Junior For Grand National 2012

David Pipe has revealed that his quality dual purpose performer Junior will be given a well earned break for the rest of the summer and autumn before being brought back during the winter term and prepared for the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree next April, writes Elliot Slater.

Junior, winner of last season’s Ascot Stakes at the royal meeting before finishing a fine runner-up to Ghimmaar at Goodwood a few weeks later, went on to complete a unique major festival double when running his rivals ragged in memorable fashion to land the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, slamming his 23 rivals. The useful Faasel got closest to him in being beaten by no less than 24 lengths. Anyone looking for horse racing betting tips would have been impressed.

The eight-year-old was fully expected to give a very good account of himself at Royal Ascot last week when attempting to land back-to-back runnings of the Ascots Stakes, but under top weight he ran a disappointing race, leading from flag-fall but never travelling with his usual fluency, then fading quickly when headed five furlongs from home before eventually trailing in a well beaten ninth of the 19 runners, some 29-lengths behind the winner, Veiled. It was something of a horse betting upset.

Pipe believes the son of Singspiel was almost certainly feeling the effects of some hard races over the previous 12 months and has taken the Ascot run as a message to him to ease off training for a while and give the Middleham Park Racing-owned gelding a proper break.

All roads now lead to Aintree and the Grand National, a race for which Junior missed the cut this year but should gain a place in the starting line-up in 2012. Bookmakers make him a best price 25/1 chance to add the Grand National silverware to his collection.

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