CRAYFORD hosts its second Ladbrokes Grand National on Saturday as part of a gala card featuring three finals – with the local handlers well-represented in the £10,000 jumpers’ Classic.

After last week’s heats of the event, reduced to a two-round competition over 540m, Julie Luckhurst (Velvet Berlin, Mad About Snowy) and Ricky Holloway (Coppice Fox, Feora Noel) have two finalists apiece with Jim Reynolds (Ritzy Flyer) and Tom Levers (Chippy Brady) completing the field.

For the record, the heats were won by Ricky Holloway’s Coppice Fox (pictured) in 35.05sec (+20) and the Tom Levers-trained Chippy Brady, who stopped the clock in 35.14sec (normal), in what were two eventful contests.

Looking ahead to Saturday, Crayford racing manager Danny Rayment is proud the track is hosting the Grand National again but feels the famous race, first run at White City in 1927, could be on the move again in 2024 – with Hove, the new home of the Coral Springbok for novice hurdlers, set to take the longstanding competition.

However, Crayford remains committed to hurdling, as Rayment explains. “It’s an important code of racing and one which we support wholeheartedly. It’s why we took on the Grand National in the first place, although are delighted our sister track Hove has begun to stage hurdles racing again with the recent Coral Springbok.

“We had a 380m Grand National in 2022 and have a 540m event this year – and have helped ensure one of the longest running events in the sport had a home for the last two years. We still have the Ladbrokes Champion Hurdle and the Chief Ramsbottom here, so I can assure everyone the hurdles are very much staying here at Crayford!

“But Saturday is not just about the Grand National. We have the finals of the Ladbrokes Guys & Dolls (380m) and the Ladbrokes.com Summer Cup (540m) – respectively Category Category Two and Category Three competitions, plus we have a £1,000 one-off marathon after our planned dual distance event failed to fill.”

Returning to the Ladbrokes Grand National, victory for either of Ricky Holloway’s two runners would see him establish a new record as the winningmost trainer in the event.

Holloway currently stands on four wins as a trainer alongside Seamus Cahill and Colin West, but success for either Coppice Fox or Feora Noel would land Holloway a fifth win in the event as a trainer after Mo’s Bullet (2015), Razldazl Raidio (2017), Roxholme Biscuit (2020) and Meenagh Maverick (2021), and sixth as a owner after Jos Cigar (2007).

Trap draws for Saturday’s Ladbrokes-backed finals: https://assets.cj1.in/imminent-otter/production/assets/results/Crayford/form-guides/Crayford-Saturday-Morning-26th-August-2023-Open-Finals-Form.pdf