Katarino Bids To Defend Hunters´ Grand National Katarino, who won last year´s John Smith´s Fox Hunters´ Chase at Aintree, returns tomorrow for another crack at the race over the Grand National fences, for which a maximum field of 30 will go to post, after 35 were declared, with five balloted out. The 11-year-old is one of a team of four that will represent Warwickshire-based owner Robert Waley-Cohen at the three-day John Smith´s Grand National meeting - the others are Liberthine, who runs in the John Smith´s and Spar Topham Chase on Friday, Perle De Puce, a candidate for the The Sportsman Handicap Hurdle on Friday, and Symphonique, who tackles Saturday´s amateur event, the John Smith´s Novices´ Handicap Chase. All four will be ridden by Waley-Cohen´s son Sam, who was in the saddle when Katarino scored at Aintree last year. However, the gelding has not run since, and Waley-Cohen, who also trains the horse, admitted: 'It has to be said I would have preferred to run him in at least one race beforehand, but he had a minor problem six weeks ago and he had to miss a couple of opportunities. 'It´s well documented that he´s had trouble with his wind, so you want everything in your favour, but he looks really well. You can judge for yourself when you see him in the paddock tomorrow. 'He went to Newbury for a gallop on the Sunday after their recent meeting, and he´s been down to Richard Phillips´s gallops on a number of occasions - he´s been going out twice a day, in fact.' Despite Sam Waley-Cohen´s victory on Katarino 12 months ago - which came just a few weeks after he won at the Cheltenham Festival on Liberthine - he was barred from riding in Saturday´s John Smith´s Grand National because he has not partnered 15 winners under Rules. That meant his father had to decide whether to run Liberthine in the big race with a professional on board, or go for Friday´s John Smith´s and Spar Topham Chase over the Grand National fences, in which his son could ride. Waley-Cohen said: 'We´ve decided to go for the Topham. In an ideal world Sam would have ridden the mare in the National, but she´s not likely to get into the race (number 47 in the list), so that´s made the decision easier. It will be her last run - after the race she will visit the stallion Poliglote.'
