Burrough looking to repeat Corbiere triumph
Cotswolds trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies is hoping Beauport can land him a third Randox Grand National – 42 years after the horse’s colours were carried to victory in the Aintree showpiece.
Owner Bryan Burrough celebrated winning the race in 1983 with the Jenny Pitman-trained Corbiere. Now he and wife Philippa Burrough are hoping history can repeat itself as their nine-year-old gelding Beauport attempts to carry 11st 1lb to glory.
Twiston-Davies has another entry in this year’s race – the 150-rated Broadway Boy, who with a weight of 10st 9lb takes the 34th and final berth at this stage.
The Naunton-based handler has had 54 horses run in the National through the years, with two winners in Earth Summit (1998) and Bindaree (2002) since his very first runner in the race, Young Hustler, was brought down at the 11th fence in 1994.
Despite being a two-time winner, Twiston-Davies last saddled a runner in the National in 2022 when Good Boy Bobby was pulled up and has not had a horse finish the race since Blaklion took fourth in 2017.
Upon learning the ratings and weights for his two entries in this year’s Randox Grand National, he said: “Great! That’s wonderful. I think we’ve got two nice weights, so I’m very happy.
“Beauport is very good and he’s running at Haydock Park on Saturday (in the WKD Rendlesham Hurdle), so he seems in really good form.
“He’s very different to Earth Summit and Bindaree but he’s a lovely horse, a good stayer and a great stamp of a horse so we should be good.
“Broadway Boy is in good form and the National is his intended target. He won’t run at Haydock on Saturday, he will run at Cheltenham in the Ultima.
“We’ve been incredibly lucky in the past and a third success would be lovely.”