The Robert Walford trained Walk In The Mill has been allocated a weight of 10st 4lb by the handicapper at the Grand National weights reveal lunch on Tuesday afternoon. Walford’s dependable gelding performed best of the British-trained runners last year in the National with a spirited fourth place effort over the distinctive National fences.
The 10-year-old was almost foot-perfect over every obstacle and his previous liking for the national fences were well and truly validated by winning the Randox Health Becher Handicap Chase for the second consecutive year in December – He is some leaper around Aintree.
With a prize fund of £1 million, the Randox Health Grand National is the world’s richest Jump race and takes place for the 173rd time this year at 5.15pm on day three of the Randox Health Grand National Festival. At the time of writing Walk In The Mill is best priced 16/1 in the betting with most firms.
Walford insisted to us;” We are reasonably happy with that weight given, I expected it would be in-and-around that – so there are no complaints from us on that front. He will be given a similar preparation to last term and we are presuming another big run from him is on the cards with a safe passage”.
Walford then added; “He is an old horse and we realize there isn’t much improvement left in him at this stage though he is in great form and we will have in tip-top shape on the day, the softer the ground is the better chances he has of winning the race”.
Robert Walford was another born into horse racing. He hails from Yorkshire with both parents’ former jockeys and trainers – him winning the grand national with this well-known course contender would not be a big revelation with all things considered. Walk In The Mill may well be the dark horse in this year’s National.
