Mick on Monday: Stable standouts set for showdown in Grand National at Riccarton

Berry The Cash won the Sydenham Hurdle at Riccarton on Saturday. Photo / Race Images

The horse who nearly caused the upset of the jumps racing year won’t be back to try it again in Saturday’s Grand National Hurdle.

Both the Grand National Hurdle and Steeplechase are at Riccarton this Saturday and they are remarkably similar, with two standout performers from two of our most respected jumping stables going head-to-head.

They feature Mark Oulaghan’s winners from Saturday - hurdler Berry The Cash and chaser West Coast - against their almost mirror-image rivals - Nedwin (hurdles) and The Cossack (steeples) - from the all-powerful Paul Nelson and Corrina McDougal barn.

West Coast will be attempting to become the first three-time winner of the Grand National Steeplechase in the modern era when he takes on The Cossack in a clash of two heavyweights.

West Coast indicated he is ready for the threepeat with an easy enough win in the Koral Steeples at Riccarton on Saturday and he is the $1.60 futures favourite ahead of The Cossack at $2.60.

“I think we have the advantage of having raced so well here before,” says Oulaghan of West Coast’s steeples experience at Riccarton.

The Cossack has been to Riccarton and bolted away with the 2021 Grand National Hurdle but hasn’t raced in a steeplechase there.

“While there isn’t much between them I think the 5600m on Saturday will suit us better than The Cossack. We might be stronger and maybe he is a touch faster.”

The Grand National Hurdle looks very similar after Nelson told the Herald yesterday he won’t line up x-factor horse Dictation.

Dictation, having just his third hurdle start, had $1.35 favourite Berry The Cash easily beaten approaching the last fence of the Sydenham Hurdle on Saturday until he landed awkwardly and flung rider Hamish McNeill to the turf.

Berry The Cash finished on strongly to win going away but make no mistake, Dictation was going to beat him and beat him easily in a result that would have stung punters and killed off many multi-bets.

The result is Berry The Cash goes into his Grand National Hurdle defence still on a winning run and Dictation won’t be there to test him on Saturday.

“He is still learning so I will start him in the 0-1 win hurdle instead,” says Nelson of Dictation.

“I am sure we had [Berry The Cash] beaten on Saturday but it is a jumping race and you have to jump them all and our horse didn’t. Well, not well enough.

“We are in no rush to get to the Grand National with him though, not when we have to take on Berry The Cash again and we already have Nedwin in the race.”

Oulaghan was surprised Berry The Cash struggled to stick with Dictation on Saturday and thinks he may have become dour after a busy winter.

“Maybe we have raced some of the speed out of his legs but he was very strong to the line after the last fence,” says Oulaghan.

“But no, we wouldn’t have beaten Dictation but I think the step up to 4200m next week will help our horse the way he is racing.”

Dictation was still in the TAB futures market for the Hurdle at $6 last night but with him not starting the race looks a two-horse battle between Berry The Cash and Nedwin, and Oulaghan says he still favours his defending champ.

“Nedwin had a hard race in the Wellington Hurdle last start so I think we have the horse to beat.”

The Grand National carnival continues with a jumps-less Wednesday meeting on the synthetic track which hosts the first of three $100,000 synthetic track finals to be run this week, the others at Cambridge on Thursday and Awapuni on Friday.