grand national 2012 /

Follow The Plan Springs Bowl Surprise
12/04/12

1 Follow The Plan 50/1
2 Burton Port 4/1
3 Hunt Ball 6/1
11 ran Distances: 3l, nk, nse
TIME 6m 26.60s (slow by 19.60s)

As a 50/1 shot, Follow The Plan surprised most racegoers when he went two better than his third place in last year’s Betfred Bowl. But his trainer Oliver McKiernan had been hopeful of another good run, at least, in today’s Grade One contest. “The way he’d been working at home there was no reason to believe he’d not have a bit of a shout.

Follow The Plan
Caroline Norris

“The drying ground helped him a lot, for he’s not a horse to run well on soft ground. And the way the race panned out helped too, they went a good pace and he was able always to have something to aim at.”

Follow The Plan was the first winner in Britain for McKiernan, who has a small string of a dozen, including point-to-pointers, at Rathcoole, Co Dublin. The trainer also has a building business, but said ruefully “You wouldn’t want to be relying on building in Ireland at the moment!”

The Betfred Bowl was Follow The Plan’s third Grade One victory, after a novice contest at Leopardstown four years ago and last year’s Guinness Gold Cup at the Punchestown Festival, which will be his next target. “It’s a local meeting,” said McKiernan, “so I guess we’ll go there and we are based not far from the course.”

Follow The Plan was ridden by Tom Doyle. “I was in front maybe sooner than I wanted,” he said, “but he was travelling so well I thought I’d better let him drive on. He was a bit sticky at the first but after that, no problems, and I could hardly believe how easy he was finding it. But we know that the sun on his back and better ground suits him.”

Follow The Plan was the first horse to arrive at Aintree this year.

BURTON PORT FOLLOWS PLAN HOME

Burton Port
racing-images.co.uk

Trainer Nicky Henderson said: “Burton Port has had a great year but it’s just a shame he hasn’t won a race. He was second to Long Run, fourth in the Pulteney Land Investments Novices’ Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, made the progression to Grade One company today.

Hunt Ball
Racehorse Photos

Jockey Nick Scholfield said: “I can’t wait until next season - Cheltenham would suit him even better because he’s so well balanced, while trainer Keiran Burke said: “That was brilliant and I can’t complain. He was spot on for today, but he’s still a young horse and will improve again.

“He’ll have a summer out at grass and he’s still only seven - I’m sure he’ll be a better horse next season. We’ll set out a plan for next season but the dream is still alive.

“He’s had a lot of races, but they were easy at the start of the season. We had to come for this today and have not lost anything in defeat. He got the trip no problem.

“He jumped better today than at Cheltenham where the ground was perhaps a little bit dead - the ground’s definitely a key to him because he was beaten on soft at Plumpton earlier this season when I should never have run him.

“I trained ten horses at the start of this season and I’ve still got ten, so I’m looking for some more orders.”

Owner Anthony Knott said: “I’ve no excuses he was just beaten on the day. It was a Grade One race today and he’s done us proud - I thought he was going to do it at one point, but he’ll be back as a stronger horse.”