Retired jockey Robbie Power is relishing his new life out of the saddle as he returned to the scene of his greatest triumph at Aintree Racecourse on Thursday.
The 40-year-old, who partnered the Gordon Elliott-trained Silver Birch to glory in the Randox Grand National at Aintree in 2007, announced his retirement from the saddle in April.
Power, son of show-jumper Con Power, also won the Cheltenham Gold Cup (on Sizing John in 2017), the Boylesports Irish Grand National (Our Duke 2017) and the Punchestown Gold Cup (Sizing John 2017) and 31 Grade One victories, including at Aintree’s Grand National Festival in a 20-year career in the saddle.
But due to fitness issues, he stopped riding in April and he is now racing planner at Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Henry De Bromhead’s Knockeen stable is County Waterford. While he was also back at Aintree today as an ambassador for Irish bookmakers Boylesports, who are the new sponsors of the Grand Sefton Chase and Becher Chase – both races run over the famous Grand National fences a week on Saturday and on December 3 respectively.
Mac Tottie heads 47 entries for the Grand Sefton Chase at Aintree
Power is a Liverpool FC supporter and always enjoys his trips to Merseyside for both racing and football.
On being back at Aintree, he said: “It is fantastic (to be at Aintree). Aintree has been so good to me over the years. Obviously 2007 and the Grand National is a day I will never forget. But I have had a lot of success at Aintree and it is fantastic to be back.
“(Winning) The Gold Cup is fantastic but the Grand National is the race that the whole world watches. You are recognised more after winning the Grand National. The Gold Cup in racing is probably the greatest race to win – it is a fantastic race – but the Grand National is the one day that we can broadcast National Hunt racing to the world. The whole world watches the Grand National and it is definitely the most iconic – and most challenging race – in the world.”
Power is keeping busy despite his retirement from riding and is enjoying being able to watch the action, particularly in his role with bookmakers Boylesports.
He said: “I enjoy coming racing now. I will be at Aintree for the Becher meeting. To come and walk around Aintree again it brings back all those memories. But I am keeping interested, keeping an eye on the form. I still love racing. I retired because my body wasn't able for it anymore. But I didn’t lose that will to win and that love of racing. I am going racing a good bit at the moment and I am really enjoying it.”
Power is also relishing his role as race planner for trainer De Bromhead – even cheering on once-rival jockeys on the track. He said: “I am working with Henry now. I am racing planner with him and that gives me that huge interest in racing that I still wanted. So I still have that and trying to win myself and trying to plan races for his horses to win.
“I get a great buzz out of watching one of his horses win. I never thought in my riding days that I would cheering on Rachael Blackmore to win. But I still get a great kick out of watching Henry’s horses win races.”
De Bromhead has had great success at both Aintree and Cheltenham in the past few seasons and Power is hoping to help keep that going as the National Hunt season starts to get going.
He said: “Henry has won everything. Grand National, two Gold Cups, two Champion Hurdles, so why he needed me as his racing planner I’ll never know. I don’t know how I am going to improve on it, but there is a fantastic team down there, fantastic owners, the horses – A Plus Tard, Honeysuckle, Minella Indo, Minella Times to name but a few – he has got a fantastic team of horses. And there are a lot of young horses that haven’t run, they have won point-to-points and we are looking forward to unleashing them this winter. There is a awful lot to look forward to.”
Last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard will have his season geared around trying to land a second victory in the Cheltenham Festival blue riband in March. He makes his seasonal return in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park three weeks on Saturday. And will be looking for a second successive victory in the Grade One feature on Merseyside under Blackmore.
Power added: “He will go the same route as he did last year, starting at Haydock. Honeysuckle will go to the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle in Fairyhouse – the same route she had gone in the last two years. If it is not broke don’t fix it. So hopefully Henry can get three Gold Cups and the mare can get three Champions Hurdles.
“A Plus Tard looks fantastic. They’ve all done well. Honeysuckle worked yesterday and she looks in great shape. Rachael was really happy with her. But Minella Indo and A Plus Tard have summered really well, they have come on. Maybe you could say A Plus Tard is stronger. Physically he looks really, really well.”
Boylesports head of communications – and fellow Liverpool FC fan – Leon Blanche is delighted and privileged for the Irish firm to be sponsoring racing over the famous Aintree fences over the next month.
Blanche said: “It (the Grand National) is the biggest race in the world. Ireland stops for it and I know England stops for it and I think many other countries stop for the Aintree Grand National. It is such an iconic race, my grandmother even has a bet on it and I think that is the only race she ever even asks me who I am going to back.
“There is something unique about it. 40 runners over four miles-plus it is just brilliant to watch. I have been lucky enough to have been here on a number of occasions. The atmosphere and the whole city of Liverpool really appreciates having the Grand National at Liverpool.
“From an Irish company to get involved with this iconic racecourse, we are just privileged to be here. We have sponsored the Irish Grand National, so when this opportunity came about to sponsor two meetings that have the iconic Grand National fences we just jumped at it. It was perfect timing to sponsor the Grand Sefton and the Becher – being the two feature races in November and December respectively. We were just made up and it is a massive landmark for an Irish company to come over to Aintree and have your name associated with two races over those fences. And we are really looking forward to it.”
