National Nibbles - Rishi Persad
We are honoured today to present C4 Racing's crack interviewer Rishi Persad, who's just back from 'slumming it' in Dubai to give us some thoughts. This year may be C4s first National but Rishi is an Aintree veteran having covered quite a few for 'Auntie' and I'm sure his experience will come in useful for the new team.
So let's get on with the questions:
What are your earliest National memories ?
As a kid growing up in the West Indies the Grand National and all the build up would be live on local TV, so my parents would invite lots of friends and we would make a party out of the day. Those were good times.
Which has been your favourite National so far ?
Favourite National so far is Lord Gyllene's in 97'. Loved the horse and was going to miss the Saturday because of work, but at least I was free on the Monday to watch him win.
Which 2 horses would you put up against the field in this years renewal and why ?
On His Own travelled beautifully and jumped with aplomb until Bechers 2nd time last year ... But his chance is obvious. And Imperial Commander ... I believe he still possesses plenty of class to make a mark of 158 look extremely generous.
What effect do you think the new modifications to the start and the fences will have ?
No issues with making the core of the fences more kind to the horses, but lowering the height of the fences has never been a positive move - you don't need my opinion when the likes of Ruby Walsh remain adamant that they just go faster when the fences are lower. And as for shortening the run to the first, well it means less time to get a good position so who knows what chaos could ensue (and the stat trotted out about Sunnyhillboy being the slowest to the first is strange seeing that he jumped the first in mid-division last year)
Bearing in mind the new changes, how many finishers do you predict this year ( given good to soft ground) ?
Just a wild guess as I have no real view but about 17
Grand National or Gold Cup ?
Both - if I owned a Gold Cup winner then I'd also run in the National.
Who would you consider to be a lively outsider in this years field ?
Always Waining. His three wins in the Topham obviously make him a course specialist and there's some evidence to believe he'll stay as long as the ground doesn't get too soft.
What instructions would you give to a jockey riding in the National ?
Give yourself some room where you can and get into a rhythm - I don't care whether it's near the front, back or middle, but try and settle into some sort of rhythm.
Do you do any prep for your interviews or is just 'off the cuff' ?
I do prep on just about every horse that is racing in the events we cover - occasionally I lazily miss out the big priced 'no hopers' so that there's always a starting point to the interview and then I try to go with the flow.
Who do you enjoy talking to the most in the racing game ?
In all honesty most of the trainers and jockeys we speak to tend to say similar things, but someone like Kieren Fallon or Richard Hughes occasionally say more honest and revealing things, so that's a little more satisfying.
Who would you most like to spend a day at the Grand National with and why ?
I'd like to spend a day at the National with any of Nick Luck, Graham Cunningham or Jim McGrath - they'll be in our comfy studio away from the maddening crowds and with a constant supply of tea and biscuits !
If you weren't working where would you most like to be watching the big race ?
Definitely on my sofa back at home.
A big thanks to Rishi for his time ... we hope you're enjoying our series ... we've had some great insights so far and have some great interviews to come including another National winning trainer on Friday.
If like Rishi, you like Imperial Commander's, On His Own or Always Waining's chances, then BetVictor are paying an amazing 6 (SIX) places each way, to open an account AND get a free bonus just click here www.freeaintreebets.com
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