O’Regan banks on a loose cannon firing true

Apr 5 2008 The Journal

IT’S ironic Denis O’Regan finds himself on a horse at Aintree today that didn’t do him any favours when he was riding another in last year’s Grand National, writes DOUG MOSCROP.

The quiet-spoken Irishman was having first experience of the great race on Ballycassidy for Welsh trainer Peter Bowen and was still in contention when a loose horse cannoned into him at the Canal Turn, six fences from home, and he was shot out of the saddle.

But he had been well aware of Bewleys Berry’s presence in the race, none more so that at Becher’s second time when the leader fell and O’Regan had to take evasive action. “He hindered me and I had to do a bit of a manoeuvre in the saddle.”

Two fences later, however, O’Regan was also on the deck.

O’Regan was based in Ireland at the time before taking up a retainer with Howard Johnson and leading owner Graham Wylie this winter.

Now he teams up with Bewleys Berry and he saw enough 12 months ago to convince him that, despite the chestnut’s lapse at Becher’s, he is an ideal Aintree type. He said: “He was electric over those fences, he was gaining lengths at every obstacle and the rest couldn’t get near him. He was unlucky to come down.

“If I can get him round you never know what will happen. He has as good a chance as any but you need so much luck in that race.

“Whether he’s good enough to win a National I don’t know and we don’t know if he will stay four and a half miles, though the better the ground is the better chance he has of staying.

“He’s a great little horse over those jumps. I rode him in the Becher Chase this season and he jumped brilliantly, so I’ve had a good feel of the place and, if I can get him into a nice rhythm, he should run a good race.”

Bewleys Berry runs in the colours of Graham and Andrea Wylie which O’Regan wore successfully on Inglis Drever and Tidal Bay at the Cheltenham Festival and victory at Aintree would cap a very rewarding first season for him at the County Durham yard. “The race is a great one-off and it’s one every jockey wants to win,” he added.

Wylie is looking forward to a second crack at the National and has two strings to his bow. He also runs Backbeat, the mount of Wilson Renwick.

Wylie said: “Backbeat surprised is when winning at Sandown this season. He has been plagued by injury, he’s now 11, so we thought we would give him a chance and see what happens.”

But Bewleys Berry remains the stable’s number one contender. “He was running a great race last year, jumping for fun, but was then distracted by a loose horse on his right hand side,” said Wylie. “He just took his eye off the ball and, of course, Becher’s is tricky so that was unfortunate for him.”

The 10-year-old gelding has also run over part of the National course in the Becher Chase for the past two years, finishing second on both occasions, and showing that his fall in the National hadn’t affected him on his latest visit.

Wylie said: “Actually it was important to take him there because he did fall at Bechers last year so we thought that might have affected him. So we ran him in the Becher Chase in November, he jumped round beautifully, and just got tapped for toe in the end. I’m very lucky to have two runners and to know I have a good chance with one of them.”