Grand National Runners 2010: Rambling Minster
Given the number of Grand National tips for Rambling Minster on this site last year I think it’s only right that we start up a page for him for Grand National 2010 even if his participation is in some doubt.
Keith Reveley’s eleven year old won twice in 08/09, including the prestigious Blue Square Gold Cup and it was this race that catapulted him towards the head of the market for the 2009 Grand National.
He looked to be the form horse of the race, with proven stamina and form on a variety of grounds – everything looked set for a very big run. Sadly, this was not to be and a combination of some mistakes and being hampered ended with him being pulled up at the eighteenth fence.
He returned to his yard with a few cuts and bruises but his trainer did not seem to be offering these as excuses and he is quoted on the Racing Post website as that he is “not sure about the National” for this horse in 2010.
Apparently the horse’s jockey, James Reveley, also made some comments to the BBC that the horse hated the experience – can any of our contributors confirm if they heard or read this?
Rambling Minster’s Grand National Odds are currently 40/1, although only a few high street firms are quoting odds for the horse.
Can you see Rambling Minster running in the Grand National 2010? If not, where would you aim the horse and is he still well enough handicapped to win another big race?
This post has 4 comments
#1
September 25th, 2009 11:40
I backed Rambo at virtually every price from 40s down this year. Sometimes horses fall in the National, that happens, but to see a horse that I fancied so strongly run as poorly as that was bitterly disappointing, and I think I speak for the majority of the contributers on these pages as most of us backed him.
Let’s not beat around the bush here, the horse ran a shocker. I agree with James’ assessment in that the horse appeared not to take to it. Whether it was the fences, the preliminaries or the number of horses around him, he didn’t seem to enjoy himself. He looked a bit deliberate and sticky over the fences (though he was so far back you don’t see him often), and when he was hampered before pulling-up he was going nowhere very quickly.
I won’t be rushing out to back him for 2010. The horse will be 12 next year and if he didn’t enjoy the Aintree experience this time it’s unlikely that he will do next time. He’s won over 3m4f on heavy ground and over 4m on soft so the Welsh National might be a better race for him.
#2
September 25th, 2009 12:18
I would say the handicapper will have clobbered him sufficiently to stop him being competitive for a few races. I think I am correct in thinking he was ‘well in’ when running in the national as he won a race after the weights were announced, he is likely to find his ‘proper’ mark difficult to win from. A bigger concern may be the effect the national experience had on him, looked to hate every aspect of Aintree and at a rising 11 years of age may just have lost enthusiasm after his experience over the gruelling fences.
#3
September 25th, 2009 13:53
I backed Rambo to win some decent money last year (singles, doubles and trebles) and don’t regret it
But I have learned a lesson to be very careful about backing 11 or 12 year olds
The ones from this age group to have won the race since 1990 all were thought good enough to compete in a Hennessy or Gold Cup – or in the case of Amberleigh House a course specialist with a Grade 2 win under his belt previously placed in the National
Unfortunately Rambo wasn’t in this class at all and didn’t have strong course experience in his favour either
#4
September 27th, 2009 10:11
Pablo,
I don’t think class was really an issue. Let’s not forget that the Haydock race he won is a decent Class 1 and he beat some useful horses last season – Mon Mome was behind him that day and he finished in front of Character Building twice.
It’s possible that the Haydock race took more out of him than we thought – he is 11 so maybe his powers of recovery are slower than the 8 or 9yos. But to me it looked like he just didn’t enjoy himself, and that does happen in the National. That wasn’t his true running.
It will be interesting to see what they do with him this season. Understandably the Reveleys don’t seem very enthusiastic about a repeat trip to Aintree and he will be 12 next year so time isn’t on his side. As I said further up, he has loads of stamina and copes with very testing ground so the Welsh National would be an obvious target.
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