McCAIN PREPARING ANOTHER NATIONAL BID Ginger McCain is considering giving Hanakham a run over hurdles as part of his preparation for a crack at the Martell Grand National, he revealed today. The 12-year-old was due to make his debut for McCain in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock last Saturday but the meeting was abandoned. McCain, famously the trainer of three-time Grand National winner Red Rum, wants to give the gelding two runs before a crack at Aintree in April, with the De Vere Gold Cup at Haydock on February 24th pencilled in for one of them. 'Plans are open at the moment,' he said today. 'We`d like to get two runs into him before Liverpool if we can and it might be a hurdle race and a chase for him. 'It`s just a question of finding the right course and the right race. 'He possibly will go to Haydock for the De Vere Gold Cup but we might give him a run round over hurdles to get him ticking away.' Winner of the 1997 Royal & SunAlliance Chase for Ron Hodges, Hanakham was restricted to just two runs for Martin Pipe before joining his new trainer. 'He`s grand and its just fingers crossed that we get there,' McCain said. 'He`s been very, very lightly raced and I`d like to give him two runs over fences. 'He`s had a couple of runs in two or three years so he needs to get his timing right, especially for a horse going to Liverpool. 'If we get him there fit and well he`s going to be a horse with a serious chance.'
