Shark Hanlon planning Hewick attack and American Grand National is set to be the first stop on the world tour

Watch out, America! A Shark is coming back across the Atlantic as Hewick is being lined up for another crack at the American Grand National at Far Hills in October, first stop on a world tour which could see the popular chaser take in the King George, the Stayers' Hurdle and the Grand National.

Shark Hanlon is mapping out an audacious campaign for his stable star and the first destination on the tour is definitely decided. 

Hewick won the American Grand National in 2022 by almost a dozen lengths, earning connections £111,111, and he will be back to try to regain that crown in October.

Hanlon said: "Hewick is on his holidays in TJ McDonald's [owner] in Naas, but he'll be back with us in about a month's time and we'll start getting him ready for America. He's not a big, gross horse, so he doesn't actually need a lot of work to get fit. 

"We had an unbelievable time out in Far Hills two years ago and we're coming back. It's worth an awful lot of money and he's a very classy horse for a race like that. He should take a bit of whacking in it."

Hewick was last seen in the French Champion Hurdle, where he beat everything bar local hope Losange Bleu. That was the latest in a long line of cracking efforts from the nine-year-old, who won the King George at Kempton last season. 

Shark Hanlon takes Hewick into the pub after his 2022 American Grand National win

"People are only realising how good he is now," Hanlon said. "He's a proper Grade 1 horse and so consistent, he never lets us down. Every single day he goes to the races he runs well. He ran some race in the Punchestown Gold Cup as well. 

"He's just been so unlucky that he hasn't been able to get some good ground. If we got proper good ground some day I'd love a crack at Galopin Des Champs in a Gold Cup. But, the Stayers' Hurdle is definitely an option for him on softer ground. He'll be hard to beat in that."

Hewick was supposed to carry top weight in this year's Grand National but the ground scuppered plans and he ran in the Liverpool Hurdle instead. 

Hanlon said: "I'd love to have one go at the Grand National on a bit of nice ground. Could you imagine him jumping the second-last upsides? He would take some stopping up the run-in if he did that. He's a hell of a horse and the fences aren't what they once were, so I think Aintree would actually suit him."

Hewick will be star attraction at Hanlon's open day on June 15 and the trainer said: "We can't wait. We're putting up a huge day and we'll have a band playing and everything. It will be some craic. Everybody who wants to come is welcome and we'd love to see as many people as possible. If you're doing nothing that Saturday, come over and say hello to us."

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