Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree on Friday.

The eight-year-old ran a tremendous race to finish four and a lengths behind Albertas Run when taking second the Royal & SunAlliance Chase last month.

Roll Along sports the same colours that 1983 Grand National winner Corbiere carried to glory, while Llewellyn won the Aintree showpiece twice as a jockey on Party Politics in 1992 and Earth Summit in 1998.

And the Pembrokeshire-born handler said: “He’s going to run. He’s rewarded our patience really and he showed that he is as good as we were hoping he was going to be. Timmy (Murphy) didn’t say much when he got back in last time but to be honest he never does!

“He was obviously doing all his best work at the finish and he has kept galloping to the line.

“Whether the track will suit him as well I don’t know but there is no reason to think it won’t. Cheltenham is obviously stiffer but I think he should be okay. He disappointed badly at Aintree over hurdles last year but a few of mine weren’t running well at the time and that is really the only time he has ever let us down.”

Llewellyn is also looking to run Wind Instrument, owned by Elizabeth Pearce, the wife of England under-21s coach Stuart, in the John Smith’s Extra Cold Handicap Hurdle on Grand National day.

He said: “He is more likely to go for the handicap on Saturday (John Smith’s Extra Cold Handicap Hurdle).

“If it rained a lot we might consider the Sefton but it doesn’t look like it is going to.

“The handicapper hasn’t been easy on him, he put him up 11lb for last time but let’s hope he is right. He is still improving but he will need to be and he’ll go chasing next year.”

Meanwhile Kalderon will take on fellow Irish raider Al Eile in Saturday’s Scottish And Newcastle Pub Enterprises Aintree Hurdle. Trainer Tom Hogan said: “It looks like he’ll travel. He seems a bit better this year so we’d be hoping for a good run. He’s a much better horse on good ground. Hopefully the flat track should suit him so we’re looking for a big run.”

TODAY’S NAP: Angus Newz (3.10pm Nottingham).