Minella Trump aiming to enhance McCain family’s National record

The name McCain is synonymous with Aintree success and on the 50th anniversary of Red Rum’s first triumph on Merseyside, Donald McCain will bid for his second Randox Grand National victory with Minella Trump.

Ginger McCain won the world’s most famous steeplechase four times thanks to Red Rum’s hat-trick in the 1970s and Amberleigh House’s win in 2004, while the younger McCain added his name to the Grand National record books when saddling Ballabriggs to strike in 2011.

McCain has been missing from the Grand National start sheet since Across The Bay was pulled up in the race in 2015, but the Bankhouse handler could have found the ideal horse to end his National hiatus in style.

Minella Trump returned from a 10-month absence over hurdles at Bangor recently, but has won eight of his last nine outings over the larger obstacles and will fulfil an ambition of the handler to provide long-standing owner Tim Leslie with a Grand National runner when lining up at Aintree as a 66-1 chance.

McCain said: “He’s in good nick and it was good to get the run into him the other day (at Bangor). It wasn’t ideal to run over timber but there was nowhere else to go unless you want to get involved at Cheltenham.

“I’d sooner he’d have run in a chase, but there wasn’t one so we went over hurdles. He did what we wanted him to do in that he’s had a good blow and he’s come back in good shape. We’re all happy.

“He’d done a lot of racing and won a lot of races, so we just gave him a good break. It’s not been that smooth in that we’d have liked to have got a run in when it was appropriate, but the ground was very heavy and there was nowhere to go, so we’ve had to do things slightly different – but it’s never smooth.

“He’s a great little horse and I don’t know if he’s going under the radar a bit, as he knows how to win. He’s probably not the most impressive when he’s doing it, but that’s probably the reason why he keeps managing to win, because he’s never doing it by too far. We’ve got a good racing weight in a big field handicap, so it’s a positive for sure.

“He’s beaten some smart horses, including the Grand National favourite Corach Rambler. He’s had a much smoother journey to Aintree and that sort of stuff and looks a thorough stayer and so on, but Minella Trump is in good nick and we’re looking forward to getting him there.”

He continued: “We’re not there yet of course, but it would be very nice to have our first runner for a few years.

“It will be very special to have it for Tim Leslie, too, as it’s been an ambition of his since I started training to have a runner in the race. To get there and have a runner for him would be fantastic as he’s been a wonderful supporter.”

Movema World Dance, The Jockey Club and classical Singer Laura Wright are bringing 20 Community Dancers to the stage in an explosive new performance, “SILK”, on Thursday 13th April, Opening Day of the 2023 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse.

Co-founder of Movema, Pei Yee Tong, said: “The theme of this project is to celebrate determination, agility and power and we’re really looking forward to nurturing the creative voices of all the people involved. Silk is one of the strongest materials in the world, so we are using the strength of this beautiful material to represent the power and resilience of the people of Liverpool.”

The project has welcomed people from all backgrounds and dance abilities to celebrate their similarity and differences through dance. The award-winning dance organisation is used its years of extensive world dance training to bring the culture and history of silk to the Randox Grand National Weights Lunch on Liverpool on February 21st, merging the power of equestrian with the agility and unification of dance in a story of the flowing, history-rich fabric.

Joining Movema at the Randox Grand National Festival will be Laura Wright, the well-established opera singer who has a host of impressive credits from being the official anthem singer for the England Rugby Team to performing for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Laura will be composing and performing the music for Silk, with input from Movema and the community dancers involved, making this a true partnership for everyone involved.

Connecting people and communities through dance is at the forefront of Movema’s mission and the centuries-old story of the Silk Route through the world makes this the perfect collaboration of dance, community and history. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first of Red Rum’s record three Grand National wins. For Movema, this as an opportunity to exhibit the beauty behind the iconic racing silks worn by jockeys for hundreds of years, thanks its new partnership and collaboration with The Jockey Club.

Senior Associate Artist, Sheetal Maru, said; “We’re so excited for this next project at the Randox Grand National Festival.

“Our last Co-creation, ‘Shakti’ was a huge success- we had 30 dancers, some of which had little or even no dance experience, who learned around five different styles of dance in the space of eight rehearsals. Furthermore, they performed at four different events throughout the City of Liverpool, including the prestigious National Diversity Awards. So, I am sure it’s going to be another very rewarding and exciting experience at the Randox Grand National Festival.”

Co-Founder and Executive Director of Movema, Maria Malone, added: “This is a bigger and better co creation than our previous ones and a great chance for community participants to work with internationally renowned artists like Laura Wright. It will be a great opportunity for them to go on their own creative journey.”

Dickon White, Regional Director - North West, The Jockey Club, commented: “Movema’s performance at the Randox Grand National Weights Lunch was very well-received and we look forward to welcoming them to Aintree Racecourse for Opening Day at the Randox Grand National Festival.

“In addition to world-class Jump racing, the Randox Grand National Festival is very much about celebrating the rich history and diversity of the City of Liverpool - something which Movema captures perfectly.”