Ballabriggs Team Happy To Be Out Of The Limelight

Donald McCain, trainer of Ballabriggs, one of the leading ante-post fancies for the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree in less than two weeks time, is very happy that other horses are grabbing the media attention at the moment allowing him to prepare his big race contender with far less pressure than might otherwise have been the case, writes Elliot Slater.

With some significant market moves in the last week for Willie Mullins' The Midnight Club (10/1f) and the Sir Alex Ferguson-owned What A Friend (12/1), McCain has been getting on with the job of preparing the Trevor Hemmings-owned Ballabriggs for the Aintree marathon, a race synonymous with his father 'Ginger' who won the race four times – three with the mighty Red Rum in the 1970s, then with Amberleigh House in 2004.

Ballabriggs has long been seen as a serious contender for Grand National honours since winning the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Trophy at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival beating Faasel (another likely contender at Aintree on April 9) in brave fashion to complete a season ending hat-trick. This term he carried on where he left off winning his first two outings (both over hurdles) before being switched back to fences following the publication of the Grand National weights in mid-February, at which he was allotted 11 stone, a decision which saw him backed with plenty of Grand National bets.

Expected to stroll home at Kelso at the start of this month and sent off an 8/13 favourite, Ballabriggs found the useful Skippers Brigg (also engaged at Aintree) too good for him and had to settle for the runner's up spot. That
defeat seems to have cooled the enthusiasm of the media, but McCain was delighted with the effort in only being beaten a length-and-three-quarters, giving four pounds to Nicky Richards live big race contender.

Ballabriggs is generally on offer at 14/1 to give the McCain family another day to remember.