Initial entries for the Goffs UK Aintree Sale at the Grand National Festival on Thursday 6 April are now online and feature Just A Par who carries an entry for the £1,000,000 Randox Health Grand National.
Trained by Paul Nicholls, JUST A PAR is a proven stayer having won the Gr.3 Bet 365 Gold Cup Chase (3m4f) at Sandown in 2015 and then finished second, beaten a short head, in the same race last year. The lightly raced gelding has an official Chase rating of 150 and won his most recent Chase start at Newbury earlier this month. Nicholls commented that Just a Par “will go to the Aintree Sale and then run in the Grand National, followed by the Bet 365 Gold Cup at Sandown. He goes on any ground, but prefers it good and Sandown in the spring suits him. If he ran like he did there he´d have every chance in the National.”
Heading the initial Irish Point-to-Point entries is the Mick Goff trained FULLASTHESEA (pictured), a 4YO son of recent Coolmore recruit Champs Elysees and was the 20-length winner of his debut Maiden at Maralin on 18 March. His win earned him a P2P.ie rating of 93+ with P2P.ie reporting that this imposing gelding 'looks a classy type & can go onto better things’.
Goff’s Wexford yard will also travel to Aintree with the very athletic DALY TIGER who shares his sire Tiger Groom with the classy Ar Mad. The 4YO made his debut at Horse And Jockey on 12 March and was closing all the time on the eventual winner leading down to the last fence where, having jumped the fence well, stumbled on landing and fell. The video replay is a must watch for a horse described by Goff as "very smart and a cracking model".
Other Point-to-Point winners include:
- Wilson Dennison’s 4YO TEMPLEPARK who was the eight-length winner of a Maiden Point-to-Point at Kirkistown on 11 March under Derek O’Connor. VIDEO ONLINE
- Colin Motherway’s 5YO, the very well-bred JOHNNY OCEAN who won his debut Point-to-Point by eight-lengths at Ballyragget on 19 March. He comes from the immediate family of Indian Scout, Monksland & Black Hercules. VIDEO ONLINE
- Tom Keating’s 5YO DE RASHER COUNTER, a son of Yeats who having won a Point-to-Point at Borris on 26 February, followed up with a debut victory under rules in a competitive Bumper at Clonmel on 21 March. VIDEO ONLINE
- Mark Johnston’s 4YO GOLDEN JEFFREY who won his Maiden Bumper by eight-lengths at Ayr on 27 February. He will be sold with an entry in the Gr.2 Champion Bumper on the Friday of the Aintree Festival.
Further entries will be added to the Goffs UK website leading up to the sale which aims to offer a select group of proven young horses with potential to race at the highest level. The sale will be held in the winner’s enclosure after the last race on the opening day of the Randox Health Grand National Festival (6 April).
If you wish to enter your horse for this sale, please contact the Goffs UK team on +44 (0)1450 372222 or email [email protected].
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