Pearly Jack And Madden Set For Aintree Reunion

Davy Fitzgerald revealed today that Tote Munster National winner Pearly Jack will contest the Grade Three #100,000 totesport.com Becher Chase at Aintree on Sunday, November 19, when he will be partnered by John Smith´s Grand National-winning jockey Niall 'Slippers' Madden.

The County Limerick handler reported: 'Pearly Jack is an intended runner in a hurdle race at Limerick on Sunday as a prep for the totesport.com Becher Chase the following weekend.

'Niall (Madden) tells me he´ll ride him at Aintree. That is the plan and hopefully he can take the ride. He was pleased with the horse last time and he´s a great man to have on board - it´s important to have him.'

Madden, who partnered Numbersixvalverde to victory in this year´s John Smith´s Grand National at Aintree, was aboard Pearly Jack in the tote Munster National at Limerick on October 8, when the eight-year-old held his old rival Star Clipper by a length and a half, and reversed the result of the same race 12 months earlier.

Fitzgerald said: 'I was over the moon with his win in the Tote Munster National - it was long overdue.

'Deep down we always thought he might just make into an Aintree horse, so we´ll see how we get on in the totesport.com Becher Chase.

'We´re hoping to go for the John Smith´s Grand National in April but it´s a little bit of an unknown. You go to Aintree with a horse and you have to see how he takes to it.

'We´re going there because we think his style of jumping will suit the place. Everyone who´s ridden him has said the same, so fingers crossed for a clear round.'

While Fitzgerald feels the famous fences will pose no problem to Pearly Jack, he has slight reservations about the three and a quarter mile trip.

He commented: 'They say two and a half mile horses are tailor-made for the Grand National, and that´s the long-term aim, but the trip just may not suit him this time. He´s been running over three miles, but in an ideal world, going a good gallop, two and half miles or two miles, five furlongs is his distance.

'We´re a bit in the dark trip-wise but we´re going there in good form and we´ll see how we get on. He goes on any ground.'

The totesport.com Becher Chase, a recognised John Smith´s Grand National trial, is one of two races to be run over the world famous Grand National course on Sunday, November 19 - the second day of the North West Masters - the other being the #60,000 totepool Grand Sefton Handicap Chase over two miles, five and a half furlong.

Garvivonnian became the first Irish-trained winner of the totesport.com Becher Chase 12 months ago, while other winners include John Smith´s Grand National winners Earth Summit (1998) and Amberleigh House (2001), as well as horses that finished in the first five in the Aintree spectacular, such as Young Hustler (1995), Into The Red (1994 & 1996), Samlee (1997), Feels Like Gold (1999) and Clan Royal (2003).