LONDON: English trainers have been forced to do some serious soul-searching since being trounced by their Irish rivals at Cheltenham but hope to restore pride in Saturday’s Grand National.
The three-day meeting at Aintree racecourse in northwest England, starting on Thursday, will have the Irish licking their lips in anticipation of another financially rewarding raid.
The strong favourite for the National — arguably the world’s most famous race — is Cloth Cap, trained in England, which offers hope to the home contingent.
But Irish-trained horses won 23 of the 28 races over the four days of last month’s Cheltenham Festival, jump racing’s showpiece event, even though the English provided 60 percent of the runners.
“A lot of…
