2022 Grand National: key quotes from the trainers as the weights are announced

There are 104 remaining entries for the Randox Grand National after the weights were revealed on Tuesday. Here is a big selection of trainer quotes in reaction to the weights for Aintree’s big race . . .

Randox Grand National card and betting (Aintree, Saturday, April 9)

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Galvin (11st 10lb)
“The aim is the Gold Cup with Galvin and he would only run in the National if anything happened in the Gold Cup.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Conflated (11st 10lb)
“He will be going to Cheltenham.”

Willie Mullins, trainer of Melon (11st 6lb)
“He has been second four times at the Cheltenham Festival but never ran at Aintree over fences and it could be a track that might suit him. We decided to give him an entry and see where he is. He would be an interesting runner. We felt this was a bit of a last roll of dice to see if Aintree lit his fire.”

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Chris’s Dream (11st 5lb)
“He’s a couple of pounds less than last year and he looked to be going well when unseating at Valentine’s, so we’re happy with that and it seems fair enough. He seems good after Gowran. He’s normally a brilliant jumper and hopefully he’ll be back on song at Aintree.”

Willie Mullins, trainer of Franco De Port (11st 4lb)
“He has plenty of stamina in his pedigree and we felt he deserved an entry in the race. If he likes Aintree it is the place he could go back over the next few years as he’s only seven.”

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Minella Times (11st 4lb)
“I’m surprised he’s that. I didn’t think he went up as much as that after he won and going on his form this year I’m surprised he got increased. He loves it around Aintree and certainly did last year, so hopefully he’ll come back to form now. They certainly have to enjoy it to do well around there and hopefully going back will help him find his form.”

Minella Times: a historic winner for Rachael Blackmore last yearCredit: Edward Whitaker

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Tiger Roll (11st 4lb)
“He is in very good form at home. We will see how Cheltenham goes but he has got a nice weight so the Grand National could be on the agenda. The ground was too soft the last day for him and he is coming to himself at home. To have a horse like him is a dream come true but to win two Grand Nationals with him has just been awesome and I’m very lucky to have him. I do think there is still a bit more in him and we are certainly not finished yet.”

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Chantry House (11st 3lb)
“There’s every chance that Chantry House will be right at the top at the weights, but I’d say it’s a million to one that he runs, personally. At the moment he’s going to the Cheltenham Gold Cup and he’s not going to do both – it would be an almighty ask.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Delta Work (11st 3lb)
“He is definitely a possibility. He might not quite be up to Gold Cup class anymore. We were half thinking about the Grand National and it looks like he has got a nice weight there. He got jarred up at Leopardstown last season and I just don’t think he has quite been the same horse since. I think this is the route to go with him now and he could easily take to these fences.”

Tiger Roll ruled out of the National over 'ridiculous rating and unfair weight'

Ted Walsh, trainer of Any Second Now (11st 2lb)
“I knew he was going to get a few pounds more as he was third in the National last year. He was a bit unlucky then – whether he’d have beaten the winner I’m not sure but he’d definitely have been closer. Of course I’d always be happier with less weight and I’d be happier with less than 11 stone but it is what it is. The only problem is if the top weights don’t run and we end up around 11st 6lb or 11st 7lb – that would be tough. If he’s back to the form of last year and takes the place again he’ll still run a big race, but I’d say he has it all to do now at the weights. He might run next weekend in the Red Mills at Gowran Park. Either that or we’ll go to Naas or Fairyhouse after that. He won over two miles last year and the year before and he’ll run over either two miles or two and a half miles before Aintree.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Run Wild Fred (11st 1lb)
“That looks a lovely weight for him. He could go for something like the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham but he could be a National horse after that. He was second in last year’s Irish Grand National and he ticks a lot of boxes. He’s a big staying chaser and he could easily be a Grand National horse. He has that touch of class about him as well.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Battleoverdoyen (11st)
“He suffered a nasty fall the last day but I wouldn’t rule him out. He will probably run between now and the Grand National but we will see. I suppose you would question if he would stay. He’s a good horse having won a few Grade 1s in his time.”

