Can Phil Kirby make it three wins in four North Yorkshire Grand Nationals with last year's hero Bushypark?

Phil Kirby and Sue Smith have won six of the last seven runnings between them and, with Smith saddling no runners, punters will look to Kirby, who has landed two of the last three.

Little Bruce was successful for his stable in 2020 and last season it was Bushypark, who is back to defend his crown at the age of ten, running off a mark 5lb higher than 12 months ago.

Bushypark races off 124, but did win a novice handicap chase at Kelso in 2021 from a BHA rating of 132 and is evidently still on a fair mark if he can recapture his best form. There was a sign that it was possible when he returned to winning ways at Haydock last time.

That was his third run this season, all over hurdles, and Bushypark took advantage of a mark 5lb lower than for his last hurdles win over the same course and distance where that was achieved. He is back to the course and distance of his last chase win aiming to repeat the feat.

It won’t be an easy task under 12 stone against this field, though, and all bar one of the nine winners in the last decade were single figures in age. Five eight-year-olds were successful and two nine-year-olds, so Shadows In The Sky (eight) and No Cruise Yet (nine) fit the bill.

No Cruise Yet is a bona-fide stayer who has form over further than three and a half miles, whereas Shadows In The Sky has yet to be tried beyond three miles over fences. However, he stayed on well when third at Musselburgh last time and shapes as if he should see out this trip.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

 Ground latest

The going is soft with the chance of a few showers overnight . Thursday is looking dry but overcast.

What they say

Tjade Collier, trainer of Ladronne
This has been our plan all season and we are hopeful he will get the trip. We plan to give him a patient ride and hopefully he should finish off well. He’s a consistent sort who should handle the ground.

William Easterby, rider of Court At Slip
He’s a lovely horse who I’m lucky to ride a lot and he was a good winner at Newcastle last time. He ran well over three miles and three furlongs at Sedgefield last year, so we're hopeful he’ll get this trip and, if he does, he should go close.

Nicky Richards, trainer of Glittering Love
He likes this sort of trip but he possibly prefers going around Hexham or Carlisle or somewhere rather than Catterick, but he won’t be stopping at the finish, that’s for sure. He’s like a lot in the line-up, it depends which of these old boys turns up on the day.

Jonjo O’Neill, trainer of Track And Trace
He’s been running consistently well and we're stepping him up in trip, which he shapes as if he will get. He has a solid each-way chance.

Gillian Boanas, trainer of Crixus’s Escape
He was back on song when winning at the track last time when we rode him cold. As he’s up in trip, we may well do the same again. When he tackled three mile three at Sedgefield before that we made too much use of him.

Chris Grant, trainer of Shadows In The Sky
We’re on a bit of a fact-finding mission as he’s never gone this far, but he was staying on well last time at Musselburgh, so we’re giving it a go. He has no weight, so hopefully he can give a good account.
Reporting by David Milnes

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