Vics Canvas will attempt to become the oldest Grand National winner since 1853 when he lines up for the famous race in April as a 14-year-old, but he must do so without a prep-run because of a badly timed setback. The Irish raider, a heroic third in last year’s race after all but falling at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit, was supposed to make his reappearance in December but sustained a minor leg injury.
“You’ll see him in the National, but he won’t get a run before then,” revealed Dermot McLoughlin, his County Meath-based trainer, who had planned to race the horse in Britain at the end of last year, either in the Becher Chase or a veterans race at Kelso. “He got a little knock on his joint, there was a little bit of a crack there.
“We only found out about it a week before he was going to run. He seems fine now and he’s back on the go again.”
The career of Vics Canvas has been a slow-burning affair, partly because of the stomach ulcers that plagued him as a youngster. He was already seven by the time he achieved his first success under rules, in McLoughlin’s first season with a licence, and even now has had just 11 races over fences, his sole success coming in the Cork Grand National of 2014.
It was hardly surprising that he was allowed to start at 100-1 at Aintree last spring but he proved those odds to be wildly wrong with a huge effort and was in front halfway up the run-in. McLoughlin was left to wonder what might have been, because the gelding, eventually beaten by 14 lengths, lost at least that much ground with his early stumble on the landing side of Becher’s.
“There’s two things to say about that,” the trainer reflected. “He was very unlucky it happened to him but at the same time he was lucky to keep going and lucky he didn’t get hurt. He was down on his knees.
“He has the heart of a lion, a lot of horses would have packed it in after that. He jumped really well the rest of the way.”
The 42-year-old McLoughlin, who has a full yard of 35 animals at his base near Fairyhouse racecourse, seems to have decided pretty quickly that Vics Canvas should be kept going for another tilt at the National, despite his advancing years. “He still has the same enthusiasm about the game and he’s lightly raced. He’s in good nick and hopefully he stays right until then.”
The betting market is again sceptical about the veteran’s prospects, as odds of 66-1 are available about him for the race on 8 April. No 14-year-old has ever won the National and the only older horse to win it was Peter Simple at the age of 15 in 1853, when the field of 21 runners was half as many as will line up this year. Peter Simple had already won the race as an 11-year-old.
But, as McLoughlin points out, Vics Canvas is already something of a trends-buster. When he ran third last year, he became the first horse as old as 13 to be placed in the Grand National since 1969.
Along with all other Grand National contenders, Vics Canvas will have to be passed fit to take part by British Horseracing Authority vets, who will inspect the runners at Aintree on the morning of the race. Before then, a BHA panel will consider the profiles of all those entered and may challenge the connections of any horses not thought suitable to take part in steeplechasing’s toughest test.
Nico De Boinville is due to make his return to action with a single ride at Catterick on Friday. The 27-year-old jockey broke an arm in a fall at Cheltenham in mid-November but can now hope to be reunited with the exciting Altior in the Game Spirit at Newbury a week on Saturday.
FRIDAY TIPS BY CHRIS COOK
Catterick
1.15 Walsingham Grange 1.45 Sam Spinner 2.15 Caprice D’Anglais 2.45 Cracking Find 3.20 Treaty Girl 3.55 Inchcolm 4.25 Bell Weir (nb)
Kempton
5.45 Welsh Inlet 6.15 Dark Destroyer 6.45 Popsilca 7.15 Born To Finish 7.45 Mister Music 8.15 Black Hole Sun (nap)
Lingfield
2.00 Skidby Mill 2.30 Flowers On Venus 3.00 Earthly 3.35 Mailshot 4.10 Gnaad 4.40 Attain
Chepstow
Abandoned
