Katie Walsh eyes Grand National history with well-backed Baie Des Iles

Geoffrey Riddle spoke to Katie Walsh about Baie Des Iles' chance in the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree on Saturday, finishing third aboard Seabass in 2012 and what it means to ride for your husband in the world's biggest race.

Wife and husband team Katie Walsh and Ross O'Sullivan (Racingfotos)

Third in the world’s greatest National Hunt race is not good enough.

So says Katie Walsh, who will take her sixth ride in the Randox Health Grand National on Saturday when she teams up with her husband Ross O’Sullivan and the mare Baie Des Iles.

No female rider has ever won the Aintree spectacular, but Walsh finished on the heels of Neptune Collonges and Sunnyhillboy on her first attempt and for her father, Ted, aboard Seabass in 2012. At the time approaching the third last it appeared for the whole world she was going to be the first, but the National has a habit of snatching away dreams and she has never been so close since.

Plenty of women have tried, going back to when Charlotte Brew acted as the pathfinder in 1977 but with Bryony Frost on Milansbar and Rachel Blackmore, one of only three professional female riders in Ireland, set to guide Alpha Des Obeaux across the 30 fences this could well be the year women finally make the break through with their numerically most powerful challenge.

“If somebody asked me what was my greatest achievement, it would be winning the four miler (on Poker De Sivola) or winning the County Hurdle on Thousand Stars,” Walsh told Racinguk.com.

“Obviously riding Seabass in the National for my father was great, but I didn’t win it. As a competitive person I was third. End of.”

Clearly just riding in the £1million event is no longer good enough for Walsh, who will draw alongside Nina Carberry as the most experienced female jockey in the race on Saturday. And there is a whiff that her competitive nature may well gain satisfaction, despite the obstacles the statistics seem to put in the way. No mare has won the race since Nickel Coin in 1951 and the last mare to place was Dubacilla 13 years ago. The last seven-year-old to win was Bogskar in 1940.

And yet, the money keeps on coming in. On Friday Baie Des Iles was 50-1 in a place, and yet the best you can obtain with a little shopping around is 20-1. She is as short as 14-1, too.

Baie Des Iles is a talented mare. The best thread of form by far is her fifth to subsequent Gold Cup winner Native River receiving 12lbs in the 2016 Welsh National.

Baie Des Iles has been slashed by bookmakers in the last few days (PA)

She showed she had the appetite for these long distance chases when she took the Grand National Trial at Punchestown last year and was third in the same race last month off a 4lb higher mark.

With the front two, Folsom Blue and Isleofhopendreams, finishing respectively fourth and second in last week’s Irish Grand National there appears to be a real momentum to her bid, especialy with the ground riding on the soft side in Merseyside this week.

“I think she has a lovely racing weight and has a lot of experience,” Walsh added.

"Baie Des Iles is really well at home and we are very much looking forward to Saturday.

"She did a nice piece of work towards the end of last week and everything has gone smoothly with her.

"She has plenty of form on heavy ground, but she has a good action and I think better ground wouldn't be too much of an issue either.

"There is so much luck involved in a Grand National. It can depend on where you've been positioned throughout the race or whether you're behind a horse who doesn't jump well. There are a lot of variables involved.

"Every runner has a chance of winning the Grand National - you just do not know what is going to happen.

"We're counting down the days now, but it's going to be a great experience and I'm looking forward to riding in the race again, especially for Ross.”

With the Grand National having such a huge back catalogue of material it comes as no surprise that Walsh is not the first woman to ride for her husband in the great race. In 2005 Carrie Ford caused huge media interest when she finished fifth on Forest Gunner, trained by her then husband Richard, just ten weeks after she had given birth to her daughter, Hannah. Close behind is Tarnya Davis, who rode 100-1 chance Numerate in 1989 and then subsequently married Oliver Sherwood before the two sent out the warrior Many Clouds to victory in 2015.

O’Sullivan grew up on the edge of the Curragh and his parents, Johnny and Anne, met while working for Mick O’Toole. Johnny started off as an apprentice on the Flat, and then turned to National Hunt, while Anne now works for the Irish Equine Centre in Naas. To illustrate exactly how steeped in Irish racing O’Sullivan is, his sister, Robyn, is married to crack amateur Jamie Codd.

O'Sullivan has never had a winner in Britain before, but sent out a precious third victory at Dundalk on Tuesday night and is looking forward to his first foray in the National.

"We're really excited and can't wait," he said.

"She's going Thursday on the afternoon sailing and it's all we're talking about at the minute. Whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, all we're talking about is the mare.

"It's great and very exciting. Whatever happens, happens, once they come home safe and sound.

"She's very well and the rain is a big help. She's in great nick and sure it's in the lap of the gods after that with 40 runners and whatever happens.

"She might get a chance to be handy if there is an ease in the ground, because they might not go as quick. I thought she'd have no chance of being handy if they went helter skelter."

O’Sullivan has all 38 of his boxes filled at his Kill base, although the pair live in Coolcullen, and they share the same gallops with Ted.

Baie Des Iles is one horse of the 38 owned by Zorka Wenthworth, while the other is Call It Magic, who ran so well in seventh in the Irish National. The Wentworths bought Caspar Netscher from Walsh at the breeze-up sales at Newmarket in 2011 and a success would be a real team effort.

“I’m looking forward to it and it makes it extra special to ride in the National for your husband,” Walsh said. “I’ve been very lucky as I’ve also ridden one for my father, too. It’s Ross’s his first runner so there is great excitement.

"Ross has a lot of bits and bobs. Ross trains in Kill on the same land as Dad and we use the same gallops. We have a good chat in the mornings and there has been no fall out yet!”

There is unlikely to be one any time soon if O’Sullivan and Walsh pull off the big one.

Betway - leading female rider in the 2018 Grand National: 11-10 Katie Walsh (Baie Des Iles), 2-1 Bryony Frost (Milansbar) 11-4 Rachael Blackmore (Alpha Des Obeaux).

GRAND NATIONAL-WINNING MARES:

MARES PLACED IN THE GRAND NATIONAL SINCE 1951: