Hopes High For Timbera

Connections of Timbera are hopeful the 11-year-old can make up for last year´s disappointment in the John Smith´s Grand National on April 9.

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Timbera was the ante-post favourite for the Aintree showpiece but was pulled out of the race at the 11th hour after scoping badly.

Timbera has been allotted 10st 8lb in the weights published today for the #700,000 spectacular which has pleased his trainer Dessie Hughes. Giving his reaction to British Horseracing Board handicapper Phil Smith´s assessment, Hughes said: “That´s lovely. I´d be happy with that - that´s great.

“He´s in good form. He was late coming back in and then he got a bit of mucus in him which slowed things up a bit - that´s what kept him out the race last year - hopefully he´s over it now and we can carry on. “His target is the National and he´ll have two runs before, wherever we can find a conditions chase.

“He likes goodish ground. He won the Irish National on goodish ground. He´s won on heavy but his best run was the Irish National. He ran well (second) at Cheltenham in the four-miler on quick ground. “Conor O´Dwyer could ride if he didn´t have a better ride.” A record total of 92 horses are on 10st or above in the weights. The previous highest number of horses in the handicap proper was 67 two years ago.

Howard Johnson´s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hope Grey Abbey has been allotted top weight of 11st 12lb with Sir Rembrandt, runner-up to Best Mate in last year´s blue riband, next on 11st 10lb.

Johnson has not totally ruled out running Grey Abbey.

He said: “If Grey Abbey doesn´t run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup he might go. It just depends on the ground with Grey Abbey - the softer the better.”

The County Durham trainer could run Valley Henry (11st 4lb), who is due to make his belated reappearance in the Aon Chase at Newbury on Saturday.

“He´s ready for a run and in good order,” Johnson added.

“I always thought he´d be a National horse because he´s really a two-and-a-half-mile horse - that´s his best trip - and if you drop him in and if the top comes off them (fences) it might make him more enthusiastic.

“Once you got the first circuit out of the way and he got into a rhythm I think it might rekindle a horse like him.” Last year´s winner Amberleigh House is on 11st while the horses that followed him home Clan Royal, Lord Atterbury and Monty´s Pass, who took the great race in 2003, are on 10st 8lb, 10st 3lb and 11st 3lb respectively.

Amberleigh House´s trainer Ginger McCain is delighted with his weight as he was expecting a heavier burden for his 13-year-old. He said: “It´s a grand weight no question. It´s 2lb less than I´d thought he´d get.

“He will have one more run in the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster then he will have racecourse school or gallop. “We will just keep him well for the big day but I can´t see anything past him.”

Hedgehunter´s trainer Willie Mullins believes his runner has a lot to do after being given 10st 12lb. The nine-year-old looked set for third place last year until he fell at the last and Mullins feels he is worse off with Clan Royal now. “He seems to have plenty of weight, if not too much but he will definitely take his chance. Clan Royal seemed to have us beaten when Hedgehunter fell at the last but he´s only got 10st 8lb,” the Irish handler explained.

Silver Birch, who won the Becher Chase over the big Aintree fences in November and followed up in the Coral Welsh National, has been given 10st 9lb.

Just In Debt, a one-length second to Silver Birch in the Becher, is on course to reoppose on 10lb better terms in the Grand National.

His trainer Martin Todhunter said: “I´m quite pleased with his weight of 10st 4lb and hopefully Tony Dobbin will ride him.

“His preparation has gone very well.

“He´s had a break, he was away at the stud for three or four weeks after his last run. He came back looking very well and he´s in strong work now and he might run at the end of the month or early March and that would be it - straight to Aintree.”

Irish challenger Colnel Rayburn is also on 10st 4lb and his trainer Paul Nolan said: “I would be delighted to get on a run on that weight - I would just love to get in and he would have a good chance.

“His next couple of runs will be based around the Grand National now and he could well run in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran on Saturday as it looks like being a small field.

“We´ll give him a break of five or six weeks before the National to just freshen him up.”

Nick Gifford, whose father Josh trained Aldaniti to win the Grand National in 1981, is hoping to to run Joly Bey.

He said: “At the moment the National is the aim - definitely. “We are going to stick him in at Cheltenham in a couple of races. We missed Cheltenham last year just to wait for Aintree and it all went wrong. “We may or may not go to Cheltenham but certainly the Grand National is the main aim.”

(c) Press Association