Whole of Dundee will be behind Grand National hope, says owner

Businessman Jimmy Fyffe reckons “the whole of Dundee” will be behind Hill Sixteen, as he bids to bring the Randox Grand National trophy back to the city.

The 54-year-old’s pink and black silks have been a staple on racecourses for the last two decades or so and Fyffe has won plenty of notable races in that time, though having a runner in the Aintree spectacular has eluded him thus far.

However, he will see a dream realised when the Sandy Thomson-trained Hill Sixteen lines up for him and close friend Scott Townshend, who he got to know through owning a string of pubs in the area.

And Fyffe believes that the 10-year-old, who is currently a 66-1 chance with official betting partner William Hill for glory on April 15th, is well worth his place in the 40-strong line-up, especially if the ground turns out to be in his favour.

Fyffe said: “This is my first runner in the Grand National and I’ve always had an ambition of having a runner in the race - it’s been very difficult getting here.

“We’ve had ups and downs with trying to get this horse in the race, so it’s all systems go in two weeks’ time.

“Honestly, the whole of Dundee will be gripped watching this race! I’ve got all the family coming down for three nights for the whole festival and I’m hoping to have seven runners over the three days. One winner would do us!

“Hill Sixteen is going there with a chance. If there’s a touch of ‘soft’ in the going and he’s at his best, he’s got to have a serious chance. We knew he would really need the run on his last start at Kelso. We’d got his wind done and he had another little niggle, but he got a good blow there and it’s all systems go now. He’s bucking and kicking and squealing and hopefully Sandy (Thomson, trainer) gets him spot on.

“He was second in the Becher Chase (over the Grand National fences) a couple of years ago and I thought he ran really well in it again this season (when seventh). The ground probably wasn’t in his favour that day and he was probably too far back, but if you watch the race again he’s the best finisher out of the lot of them. He’s staying on like a train so this extra distance shouldn’t be a problem for him at all.

“When I was a bit younger I used to watch everything on the TV and I just love watching the race. I would record it and watch it again and again, it’s just such a fascinating race to watch and to think I’m actually going to have a runner is very special – and nerve-racking!”

Fyffe has just shy of 30 horses in training currently and six of those are with close friend Scott Townshend. When asked about how their partnership came about, he explained: “I own a lot of pubs in the Dundee area and Scott has got into the pub trade as well.

“He leases a few pubs from me and we just got to know each other over the last six or seven years through that.

“He’s got the same passion for horseracing as I do, so it’s a meeting through business which has led to us becoming really good mates. We’re two landlords taking on the big boys!”

Fyffe almost exclusively sends his horses to the yards of Scottish trainers and he feels that there is plenty of untapped talent north of the border, something shown by the fact that the Scottish-trained Corach Rambler heads the Grand National betting for Lucinda Russell.

He continued: “The good thing now is that we’re starting to get Scottish owners back on the big circuit again. There’s a lot of big owners down south and in Ireland that will spend crazy money on horses, so as Scottish owners we’ve had to try and get back in there again – but there’s definitely a better quality of horse up here now.

“I do like supporting all the Scottish trainers. I’ve got a horse with Laura Morgan and Donald McCain down south and then I’ve got four with John McConnell in Ireland and then the rest are all in Scotland. There’s huge talent up here, but they’ve got to have the ammunition to fire it. There are some quality trainers in Scotland and excellent facilities and I like to try and help them as best as I can.”

Fyffe is also a director at Dundee United, who find themselves in a battle for survival in the Scottish Premiership, and he admitted that his attentions would be split between Aintree and Fir Park on the big day.

He said: “We’re away at Motherwell on Grand National Day, so I will have it live on my phone and I’ll be watching. Hopefully we get a good result before the Grand National and if we win both I think the party would go on for at least a week!

“I don’t even want to think about the prospect of the play-offs. Facing off with Dundee would be one of the worst games I’d have to go to! I’d prefer the two clubs being up in the Premiership as it’s great for the city, so fingers crossed.”

All grandstands (Queen Mother, Princess Royal, Lord Daresbury, Earl of Derby and Earl of Sefton) are now sold out on Randox Grand National Day at Aintree.

An additional 2,500 tickets were made available for the West Tip seats to extend grandstand capacity in 2023. There is still availability in the Embankment, close to the first fence on the Grand National course.

Ticket sales for Opening Day (Thursday 13th April) and Ladies Day (Friday 14th April) have been buoyant and running at the same level as in 2022, with only limited availability remaining in all enclosures.

Dickon White, Regional Director - North West, The Jockey Club, said: “Ticket sales have been strong so far this year and all grandstands have now sold out on Randox Grand National Day. We do still have availability for the Embankment, which offers the opportunity to be right at the heart of the action.

“We have limited availability across all enclosures on Opening Day and Ladies Day and I would advise racegoers to book as soon as possible to ensure they get their preferred option.

“Opening Day looks set to be one of the greatest-ever days of Jump racing in Britain and with four Grade One contests plus action over the Grand National fences – it offers a tremendous value day out with prices starting from £32.”

Tickets for all three days of the Randox Grand National Festival are available. Click here for more details.

We have teamed up with Aintree to give away two tickets for Randox Grand National day (Saturday 15th April) plus a 50" television AND a one-year Racing TV subscription. Current Racing TV members are welcome to enter. Click here for more details.!