McCain follows in father’s footsteps with odds – now for the course

Apr 5 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

DONALD McCAIN junior’s Cloudy Lane looks set to go off one of the shortest-priced favourite since his father Ginger saddled Red Rum in the 1970s, but the trainer is not feeling any pressure.

It is the ‘McCain factor’ rather than the usual ‘McCoy factor’ that bookmakers fear this time with punters expected to latch onto the Bankhouse stable runner as Donald bids to add to his father’s record four wins in the world’s greatest steeplechase. Cloudy Lane could be as low as the 7-2 that the stable’s triple hero started when beaten into second by L’Escargot in 1975 with public backing likely to be behind the Trevor Hemmings-owned eight-year-old.

He was available at 6-1 with Ladbrokes and Paddy Power last night, but that price may plummet.

Three wins in a row have catapulted Cloudy Lane into favouritism and while McCain, who also saddles another Hemmings’ horse Idle Talk in today’s Aintree showpiece, feels he is deserves to be market leader, he thinks the price is too skinny.

Idle Talk unseated Jason Maguire in last year’s race, with the jockey now partnering his stable-mate, and McCain is happy with both his horses.

The 38-year-old said yesterday: “No horse should be that low to win the National. It should probably be more than that for him just to get round. But he deserves to be favourite because he has nothing but improve each time we have run him. His preparation couldn’t have gone better and I suppose some way down the line the wheels are going to fall off. Both him and Idle Talk did their final piece of work this morning and it went very well.

“If Cloudy Lane takes to the fences he will run a very big race. While if I didn’t have Cloudy Lane, I would be delighted to saddle Idle Talk. He is a good horse and is the right form to do himself justice this time.

“Although we are hopeful with both you need a lot of luck in running. It would great to win but hopefully both will run their races and come back in one piece.”

Chief among the opposition and around 12-1 third best with Coral and Ladbrokes is last year’s third Slim Pickings. Trainer Tom Taaffe is delighted with his preparation, but is hoping for a similar passage as last year again under Barry Geraghty, who won the National on Monty’s Pass in 2003.

The nine-year-old ran was third behind Silver Birch and McKelvey 12 months ago and he is one of the 11 entries from Ireland as they bid for a seventh success in the past decade.

Taaffe said: “His preparation has gone well and we just hope he has as much luck in-running as he had last year. It’s a Grand National and anything can happen so we’re just hoping we runs a nice race.”

Taaffe also saddles 100-1 outsider Tumbling Dice, but the County Kildare handler added: “We thought he might make a National horse. He jumps the fences quite well at home and he’s in there with a sporting chance, like they all are.”

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls and champion jockey Tony McCoy have not won the Grand National despite numerous attempts.

The Ditcheat handler saddles three this time after Opera Mundi was pulled out of the race, in Mr Pointment, Turko and Cornish Sett.

But he added a second victory over the National fences this season yesterday when five-year-old Gwanako won the John Smith’s Topham Chase under Ruby Walsh in the colours of the Stuart family – the same owners of six-year-old Turko.

Mr Pointment also scored over the daunting Aintree obstacles in the totesport Becher Chase in November and Nicholls is hoping he can finally land the big one today

He said: “We might crack the big one, one day. Hopefully Gwanako’s win is an omen. We have had the big two, Kauto Star and Master Minded, beaten this week, but to be fair everything we have run has run well. They have all been thereabouts and you can’t win every time.”