Newbury ‘sharpener’ for National hope Kandoo Kid

Kandoo Kid is set to warm up for his Randox Grand National bid with an outing in the BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday.

The nine-year-old has already had a taste of Aintree’s famous fences, having finished third in the Topham Chase last season, and he made a flying start to the new campaign by landing Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup in late November.

Trainer Paul Nicholls decided to wait until after the National weights were revealed before running his charge again and after sidestepping the Ladbrokes Trophy at Kempton last weekend, he is instead set to line up in this Saturday’s £100,000 feature in Berkshire.

Kandoo Kid will take a sizeable drop in distance for a two-and-a-half-mile contest his trainer has won on a record nine occasions, but the Ditcheat handler expects the outing to put him spot-on for his planned appearance on Merseyside on April 5.

“I purposely haven’t run him since the Coral Gold Cup because I didn’t want to go up any more in the weights,” he said at a Jockey Club-organised press morning at his yard on Monday.

“He’s entered on Saturday at Newbury over two-and-a-half and I’ll probably let him run now the ground is soft, just as a sharpener. He needs a racecourse gallop before he runs (at Aintree) and he’s just as well going for a £100,000 race as go for a gallop.

“Saturday will be all about getting a run into him, it’s five weeks then before the big day.”

Kandoo Kid is a 25-1 shot with bet365 to provide Nicholls with a second Grand National triumph following the success of fellow grey Neptune Collonges in 2012.

Also in the mix for the world’s most famous steeplechase is Bravemansgame, who will likely require a new rider should stable jockey Harry Cobden stick with Kandoo Kid.

Nicholls added: “I’ve always thought the National might be a good race for him and he’s dropped to a sensible mark now. He was as high as 172 and he’s now 155.

“We’re going to keep him nice and fresh and he’s an interesting horse to run in a National.

“I think the owner is quite keen for James Reveley to ride him if he was free, I think that’s been mentioned, but that’s not set in stone. A lot can happen between now and then.”