Owner/trainer Robert Waley-Cohen has been tremendously successful over the years in particular with horses he has first acquired and campaigned in France. His talented youngster Roulez Cool has yet to be seen this term but could be the most notable dark horse amongst the whole Aintree Grand National entries, writes Elliot Slater.
Campaigned in his native France as a three and four-year-old, Roulez Cool had his first British outing in a novices' hurdle at Newbury in November 2008 where he ran well for a long way before blundering and unseating his rider at the last. Given a six months break he then returned to action to win a three-mile Bangor handicap chase as he pleased at odds of 33/1, off a mark of 130 with Grand National Betting.
Raised 12lbs for that success, the gelded son of Classic Cliché then stepped up in grade to run an absolute blinder when beaten just half a length by Russian Around in a valuable Uttoxeter handicap chase, with decent sorts Pretty Star, Pablo Du Charmil and Exmoor Ranger all behind him.
Waley-Cohen has had big winners before and has a lively Cheltenham Festival RSA Chase candidate Long Run. Not so long ago he saw his Katarino win the Aintree Foxhunters Chase when ridden by his son Sam, and Waley-Cohen jnr could well be in the saddle should Roulez Cool be given the nod to take his National chance, even though he has yet to set foot on a racecourse this term.
At the unveiling of the Grand National weights it was no surprise to see Roulez Cool being allotted a mark of 11 stones, meaning that BHA handicapper Phil Smith had assessed his Uttoxeter effort as having been a further 6b improvement on his win at Bangor.
At the age of just seven Roulez Cool has all the statistics against him as no horse of that age has won the race since 1940, but the Waley-Cohen's have defied the odds before and at up to 50/1 Roulez Cool could give supporters a very good run for their money.
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