TED WALSH FACES a busy day at Aintree.
The well-known trainer and TV pundit sees his daughter bid to become the first winner of the Grand National on his own horse, the much-fancied Seabass.
While his son Ruby goes on one of the other race favourites, the Willie Mullins-trained On His Own.
But the family are just hoping everyone comes through the big race unscathed today, first and foremost. Especially in the wake of the death of Battlefront earlier this week at the festival, in the first race over Grand National fences.
“Battlefront got a heart attack,” confirmed Ted Walsh on RTÉ radio earlier. “He jumped Beecher’s very, very well and and then he faced down to the next and Katie felt him dropping back a bit. And then he jumped the next and then she figured there was something wrong and she eased him back and missed the next fence on him.
“And just as she was pulling him up she found him getting a bit wobbly so she just jumped off him as you’d normally do, with something wrong. And he just staggered around and dropped down with a heart attack.”
He continued: “It’s no different to anything, if you drop dead you drop dead. There’s nothing you can do about that.
“It has nothing to do with the race. He could have dropped dead coming over the in the box on the ferry. He could have dropped dead walking around in the yard. [There's] young lads playing football drop dead, people drop dead. It’s just you’re picked out to drop dead.
“It’s like the fella at the wedding, he spoils the day. But you could have dropped dead a week later and it would still be very sad but it wouldn’t cause as much commotion,” he told Marian Finucane.
Battlefront’s death was the first of the week; Little Josh was put down yesterday after a fall.
Doesn’t matter we are going to win anyway simple!!!!
@rowan hill: And ye call leinster fans cocky!
@Bazalicous Dunne: They are going to win, Toulouse are 9th in the Top 14 right now and are terrible when playing away from home.
@Rudiger McMonihan: I do agree to be fair.. munster by 18.
Bonus having David out but with Bezy fit and Dusautoir rested it’s looking more and more like Toulouse could be up for this one; here’s hoping Rassie saves the best for this
Tough for Toulouse to compete when Munster can just sign up Springboks whenever someone gets hurt
@garland greene: indeed, Toulouse are well known as being the paupers of European rugby.
@garland greene: u must have been abused by a south african as a child
@garland greene: this is why we need red thumbs, because of tools like garland greene and all his previous incarnations.
@Padraic Courtney: Disagree. Garland is exactly the reason we don’t need red thumbs, they are his viagra.
Tbh lads I think I play moreno lb and milner to replace lallana. You’ll have two players who know the position so klopp won’t have to teach anyone a new position in the next 3 days and Everton won’t be as threating down the rigth with coalman’s injury. Give moreno these next few game and if he can’t cut it get rid.
@Lorcán Coyle: why the he’ll did my comment end up here. Sort it out.
@Lorcán Coyle: I know your comment ended up in the wrong section but I’d say Henderson will come back in for Lallana…