Supreme to go for Aintree glory

Supreme Glory, winner of the Coral Eurobet Welsh National, will bid to land the English equivalent at Aintree on April 6th, trainer Pat Murphy revealed today.

Entries for the Martell-sponsored showpiece close on Wednesday.

Supreme Glory has won two of his three starts _ on his seasonal debut in a Stratford handicap and the Chepstow feature, when he proved two lengths too good for the previous year`s winner Jocks Cross.

'Everything is going according to plan and Supreme Glory will be a definite entry for the Martell Grand National on Wednesday,' Murphy said today.

'From 12 months ago I`ve been training Supreme Glory for Aintree this year _ the plan always had been that we would skip the Welsh National last season because I thought it came a year too soon for him.

'It was very much always in our minds that it would be this season that he would run in the Welsh National and then go to Aintree.'

Supreme Glory has gone up 20lb in the handicap this season, including 8lb for his Welsh National victory, to a mark of 142, but Murphy believes that there is still more to come from the nine-year-old.

He said: 'My own feeling at the start of the season was that the horse could improve to be a sort of 150-rated horse and he`s certainly on track for that. He`s only had 15 races in his life this horse _ so he is still improving.

'He`s a horse who has always taken time to get over his races and hence he hasn`t run very much.

'But after the Welsh National he literally would have been ready to run again a week later. It amazes me, knowing the horse, that he took the race so well.'

Asked where racegoers will get the next opportunity to see his stable star in action, Murphy explained that he is having difficulties deciding the target.

He said: 'The next run is a real dilemma _ I haven`t discussed it with the owner yet but I`ve got half a mind to enter him in the Aon Chase at Newbury (on Saturday, February 9).

'Between now and Aintree, I`m not necessarily looking for a race that he can win _ I`m looking for a race to run him in.

'The De Vere Gold Cup (at Haydock on February 23) is the obvious race, but being rated 142, it means he`s going to have a big weight at Haydock and probably a maximum field around what is a fairly tight track.

'So the Aon Chase with four, five or six runners _ even though he wouldn`t win it _ might actually be a better race to run him in so I am personally looking at that one at the moment.'

Supreme Glory is 16-1 favourite with William Hill for the big Aintree race.