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Always Waining will bid to enhance his excellent record over the Grand National fences when he returns to Aintree for Becher Chase Grand National Trials Day on Saturday, December 3.
Peter Bowen's charge posted a second successive victory in the Listed John Smith's Topham Handicap Chase at the John Smith's Grand National meeting in April as he beat the highly-touted Mon Parrain by four lengths.
He made his seasonal return over hurdles at Ffos Las on November 6 and is now being readied for either the three and a quarter-mile £100,000 Listed Betfred Becher Handicap Chase (2.15pm) or the £50,000 Betfred Grand Sefton Handicap Chase (3.25pm) over an extended two miles and five furlongs.
Bowen revealed today: “We are hoping to run Always Waining at Aintree next month and it depends on the ground regarding which race we go for. If it's on the soft side, then he will go for the Grand Sefton, but he will run in the Becher Chase if the ground is good.
“He had his first run of the season over hurdles last week and we will probably give him another hurdle start before heading to Aintree.
“His second win in the Topham Chase was very good and they think a lot of the runner-up. Always Waining always seems to perform well around Aintree - I don't know why, but he seems like a different horse over those fences.
“We will be looking to run him in the John Smith's Grand National next year. It was heartbreaking to miss the cut by one last season but you never know what might have happened in the race and it's quite an achievement to win two Topham Chases.
“He loves jumping the fences and deserves a crack at the big one. He will be an 11-year-old by next spring and realistically it will be the last chance we get with him to go for the race.”
Always Waining is currently a 33/1 chance with Betfred for this season's John Smith's Grand National.
The Betfred Becher Handicap Chase, which returns to a Saturday slot this year, is a key trial for the John Smith's Grand National. The recent BHA review into the Grand National stated that horses should have finished in the first four in a chase run over three miles or further to qualify the John Smith's Grand National. Therefore, in addition to gaining valuable experience of the Grand National fences, connections have even more incentive to target the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase this season.
Amberleigh House took the spoils in 2001 before giving his legendary trainer Ginger McCain a fourth victory in the John Smith's Grand National in 2004, while Silver Birch scored in the 2004 renewal of the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase prior to triumphing in the world's greatest steeplechase in 2007. Black Apalachi won the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase in 2008 and was runner-up to Don't Push It in the 2010 John Smith's Grand National.
The Betfred Grand Sefton Handicap Chase (3.25pm) has also thrown up clues to the John Smith's Grand National, most notably Forest Gunner, who captured the race in 2004 and went on to finish fifth in the John Smith's Grand National the same season. Frankie Figg captured the Betfred Grand Sefton Handicap Chase in 2010 and his trainer Paul Nicholls has hinted that he will return to Aintree next month for the Betfred Becher Handicap Chase en route to a crack at the 2012 John Smith's Grand National.
A seven-race card on Becher Chase Grand National Trials Day also includes the £35,000 Listed Betfred Goals Galore Bonus Chase (2.50pm). The action gets underway with at 12.00pm with the Jaguar Maiden Hurdle and continues with the Betfred Goals Galore Handicap Hurdle (12.35pm), the Betfred 1350 Shops Nationwide Novices' Handicap Hurdle (1.10pm) and the Betfred Free Machine Play Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (1.40pm).