3 minute read
Ryan Mania knows all about Randox Grand National glory and he looks to an ally close to home as he bids to mark the 10th anniversary of his greatest triumph in the saddle with a second victory in the world’s most famous steeplechase.
In April 2013 a 23-year-old Ryan Mania strode into the Aintree paddock and climbed aboard the unfancied 66-1 shot Auroras Encore for what would be his first taste of the marathon four-and-a-quarter-mile contest.
Nine minutes and 12 seconds later the duo would return National heroes as Sue Smith's seasoned handicapper gave the Scotsman the defining moment in his fledgling riding career, sauntering to a nine-length success.
Remarkably that remains Mania's sole victory at the Merseyside venue from 50 rides at the track and although the memories are somewhat hazy a decade on, he will always fondly recall both Liverpool and the horse that shot him to prominence.
"It was a very very good day, but it's like a distant memory now," he said.
"You get little flashbacks every now and then, but it has felt like that ever since. It was a big thing to happen at the time, but it kind of goes by in a flash and it's hard to imagine that it actually happened to you.
"It's actually the only winner I've ever had at Aintree but every time I go there, it feels like a special place because of that one day.
"There is always a buzz and great atmosphere there and I love going back there whether it's just for a normal meeting or the big meeting – it's always a good place to go."
He went on: "You can't put it into words what Auroras Encore means to me, the horse is very very special to me and always will be – I even named my daughter after him.
"To achieve something like that – the race maybe might be not the same these days – but even back when I won it, it really was a pure test of horse and rider and how you bonded with your horse and managed to navigate the course. We will always have that special connection."
Plenty of water has crossed under the bridge in the ensuing 10 years and Mania's struggles with the scales saw him looking for the weighing-room exit and heading into temporary retirement less than 18 months after his Aintree success in November 2014.
In fact the highs and lows of a jockey's job description were on show less than 24 hours after his finest moment when a crushing fall at Hexham, followed by an unforgiving boot from a trailing horse, saw him airlifted to hospital with neck and back injuries.
"That was really strange, that seemed to highlight me as a person more than the National – it seemed to be in the press more than the win was," recalled Mania. "It was definitely back down to earth with a thud."
Having become the first Scottish jockey for 117 years to win the race in 2013, he will now attempt to help his step father-in-law, Sandy Thomson, become just the third Scottish trainer to taste Grand National glory aboard Hill Sixteen.
Although the Scottish Saltire is well-represented this year with race favourite Corach Rambler, Hill Sixteen has proven course form having finished second in the Becher Chase previously and the rider believes he could sneak into the frame given ease in the ground on Merseyside.
"It's a very different race these days and it is looking more and more like you need a graded horse to win whereas back when I won it, he was just a very good handicapper," continued Mania.
"It's getting increasingly hard to find that horse that is going to win, but we'll always be trying and Hill Sixteen – if it comes up soft we would have a realistic chance, but if it is dry we might struggle a little bit.
"Touch wood he's very good round there and he's your old-fashioned chaser. He's big and he's slow. He's got a touch of class which is great, but he could really do with a touch of soft ground just to slow it all down. I think the problem with making the fences a lot smaller these days is the horses tend to go quicker and you need a horse with a lot of speed in the National now."
Although his victory on Auroras Encore will be difficult to top, Mania thinks it would be "extra special" to enjoy Aintree glory in conjunction with his family, while the 34-year-old also tips his hat to the 10-year-old's owner Jimmy Fyffe – the Dundee businessman who is a huge supporter of racing north of the border.
He continued: "It would be extra special to win it again because it's not just Sandy, it's my mother-in-law and my wife – it's a family operation. Now with having kids the whole family aspect of it would make it pretty special. I'm not sure I can put into words what it would mean, but it would be huge anyway.
"It's the owner's dream as well. He is a great supporter of racing in general and he's mad keen for a runner in the National so it's great for him to go there with a horse that on paper has a chance and one I would genuinely fancy to go close if there was soft ground."
Hill Sixteen is set to carry just 10st 2lb – 3lb lower than Mania's lowest riding weight during the last 12 months.
He has employed the help of a dietician to help him in his quest and insists, far from having an issue with his weight, he simply refuses to use some of the age-old methods commonly used to strip back the pounds.
"The only time I would have problems with something like that is if a few days before a ride someone says 'oh you've got this light weight to do'," he explained.
"But because I've had plenty of time I'm able to get the weight down safely and remain strong and fit so I don't foresee any issues.
"I've had a dietician before but I'm working with someone again now. Just someone on the end of a phone to make sure you are hitting your goals and having that accountably to make sure you are doing the right thing and keeping you on the right path."
He continued: "I effectively don't have a weight issue, I just refuse to sweat. I refuse to lie in the bath or go in the sauna and do too much sweating. So when they say you need to do light I'm happy to say 'no, I'm not putting myself through that'. That's the reason behind it and I try to do everything healthily and properly.
"I would have been one of them a few years ago, but you get a bit older and you learn something with age and experience and that's one of them."