Willie Mullins, trainer of Brahma Bull (11st)
“Brahma Bull is a proper handicapper that has been placed in plenty of top staying handicap chases. Being as he’s by Presenting he will like the decent ground that usually appears at Aintree.”

Joe Tizzard, assistant to Colin Tizzard, trainer of Lostintranslation (11st)
“We had a bad season last season with him but I think that is a mark he is capable off. He has always been a good jumper. We will see if this tempts the owners. I imagine he will go to Cheltenham first, after contesting the Ascot Chase on Saturday, but if he comes out of that really well I imagine he will take his chance.”

Burrows Saint: ran well for a long way last yearCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Willie Mullins, trainer of Burrows Saint (10st 13lb)
“He looked very good for most of the race last year and just going to the last he ran out of petrol a bit. However, he’s more mature this year and certainly one a lot of jockeys would like to ride. It was a good run he had behind Al Boum Photo last time and it has been entirely the case since last year’s Grand National to go back there again. He will probably go for the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse before going to Aintree. He has a nice weight and is definitely a horse with a chance.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Mount Ida (10st 13lb)
“She definitely runs and looks to have a nice weight. She will run in the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham first. She won the Kim Muir last year and stays very well. The Grand National has been the plan since last year with her and she could be made for the race.”

Joe Tizzard, assistant to Colin Tizzard, trainer of Fiddlerontheroof (10st 12lb)
“This has been the plan since the Ladbrokes Trophy where he had a hard enough race. It was going to be too soon to go for a King George, then we talked about it and we thought he could have a live chance in a Grand National. I’m sure off 155 he would be competitive. We waited until the weights came out before we decided to run him again and he’ll go to Ascot on Saturday for the three-mile handicap chase. He has only had two runs this season and we have saved the petrol for the spring.”

Kim Bailey, trainer of Two For Gold (10st 11lb)
“Is he an ideal National horse? I simply don’t know. He has got an ideal profile though and has won over three miles. It would be a nice weight for him to carry in the National if he gets there but he wants soft ground. Anything faster than that would be against him. He is not a Cheltenham horse and it is hard to find races for him so a Grand National could fall into quite a fun situation to have a go at.”

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Eklat De Rire (10st 10lb)
“He is unlikely to run in the race this year.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Escaria Ten (10st 9lb)
“He will go straight to the Grand National. He’s a big horse, hard to get fit and just needed the run last time. He ran a very good race behind Galvin in the National Hunt Chase last year and that form is very good. He should go well over those fences.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Farclas (10st 9lb)
“He was fifth in the race last season and this has been the plan all season to send him back to Aintree. He will go straight there. To finish fifth as a seven-year-old was a good effort.”

Willie Mullins, trainer of Ontheropes (10st 9lb)
“His runs have just been okay but he needs to hit a bit better form. He is another one that maybe winter ground hasn’t suited as much as I thought it would have done. He won the Munster National well and is a proper staying chaser, so these are the races I will be entering him in over the next couple of years.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Coko Beach (10st 7lb)
“Soft ground is the real key to him. If we got a soft ground Grand National he would have a good chance as he’s a good horse.”

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Good Boy Bobby (10st 7lb)
“That weight sounds absolutely ideal. We didn’t really have a Grand National campaign on our mind as he had been a bit disappointing last season but he has really come back to himself this season. When he romped home last time at Wetherby is when we started to think about the Grand National. The National fences aren’t quite the same as they used to be so I can’t see him having any problems over them and he is bred for the trip.”

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Caribean Boy (10st 6lb)
“He’s guaranteed a run so that’s all that matters. It was a really good run at Kempton last month and the plan is to go back there in a fortnight’s time. He is in at Ascot on Saturday in the Swinley Chase but I suspect we’ll wait a week. We’re running him again after the weights announcement which is a bonus and he’s always looked like a horse who’d wanted this, so we’re looking forward to going there with him. He will be one of the more likely horses I’ve had for the race for a long time.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Braeside (10st 5lb)
“The intention is to run him if he gets in. He will run in the National Hunt Chase and then go to Aintree. He made a mistake in Thyestes and a bit like Death Duty that just put him out of the race a little bit.”

