Niche Market’s chances at the English Grand National are gradually improving and according to trainer Bob Buckler, he is a ‘model’ horse for the race. His performance in the Newbury Aon Chase where he came second to Tricky Trickster has encouraged bookmakers to make him the clear second favourite for the Aintree race, and at 16/1, is succeeded only by Tricky Trickster himself.

At eleven stone four, Niche Market also caused a massive stir when having been one of four reserves for the 2009 Grand National he was denied a run when there were no non-runners. He then went on to prevail in the Irish National in April as a 33-1 shot, chased home by two horses that had started at 50-1. He was the third United kingdom-trained victor of the Irish National in the last six years, and gave trainer Buckler a very welcome and very new taste of fame. He first took out a training licence fifteen years ago, and the reward money of €141,500 for the Irish National was more than he had won in the whole of the previous season. Buckler admitted that not getting to race in the Grand National may have been a ‘blessing in disguise’, as the Irish National was ‘much more suitable for him.’

Both owner and trainer have always been tremendously optimistic about Niche Market’s prospects, knowing what he is capable of from the offset – he had been entered in big races early on including the Cheltenham National Hunt Chase, in which he came fourth in 2008 and eighth in 2009. He was already proving what he was made of when he won the BGC Silver Cup at Ascot from Monkerhostin in December 2008. However it wasn’t until he came third to the mighty Denman in the 2009 Hennessy Gold Cup that the steeple chase world really began to sit up and pay attention.

Regan, being an Irishman, would prefer if Niche Market was a Cheltenham Gold Cup than an Aintree horse, but that is not the way things have worked out for the horse, which at the end of the day may work out in his favour if he wins in April. The nine year old he has been steadily improving over the past few years and owner Regan expects his weight to go up 2lb or a bit more, which would take his official mark from 148 to 150 nearly for the 2010 National. As Regan says: ‘Niche Market jumps, he gallops and he stays, so in my view, he’s a model for the National.’

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Then on the 16th October 2008, War of Attrition again proved his mettle by winning the Star Chase at Punchestown, the grade 3 race for four year old horses and older, run over a distance of two miles and six furlongs. The race was an exciting showdown between two former Cheltenham Gold Cup Champions, War of Attrition and Kicking King. War of Attrition shocked everyone with his outstanding performance given that he had suffered injuries and hadn’t been on a race track for 658 days. However he is obviously a horse of stamina, strength and determination, because ridden by Davy Russell, the horse won by nineteen lengths. As Mouse Morris put it on the day: ‘You couldn’t ask for more from the horse.’

It has now in the pipeline for War of Attrition to be entered into the Grand National at Aintree this year. He may only have finished 11th of 18 runners in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November but Morris could not be happier with the 10 year olds’ current condition, stating ‘he is in good fettle at the moment, why not keep him going? He’ll tell us when he’s had enough.’ If War of Attrition can perform like he has done in the past he is definitely one to look out for this year at Aintree.

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