Connections of the Nicky Richards-trained Faasel face an anxious time over the next few days as they wait to see if their old war horse will make the cut for the eagerly awaited John Smith's Grand National at Aintree on Saturday, writes Elliot Slater.
Currently number 54 on the list for a race that will have 40 runners, he is looking a shade of 'odds against' to face the starter, but should the ground dry out during the week it is far from inconceivable that a number of horses will be withdrawn from the contest giving Faasel a chance to make a name for himself. That said, those with Grand National free bets to place will probably want to look for a more certain runner.
There is no doubt that the 10-year-old is a very talented performer, but he certainly has his quirks and has been described as a bit of a rogue on occasions. That shouldn't detract however from a stack of high-class performances over the years and there is little doubt that the Unfuwain gelding still has an appetite for the game as he showed when finishing second recently in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase at last month's Cheltenham Festival.
The unique challenge of Aintree and of the awesome spruce fences could very well bring out the best in Richards' charge who is definitely a horse who seems to relish a challenge. He hasn't won since November 2008 but has run a number of very good races in defeat, whilst prior to that success at Carlisle he numbered a stack of high grade performances on his CV, including when winning the Grade 1 4-Y-O Novices Hurdle at Aintree in 2005, having only narrowly failed to land the Triumph Hurdle on his previous outing.
A horse with character who is not unlike the 1985 Grand National winner Last Suspect, Faasel could represent some of the best each-way value in the race at odds of 100/1.
