Trainer Oliver Greenall is hoping for a 'very special' victory with Gesskille in Saturday's Boylesports Becher Handicap Chase at Aintree Racecourse.
Greenall trains jointly with Josh Guerriero at their Stockton Hall Farm base in Malpas, Cheshire, and has long had close links with Aintree, going back to when his father Lord Daresbury was chairmain of the famous Liverpool racecourse from 1989 to 2004. And he came very close to landing a 'home victory' with Gesskille, who was only just beaten by a nose by Al Dancer at the start of this month in the Boylesports Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing Grand Sefton Chase, the other autumn contest run the over the famous Randox Grand National obstacles.
That race was over 2m4f and Greenall's six-year-old is a best priced 5-1 market leader with William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral as he steps up trip to the near 3m2f this weekend.
Gesskille and Ashtown Lad head betting for Becher Chase as 25 entries remain
Gesskille would be the first six-year-old to ever win the prestigious handicap but Greenall is just looking forward to returning to Aintree with a real chance of victory. He said: “Although I now live an hour away from the course, growing up Aintree was my local track so it has always been a special racecourse to me.
“My dad Peter was chairman there for 25 years so we used to live around 15 to 20 minutes away. I went there almost every meeting and I still know a lot of people in the area that we used to live in, so it would be very special if we could win one over the Grand National fences.
“It is also mine and Josh’s first season on the licence together so it would be nice to a get a big race like the Becher on the board this early on.
“The statistics are against him as six-year-olds have a pretty poor record in this race but he is a French horse so started training much earlier and has been racing longer than others his age.”
Gesskille won a Listed contest in Auteuil in June on the second of two trips to France, before he returned to action with that fine effort on his first crack at the Grand National fences at the start of this month. He won a hunters chase over three miles at Ludlow last season, but it will be his first try at this longer trip, But Greenall remains confident he will stay, while softer conditions should also be in his favour. He said: “He seemed to take to the fences well in the Grand Sefton and Henry Brooke gave him a lovely ride. His saddle slipped at the Canal Turn and he couldn’t quite ride him as effectively as he wanted to but he still ran well and I was delighted.
“As he run in cross country races in France, I was fairly confident he would take to the fences though you are never quite sure.
“He has won over three miles before but he has never run over this sort of trip in the past so it is a bit of an unknown if he will get it, but he seems to relax in his races so I’m pretty confident he will get it.
“Henry felt he was in top gear in the Sefton, which was over two miles five, and he felt that the longer distance would help bring a little bit more improvement while the softer ground should suit.”
Whatever happens this weekend, Greenall believes Gesskille could develop into a real Grand National contender in future. He added: “He could possibly be a Grand National horse in the future but he does need to keep improving.
“When he first came over he lost his way a bit having been a good horse and he was really hard to gauge at home. When we went to Ludlow last season we were not sure what we had as he is quite a quiet horse at home.
“He is an absolute gent though and straightforward to deal with and he took two trips to France in the spring all in his stride which bodes well for the future.
“We are just taking each race as it comes, starting with the Becher, but the Grand National could be a possibility in the future.”
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Saturday's card also features the Grade Two Boylesports Many Clouds Chase, won last year by Proktektorat – who recently landed victory at the top level in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park.
This year's 3m1f contest, run over the Mildmay course, has attracted 10 entries headed by Grade One winner Ahoy Senor, while last season's Grand National winner Noble Yeats could return to Aintree in the same contest.
The seven-race card on Boylesports Becher Chase day sees the action start at Aintree at 11.50am with the opening contest, the Boylesports Best Odds Guaranteed Novices Hurdle. The finale, the Boylesports Extra Places Daily Handicap Hurdle, is due off at 3.15pm. Gates open at 10.15am and tickets are priced from £25 for adults, if booked in advance. For more information and to buy tickets go online at https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/aintree/events-tickets/becher-chase/
Entries for the Boylesports Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing Becher Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) 3m1f188y at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday, December 3 (2.05pm)
(Horse name, age, weight, owner, trainer)
1 Caribean Boy (FR) 8-12-00 Mr Simon Munir & Mr Isaac Souede Nicky Henderson
2 De Rasher Counter 10-11-13 Makin' Bacon Partnership Emma Lavelle
3 Francky du Berlais (FR) 9-11-13 Mr Roddy Owen Peter Bowen
4 Snow Leopardess 10-11-12 Andrew Fox-Pitt Charlie Longsdon
5 Hill Sixteen 9-11-11 J Fyffe & S Townshend Sandy Thomson
6 Fortescue 8-11-11 Mrs L Nixon Henry Daly
7 Top Ville Ben (IRE) 10-11-10 Harbour Rose Partnership Philip Kirby
8 Recite A Prayer (IRE) 7-11-10 The Turner Family WP Mullins Ireland
9 The Jam Man (IRE) 9-11-10 Ronan MP McNally Ronan MP McNally Northern Ireland
10 Fantastikas (FR) 7-11-06 Imperial Racing Partnership 2016 Nigel Twiston-Davies
11 Cloth Cap (IRE) 10-11-06 Exors of the late Mr Trevor Hemmings Jonjo O'Neill
12 Dr Kananga 8-11-06 Tootell, Tomkies & Tory Ben Clarke
13 Ashtown Lad (IRE) 8-11-04 Darren & Annaley Yates Dan Skelton
14 The Wolf (FR) 8-11-04 McNeill Family & Stone Family Olly Murphy
15 Gesskille (FR) 6-11-03 The Nevers Racing Partnership I Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero
16 Rapid Flight 6-11-03 Mr D Mills James Moffatt
17 Fagan 12-11-03 Stowe 100 Club Alex Hales
18 Captain Kangaroo (IRE) 7-11-01 Kanga Racing & Brett Graham Syndicate WP Mullins Ireland
19 Enqarde (FR) 8-11-00 Off The Clock Partners & Dr RDP Newland Dr Richard Newland
20 Domaine de L'Isle (FR) 9-10-12 Mr L M Power and Mr Ian Hutchins Sean Curran
21 Five Star Getaway (IRE) 8-10-12 Carl Hinchy and Mark Scott Christian Williams
22 Now Where Or When (IRE) 7-10-10 Mrs Margaret McCrudden SRB Crawford Northern Ireland
23 Percussion 7-10-10 Mr ER Hanbury L J Morgan
24 Didero Vallis (FR) 9-10-07 Normans, Ramsay, Tufnell & Bishop Venetia Williams
25 Minella Bobo (IRE) 9-10-00 Moran, Outhart, McDermott, Hyde & Hill Rebecca Curtis
25 entries (Four Irish-trained)
Boylesports Best Odds Guaranteed On Racing Becher Handicap Chase, Boylesports bet: 4-1 Gesskille; 9-2 Ashtown Lad; 7-1 Captain Kangaroo; 10-1 Hill Sixteen, Snow Leopardess; 12-1 Five Star Getaway, The Wolf; 14-1 Dr Kananga, Recite A Prayer; 16-1 Enqarde, Fortescue; 20-1 Cloth Cap, Fantastikas; 22-1 Caribean Boy, Percussion; 25-1 Didero Vallis, Francky du Berlais, Now Where Or When, Rapid Flight, De Rasher Counter; 28-1 Top Ville Ben; 33-1 The Jam Man, Minella Bobo; 40-1 Domaine de L'Isle, Fagan.
