Sunday, April 4, 2004

NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE

The trainer, his wife Beryl, son Donald and owner John Halewood, plus of course Amerleigh House, were the centre of attention after success in the £600,000 handicap chase at Aintree yesterday.

McCain said: “Yesterday was just pure satisfaction. You can go into that race thinking that you have a heck of a chance, but the luck you need to win a National is unbelievable.

“He has come good in the last 10 days and went to Liverpool a very, very fit horse. The vet who looked at him after the race couldn't believe how slow his heart rate was.

“Amberleigh House has come out here this morning, with the sun out, watching the youngsters out in the field with his ears cocked, and you would never know he has had a race.

“He was bought to be a Grand National horse and he had jumped all the big fences in Ireland before I got him. In fact, he was just beaten a head by Florida Pearl, although he was getting lumps of weight.

“Liverpool horses are what count. Most of those that finished in the placings on Saturday were Liverpool horses - just look at Monty's Pass, with all of that weight. His form has been poor in Ireland, but he just loves Aintree.”

The 73-year-old trainer has been based at his present yard for 13 years after first making his name with triple Grand National winner Red Rum who was trained on the sands at Southport.

“There is always a story with the Grand National, be it Red Rum or Aldaniti, but that is just Aintree. You get the fairytales there that you don't get at Cheltenham.

“It is the people's race. Everybody loves it and you get all sorts of people watching who don't normally bother with racing, even little grannies who have just the one bet a year.

“I always have a great day going there and I had a really good time on Friday with all the half-naked women who were walking around!

“It is a magical place and not like Cheltenham,, with all of the people in tweed, or Royal Ascot on Ladies' Day, with all of their plums in their mouths.”

Amberleigh House arrived back at the stables on Saturday evening and a party at the local pub soon followed, due in part to the offer of a free bar from the landlady, Sally Chantler.

“I just had a quiet night and went down the local for a few drinks," said McCain. "I had been up since 4.30am so I didn't stay too long and was back home for about 11.30pm.”

The 12-year-old chaser will be back at Aintree next season. “He will have two races - the Becher and the National - and he will run big races in both of them.”

“Donald will take over from me one day, but there is a fad of trainers passing everything over to their sons. I'm not a fan of fads, though, so he'll have to wait a bit longer. All of this is down to him, though, and he is the one who has done all the work.”

AMBERLEIGH HOUSE (IRE) - THE DETAILS
12 br g Buckskin - Chancy Gal (Al Sirat)
12-10-10 Form: 00/3621321314024/2145345B/622F432171/557PB/5216591/36324033-342P51
Owner: Halewood International Ltd Trainer: Ginger McCain
Breeder: Robert McCarthy Jockey: Graham Lee

Amberleigh House
Won in bumpers, over hurdles and fences in Ireland for Michael Hourigan’s stable, including in a Grade 2 race at Thurles and a Grade 3 event at Punchestown before being bought by Ginger McCain for owner John Halewood with the National specifically in mind. But on his first run in the famous chase in 2001 he only got as far as the debacle at the eighth fence. The following season he returned to Aintree for a crack at the Tote Becher Chase in November and on an emotional day put up a superb performance to defeat Smarty and give McCain his first success over the National fences since Red Rum’s historic third victory in 1977. He was then trained for the 2002 Martell Cognac Grand National, but failed to make the cut and had to run in the Martell Cognac Topham Chase instead, finishing ninth. Last season, he was once more trained with Aintree in mind and again showed his liking for the course when second to Ardent Scout in the Tote Becher Chase. He disappointed in last year’s Red Square Vodka Gold Cup, sponsored by his owner’s company, at Haydock on March 1 when only 15th behind Shotgun Willy, but showed a return to form when third at Bangor 28 days later over an inadequate two and a half miles. He then lined up for his second appearance in the Martell Cognac Grand National, losing second place in the last 100 yards to finish third behind Monty’s Pass. This season he was in the first four on his first three starts, with his best effort coming when short-headed at the post to Clan Royal in the Tote Becher Chase at Aintree in November. He was then pulled up before three out in a handicap hurdle at Haydock on Valentine’s Day. Returning to the bigger obstacles, Amberleigh House was soon ridden and never near the leaders when fifth to Grey Abbey in the Grimthorpe Chase over three miles at Doncaster on March 6. He finished very well to win the 2004 Martell Cognac Grand National on April 3 in a thrilling finish to the world’s most famous jump race.

