Sir Alex Ferguson has always shown a loyalty to his players as manager of Manchester United, and it seems that he operates with the same set of rules as a racehorse owner. Ferguson owns a share in the Cheltenham Gold Cup fourth What A Friend, and with the horse having run a blinder at Cheltenham, his connections have now opted to take their chance in the Grand National 2011.
The surprising factor is though that Daryl Jacob, the jockey who took the ride in the Gold Cup, will keep the ride instead of being replaced by Ruby Walsh.
Walsh is the stable jockey of What A Friend's trainer Paul Nicholls, and the brilliant Irishman normally gets first call on all the runners trained at Ditcheat and those looking for Grand National tips may have been a little surprised by the move.
The loyalty shown to Jacob will not lessen the gelding's chances by much if at all though, he is a very talented jockey in his own right and got his name on the scoresheet at the Cheltenham Festival when he rode Zarkandar to victory in the Triumph Hurdle. What A Friend is a talented horse, but he is also very quirky and it was interesting to note that Jacob got a lovely tune out of the eight-year-old at Cheltenham with that in mind it is hardly surprising that the choice has been made to go with the same again.
The unique demands of the Grand National look as though they could be ideal for a quirky campaigner like What A Friend, and if he gets into a nice jumping rhythm early on in the race his class should ensure that he is there to fight out the finish. He will certainly gain a place on the shortlist of many respected judges.
With Daryl Jacob riding What A Friend, it would tend to suggest that Ruby Walsh will be riding for his Irish boss Willie Mullins at Liverpool and at this stage with The Midnight Club looking his most likely mount.
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