South West trainers aiming to conquer the north in the Grand National

The southwestern corner of England is blessed when it comes to horse racing trainers and their yards, and two of the finest in the region will be pitting their wits against the best in the business in April. The Grand National will take place at Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside on April 9, and both Phillip Hobbs and Harry Fry will be hoping they can claim victory in one of the most prestigious races on the calendar.

Hobbs, a former winner of the Welsh National, will saddle Deise Aba in the steeplechase, and while his latest Grand National betting odds of 66/1 are indicative of a rank outsider, it’s worth noting that Auroras Encore won the Aintree showpiece at that same price as recently as 2013.

Fry, meanwhile, will pin his hopes on Phoenix Way, who has won four of his eleven starts. Plus, his owner, J.P. McManus also owns Don’t Push It and defending champion Minella Times, which have prevailed in the Grand National. As short as 33/1 with some bookmakers, the nine-year-old holds perhaps the better chance of triumphing in 2022.

A Hollywood Epic

It would be fair to say that Hobbs, from his Somerset yard, boasts the credentials of a Grand National winner. He has trained numerous major winners over fences and on the flat, and in 2009 played his part in the extraordinary tale of Dream Alliance. The Welsh horse, reared on an allotment in Blackwood, was owned by a syndicate of locals who paid £10 a week for the privilege. Sent to train with Hobbs, the plot twist came when the underdog won the Welsh Grand National – a remarkable story since depicted in a Hollywood film.

Hobbs has never won the English version of the race, but with 19 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, he knows what it takes to claim victory in the majors – and Trevor Hemmings, knew a thing or two about Grand National champions. He owned Many Clouds, Ballabriggs and Hedgehunter, who all won at Aintree, to secure his legacy as one of the winning-most owners in the race’s history.

As for Deise Aba, he tends to stay well over three miles and lost by a head last time out at Sandown. Well treated by the handicapper at a mark of 10st 7lb, Hobbs could finally break his Grand National duck in 2022.

Phoenix Hoping to Rise from Kempton Fall

One of the criteria that bettors look for when making their Grand National selections is how well a horse ran last time out. To that end, Phoenix Way might be overlooked by punters – but they might just rue that decision. The nine-year-old, based at Fry’s Crockermoor Farm in the west of Dorset, fell in his last start at Kempton Park.

But the Irish horse had been impressive in his chasing career up to that point, with victory in a quality renewal at Ascot following a decent effort at Aintree in April 2021, where he finished ten lengths shy of Gold Cup candidate Protektorat. Phoenix Way will be taking another step up in trip at the Grand National, but Fry knows he has a rough diamond on his hands – he, or fellow south westerner Hobbs, could well be celebrating come teatime on April 9.