This year’s Grand National-winning trainer, Dr Richard Newland, has defended the performance of Pineau De Re at Cheltenham last month after his Aintree hero finished tailed off under a quiet ride and the stewards called him and the jockey Daryl Jacob in to explain the horse’s running and riding.
“[Pineau De Re] got very tired and I was very glad Daryl did not knock him about. We try to win every race we can. I was a bit surprised to be called before the stewards. They were doing their job and it was certainly not a question of the horse not trying. We were trying,” said Newland during a press stable visit to his yard on Tuesday.
“He had 11st 12lb in very testing ground and in hindsight the run probably came a couple of weeks too soon. Hopefully he will put up a better show next time,” added Newland, whose comments as well as those of Jacob were noted by the Cheltenham stewards, who took no further action.
The rider said his instructions were to drop his mount in, get him settled and try to creep into the race. He added that the gelding ran keenly for the first circuit and got very tired under his big weight. The trainer confirmed the instructions and added that Pineau De Re is always ridden from behind because he is very keen.
His next outing will be at Carlisle on 14 December when Pineau De Re will compete in the Pertemps Qualifier race at the track he was second in last season.
Newland revealed that he plans to campaign his charge solely over hurdles in the run-up to the 2015 National with the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham Festival in March set to be the horse’s Aintree-prep run again. “I hope we can win a little hurdle race with him before going back to Aintree. We hope to have two Grand National runners next year with Royale Knight, who is having a bit of a break now as he is better fresh,” said Newland.
A few eyebrows were raised when Leighton Aspell, who rode Pineau De Re to victory in April, was rejected in favour of Jacob for the horse’s comeback run and Newland is keeping his options open.
“We have no idea who will be riding him in the 2015 Grand National. Leighton came in as a spare last year and did a fantastic job. We are a small yard and the top jockeys tend to have a lot of strong allegiances. I don’t know if Leighton will be available but we will definitely consider him. Let’s get nearer the time and see who is available.
“We have links with lots of jockeys but no No1. Daryl is riding a lot for Colin Tizzard at the moment. It is out of my hands to a certain extent. I am trying not to worry too much about it as there are lots of jockeys who have ridden for us who would be ideal on the horse. He is not a difficult ride.”
Lord Windermere, the shock winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, returns to the track in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown on Sunday and is available at 10-1 with Paddy Power. The eight-year-old was among nine horses who stood their ground at the confirmation stage on Tuesday and, while the trip might be on the short side, his trainer, Jim Culloty, is hoping for a good show.
“The horse is fit and well,” he said, “and, though two and a half miles is a slightly inadequate trip, we are hoping for a good run to kick off his campaign this season.”