Ciaran Murphy, trainer of Enjoy D’Allen (10st 5lb)
“His weight is absolutely perfect and exactly what we were hoping for. We have been thrilled with how he has run this season and we’re training him for the Grand National, hence we have given him a light campaign. The plan is now to go straight to Aintree and we are really excited to be going. He’s a grand jumper and loves the hustle and bustle of a big field so the Grand National should be perfect for him.”

Mick Meagher, racing manager for the late Trevor Hemmings, owner of Cloth Cap (10st 4lb)
“We’re probably where we should be really. We won the Ladbrokes Trophy [in 2020] off a mark of 136, so we’ve got the 11lb for winning that race by 10 lengths. In theory you’d have to be happy because if he came back to that kind of form, he’d have to have a great chance. Ground is important with him – he doesn’t want soft ground. We’ll likely head to Kelso again before the National or perhaps to Doncaster, wherever the ground is most suitable.”

Willie Mullins, trainer of Class Conti (10st 4lb)
“Class Conti appears to have a nice racing weight and he should get in from number 47 on the list. I was happy with his last run at Gowran. He’s coming along nicely and will have a nice light weight. Everything was positive about his run in the race last year so we said we would come back here again.”

Kim Bailey, trainer of El Presente (10st 4lb)
“We talked about the Grand National last season so it has been in the pipeline for 18 months. He has always been a good jumper. He is a happier horse going right-handed but we are running him in three weeks’ time to see how he handles Doncaster. We’ve not run him on purpose to make sure he didn’t come down the weights and miss out on getting in, hence why he hasn’t run since the Badger Beer.”

Willie Mullins, trainer of Agusta Gold (10st 3lb)
“She has got a very light weight should she get in the race.She hasn’t hit form at all this season which is disappointing. We purchased her as a Grand National horse and I’m hoping she will turn into that. She will probably have another run before Aintree and we will see what happens.”

Cloudy Glen: Ladbrokes Trophy winner could be an interesting runnerCredit: Edward Whitaker

Mick Meagher, racing manager for the late Trevor Hemmings, owner of Cloudy Glen (10st 3lb)
“He’s 6lb higher than when he won the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, so we can’t complain, though he needs to come back into form a bit as his runs since have been a bit disappointing. He’s a good jumper and he won’t back off those fences, that’s for sure. He’ll likely run in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival.”

Charlie Longsdon, trainer of Snow Leopardess (10st 3lb)
“We’ve got to keep our fingers crossed but it’s all very exciting. Running off 10st 3lb would be some weight but it won’t be that unfortunately. She will still be under 11st though so it will still be a nice light weight. Her story with her being a mum is the sort of story I can see people really latching on to over the next couple months. She probably had a harder race than we wanted to at Exeter at the weekend but the conditions made that happen. We can sit back now though and prepare her for the Grand National.”

Mick Meagher, racing manager for the late Trevor Hemmings, owner of Deise Aba (10st 2lb)
“You’d think he’d get in and he’ll go straight to Aintree. He’s one of those horses that’s got loads of ability but doesn’t always show it. He’s more consistent this year and the Welsh National was probably too heavy for him. He might just take to the place and if he does he’ll run a big race.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Milan Native (10st 2lb)
“Nothing happened for him in the race last year but we’ve not had the cleanest run with him. We are touch and go whether we get in there or not.”

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Poker Party (10st 2lb)
“He seems to be coming back to form after being out for a long time through injury. He’s in good form now and hopefully he’ll sneak in there. If he does he’ll have a nice racing weight.”

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Death Duty (10st 1lb)
“He could get in off number 65 on the list and if he does he would have a nice mark. The way he won on Sunday he could be a real Grand National horse.”

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Plan Of Attack (9st 9lb)
“He’s unlikely to get in and the main aim for him is the cross-country chase – he really enjoys those fences.”

Randox Grand National (April 9)

William Hill: 16 Any Second Now, Galvin, Snow Leopardess, 20 Run Wild Fred, Secret Reprieve, Longhouse Poet, Conflated, 25 Farclas, Minella Times, Escaria Ten, Mount Ida, Phoenix Way, Fiddlerontheroof, Franco De Port, Chantry House, 33 bar including Tiger Roll

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