Malcolm Jefferson is hoping According To Pete will be allotted less than 11 stone (70kg) when the weights for the Grand National are announced on Tuesday.
The North Yorkshire trainer is waiting for the handicapper’s assessment of his in-form chaser before aiming the 11-year-old at the Aintree marathon on April 14.
According To Pete has been under consideration for the National thanks to wins in the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby and Haydock’s Peter Marsh Chase this winter.
“According To Pete is in great form at the moment,” Jefferson said.
“We are just waiting to see what weight he receives on Tuesday before committing him, but the Grand National is very high on his agenda because I think that the race will suit him.
“You would be hopeful that he will be allotted less than 11st, but it’s very hard to tell what mark you will get.
“We might give him one more start beforehand in the Premier Chase at Kelso.
“It’s a long time between now and the National, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he went straight to Aintree. It would be nice to give him a pipe-opener beforehand.
“He won his two most recent starts this term but he didn’t really do a lot wrong last season.
“He was only just beaten at Catterick and made a mistake at the last and nearly fell when going down by a head to Skippers Brig in a decent race at Haydock.
“He’s won on all types of ground and he goes on anything and everything. The Peter Marsh Chase was a bit of a slog through heavy ground but he has won on good going as well.
“I would think that the ground will be on softer side of good this year for the Grand National.”
Jefferson saddled King Fontaine to finish 11th to Ballabriggs last year but he does not believe he will make the cut this time.
“I can’t see my other entry King Fontaine getting into the race, which is a pity because he ran quite well in the race last year,” he went on.
“Things have just gone wrong for him this year and I don’t really know why. I thought that he was just coming back to himself at Wetherby but then he fell at the second in the Peter Marsh Chase.
“He’s come down a fair bit in the weights and, all being well, he will go back to Haydock for the Grand National Trial before probably heading to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National.”
PA AAP TURF
