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Beauchene hoping 2014 Grand National will be third time lucky
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For each of the last two Grand
Nationals the Willie Mullins-trained Prince de Beauchene has been one of the
ante-post market leaders for the worlds greatest steeplechase
only to eventually miss out on the chance to make history by suffering injuries
that kept him on the sidelines.
Connections of the gelded son of French
Glory will be hoping that this time around their luck holds and this talented
staying chaser will get the opportunity to show that he has just what it takes
to run a mighty race in the four-and-a-half-mile Liverpool marathon event. His
one previous visit to Aintree proved a big success, scoring over the regulation
fences on the Mildmay course at the 2011 festival meeting in the listed John
Smiths Handicap Chase.
That effort made many people mark Prince
de Beauchene down as a potential future Grand National winner, and after
beating Black Apalachi in the Grade 2 AtTheRaces Bobbyjo Chase at Thurles in
February 2012, Andrea and Graham Wylies charge advanced to
ante-post
favouritism for the Grand National itself. Just two weeks before the big
race though Mullins stayer suffered a stress fracture in his hip and was
forced onto the sidelines.
Back in action after a nine-month rest,
Prince de Beauchene scored over hurdles at Limerick on his first start of last
campaign, and after running an eyecatching second to the smart Roi Du Mee in
Februarys renewal of the Bobbyjo Chase was again
made favourite for
the Grand National.
But once again a stress fracture just a week
before the big race ruled the unfortunate 10-year-old out of chasing his
Aintree dream. Maybe, finally, this time around he will have luck on his side.
There is no doubt that the current 33/1 shot deserves his chance to prove
himself after twice being so cruelly denied. |
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