McCain Waits On Inca Trail Rider

Ginger McCain has 'three or four' jockeys in mind for the ride on Inca Trail in the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week.

The veteran trainer thought he had secured the services of Paddy Brennan for his 10-year-old only for the rider to opt for Paul Nicholls' Eurotrek instead.

McCain is now considering his options but will not make a decision until he has consulted owner John Halewood.

'It's the time of year when people duck and dive and Paddy did take the ride,' McCain explained. 'He's a grand lad and one of the best riding in the country today.

'We have three of four in mind but I can't say now as John is in China so I can't speak to him. I need to discuss it with him but we have two or three on the hook and we will get a quality jockey for him.'

Inca Trail has only been with McCain a few days after being bought out of Nicholls' yard for 110,000 guineas following two good wins in military events at Sandown.

Should Inca Trail run well and make the frame, the Cholmondeley handler believes much of the credit should go to Nicholls.

'I'm just delighted to get my hands on him, that goes without saying,' he told At The Races.

'Paul Nicholls was very good about the whole affair. He said he would like to retain him but he felt it was to the advantage of his owners that he should be sold at this time.

'I haven't gone through his record in any depth but he's run 25 times and has a reputation for being a bit quirky but he's hardly been out of the places.

'His record is very solid indeed. He wants good ground but if we get that, he's off a grand weight.

'Paul said if he adapts to Liverpool and goes and does it, he could go very close. If he does or he wins it, the credit's not ours, it's Paul Nicholls' because the horse has only been with us a week or so.'

McCain will be triple-handed in the Aintree marathon with 2004 race winner Amberleigh House and Peter Marsh Chase victor Ebony Light also due to take their chances.

Ebony Light is as low as 20-1 with Coral while Amberleigh House is 40-1 with the same firm.

'He's done three canters up the all-weather this morning and he's bright and chirpy ? very full of himself,' McCain said of Amberleigh House.

'I expect him to go there and run a big race.

'Ebony Light has been and jumped round there. He ran in the Sefton in the autumn which is two miles five and he made a couple of minor mistakes but he was certainly never dangerous and at the end he was running on and wanting another circuit.

'He stays, he gets four miles if he puts his act together and I honestly expect him to run a big race

'He won the Peter Marsh very impressively but he would appreciate a good cut in the ground.'

(C) PA Sport