Carroll Sticking To The Old Routine

Racehorses tend to thrive on routine but so too, it would seem, do owners of Grand National-winning thoroughbreds.

Twelve months ago on the eve of the biggest steeplechase in the world, Bernie Carroll raised a glass of anticipation in a small Tapas bar in Manchester.

Twenty four hours later, one of County Clare's finest was left toasting the blissful unpredictability of sport after Numbersixvalverde lived out Caroll's life-long ambition at Aintree.

Fast forward to April 13 this year and if you are dining out in Manchester, there is a chance you may stumble across a certain superstitious horseman intent on replicating his meticulous build-up to the 2006 National.

'We are doing everything exactly the same as last year,' insisted Carroll. 'The same restaurant, the same food, the same hotel ? everything.

'The only thing that will be different is how we look at the race this year. Last year there was a lot of expectation.

'We knew he had a chance and fancied him, but you can't get too carried away because sport is always full of disappointments.

'There'll be about 10 or 11 of us again and we'll just be out there enjoying ourselves, giving it some welly.'

Carroll's carefree attitude is entirely justifiable.

To win the Grand National once is outstanding, but to do it again after the handicapper has weighed in 12 months later would be astonishing.

Yet this is what Aintree folklore is all about and despite his blithe nature, there is a sense of urgency in Carroll's voice to suggest, in private at least, he believes the double could still be on.

'He's had a fair hike up in the weights but the pressure is off now,' said the Irishman, a successful boss of a civil engineering construction company.

'If he gets round in one piece that will be the main thing ? I just hope he doesn't fall.'

Given the tenacity Numbersixvalverde showed when tackling the Aintree fences last year, that seems unlikely.

Martin Brassil's 11-year-old, named after his owner's holiday home in Portugal, jumped immaculately under Niall ?Slippers' Madden and always held a clear-cut advantage over gallant runner-up Hedgehunter, who finished six lengths adrift.

It sparked the scenes of a textbook Irish knees-up in the winner's enclosure as Carroll hugged the life out of his two daughters, Roisin and Shauna, and wife Deirdre.

'It was just a marvellous day ? a real one-off,' he recalled.

'There were so many good memories, but the one that sticks out was when we were on the podium singing from ?From Clare To Here'.

'We sang it about 10 times and probably sang it 20 more times on the night ? each sounding worst with every pint we drank.

'Me, Slippers and Martin are all from Clare and when we got back we had a big old celebration and were given trophies from the county council ? that was great.'

Carroll's love affair with racing was a product of photosynthesis through his uncle and father, who would take him racing as a child.

This zest for anything equine continued into his student days, when the odd wager would invariably fund his beer money.

Carroll recalled: 'When I was a student, I was always of the opinion that if you had a pound in your pocket you couldn't do much with it.

'But if you had a bet with that pound and it won, you'd be able to do a whole lot more ? I had some very good nights out thanks to racing back then.'

Having bought his first racehorse in 1974, the Christy Grassick-trained Melody Music, Carroll now owns a successful string with the softly-spoken Brassil, including Rossmorerevival and Chemin D'Or.

'What can I say? I'm just a mug for horses,' he laughed.

That may be the case, but there are not many owners out there who hold a CV containing a dual Irish and Aintree National winner.

'The horse is great old order and Martin could not be happier with him,' added Carroll.

'If he finishes in the top 10 I'll be over the moon.'

Such is the habitual Carroll's wont, familiarity is not likely to breed contempt if Numbersixvalverde make it two from two at Aintree.

? PA Sport