Race Record: Starts: 59; 1st: 9; 2nd: 10; 3rd: 10; Win & Place prize money: £541,661

Halewood International Ltd
Halewood International, based at Huyton in Merseyside, was set up in 1978 by John Halewood and is one of the major UK independent producers and importers of wine, spirits and speciality drinks, employing over 1,000 people. John Halewood, who was valued at £80 million in the 2003 Sunday Times Rich List, was born on the Wirral and has always dreamt of success in the Martell Cognac Grand National. Halewood’s local connection was responsible for him being introduced to Ginger McCain in the Red Rum days when the trainer was based in Southport and he bought his first horse in 1983. Before Amberleigh House, his one previous Grand National runner was the McCain-trained Dudie, who came to grief at the sixth fence in 1986. Halewood’s partner Judy Eaton used to train and ran Harley, who finished 12th in the 1991 National. The pair now have a number of horses in training with Judy’s sister Lisa Williamson, who is based at Saighton, near Chester. Halewood also has horses in training with Eric Wheeler. His company sponsored for the first time last year the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup, a major Grand National Trial, at Haydock Park. Last season Halewood was again represented by Amberleigh House in the Martell Cognac Grand National and his charge did not let him down, finishing 14 lengths third to Monty’s Pass. Halewood recently purchased the Francois Doumen-trained Kelami, who finished fourth in the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase at Cheltenham and is also in the Martell Cognac Grand National. Grand National Record: 1986 Dudie (Fell 6th - owned by John Halewood); 2001 Amberleigh House (Fell 8th); 2003 Amberleigh House (3rd); 2004 AMBERLEIGH HOUSE WINS

Ginger McCain
Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain boasts an outstanding training record in the Martell Cognac Grand National, having lifted the Aintree spectacular on three occasions with Red Rum, the race’s most successful horse. Born September 21, 1930, McCain took out a permit to train in 1952. Combining his love of horses with a career in the motor trade, it wasn’t until 1969 that he decided to take out a full licence. In typically unconventional fashion, McCain started out based at a small stable behind a used-car showroom in Southport. There began the amazing story that would see Red Rum, bred to be a sprinter and once almost crippled by a rare foot disease, transformed with the aid of the healing waters of the Irish Sea into a Grand National legend. McCain also enjoyed considerable success with the talented hurdler Honeygrove Banker in the 1980s and had a welcome return to the winner’s enclosure at Aintree when Amberleigh House triumphed in the 2001 Becher Chase. The same horse produced another marvellous performance in last year’s Martell Cognac Grand National, finishing 14 lengths adrift of Monty’s Pass in third position. Grand National record: Red Rum (WON 1973,1974 and 1977, runner-up 1975 and 1976); 1983 Beacon Time (Fell 19th); 1984 Kumbi (UR 19th); 1985 Kumbi (Fell 5th); 1986 Imperial Black (14th), Dudie (Fell 6th); 1988 Kumbi (Fell 22nd); 1991 Hotplate (PU bef 22nd); 1992 Hotplate (PU bef 2 out); 1996 Sure Metal (17th); 1999 Back Bar (14th), Commercial Artist (PU bef 18th); 2001 Amberleigh House (Fell 8th), Hanakham (Fell 2nd); 2003 Amberleigh House (3rd);2004 AMBERLEIGH HOUSE WINS

Graham Lee
Irishman Graham Lee enjoyed his first Martell Cognac Grand National ride last year, when partnering Amberleigh House into third behind Monty’s Pass. Born on December 12, 1975, and - having ridden in pony races and left school aged 15 - he had his first winner aboard the Dessie McDonogh-trained Blushing Pearl in a handicap hurdle at Navan on November 7, 1992. He had always wanted to be a jockey and had five rides for Noel Meade before joining McDonogh’s County Meath stable and travelled to England in 1993 to join Mary Reveley’s Cleveland stable. He broke a leg in a fall at Sedgefield in February, 1996, and having lost a lot of weight decided to try his luck riding on the Flat. He didn’t enjoy riding on the level, went on a high-protein diet to put weight back on but regrets not sticking to the Flat. He now rides for many of the top northern jumping stables including those of Howard Johnson, Malcolm Jefferson and Ginger McCain. He achieved a personal best of 66 winners last season. He has already comfortably surpassed that figure this season and the jockey has benefitted enormously from owner Graham Wylie’s injection of new bloodstock into Howard Johnson’s Crook-based stable. Among Wylie’s purchases that Lee has partnered to victory are former Flat horses Inglis Drever and Chivalry and he also rode Ballybough Rasher, owned by Comtake-Welding Engineering Specialists, to success in this season’s Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby. Grand National record: 2003 Amberleigh House (3rd);2004 AMBERLEIGH HOUSE WINS

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