Paul Townend gives injury update and previews Grand National
Published:
I am very disappointed I am not going to be on Burrows Saint in the Grand National. I had a fall at Fairyhouse on Sunday and I am not fit to ride. I am seeing a specialist on Monday and I will know more then about when I may be back.
Instead I’ll be watching on and cheering Burrows Saint and the rest of the Closutton team.
He seems to be coming right, he has been trained for the race and he seemed to have turned a corner at home before he left. He has the right profile.
I remember riding him around Auteuil a couple of years ago after he won the Irish Grand National and he was a joy to ride. I think Patrick [Mullins] is in for a treat. I do give him a huge chance.
He is the stable first string. He was probably well handicapped to win an Irish National and is up 12lb for that now. At the same time he has a nice weight on his way back. He stayed in the Irish National.
Of our other runners, Danny [Mullins] gets on real well with Acapella Bourgeois. He stays too, running a cracker in the Irish National a couple of years ago. Despite that, Danny will have to find a nice position for him early and get into a rhythm because his best form is in smaller fields. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes to try to get him into his comfort zone.
Class Conti will love the trip. Hopefully the ground won’t be too quick for him and he can get into a rhythm early as well. If he does he will stay all day. If Brian [Hayes] can get down over Bechers the first time in the right rhythm, he will run a big race.
It’s a big ask for Cabaret Queen. She likes to front run and be up there and her last two runs haven’t been that promising. It’s always a cavalry charge and Sean [O’Keeffe] is going to have to find a little bit of room for her. Touch wood the way she jumps he will have a brilliant time. The trip is a bit of an unknown. She was getting very tired when I won the Kerry National on her.
My each-way pick would be Farclas for Sneezy Foster and Jack Kennedy. I think he is going to run a huge race and is over-priced at 20/1. He has a similar profile to Tiger Roll. He has Jack on his back and no weight.
Paul
