Henry Daly went to Doncaster at the weekend with a live John Smith's Grand National contender in the talented Possol and his charge was duly backed down to favouritism for the Grimthorpe Chase. What followed left the Shropshire-based handler perplexed and doubtless wondering whether or not to allow Possol to take his chance at Aintree, writes Elliot Slater.
Last year's Racing Post Chase runner-up had been deliberately campaigned over hurdles this term in order to protect his chasing handicap mark, and the results were tremendously encouraging with Possol scoring impressively at both Doncaster and Ascot. Having been allotted a good racing weight of 11st 3lbs for the Aintree marathon, Daly then switched Possol back to the larger obstacles in the Grimthorpe Chase and must have fully expected the seven-year-old to continue where he had left off last year, where he concluded his season winning the Kilmany Cup at Perth.
From the outset however, the horse quoted as low as just 16/1 for the Grand National jumped poorly, blundering at both of the first two fences under regular pilot Richard Johnson, and was a long way behind when Johnson decided to pull his charge up before the 11th fence in the three-mile contest eventually won by Nicky Henderson's rejuvenated Wogan.
Bookmakers reacted swiftly to the below-par effort of the Daly-trained French bred gelding who was taken out of the betting by a number of firms, whilst others pushed him out from 16/1 or 20/1 to a general offer of 33/1, (although some aintree grand national 2010 runners and prices now even offer 40/s).
Judging by this latest effort it must be far less likely now that Possol will take his chance at Aintree with little more than a month before such a stern test of jumping to iron out what appeared considerable problems in the fencing department for Daly's charge.
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