King George hero Hewick will carry top weight in this year’s Grand National after the ratings were unveiled in Liverpool.
John ‘Shark’ Hanlon’s bargain £800 purchase has proved a revelation in recent years, winning the Galway Plate, Oaksey Chase and the American Grand National, collating over £600,000 in prize money.
Those victories came before a remarkable last-to-first success in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, flying home to defeat Bravemansgame and Allaho in the process.
Hewick has been handed an official rating of 169 for the Grand National, meaning he will bid to become the first horse to carry top weight to victory since Red Rum back in 1974.
“I knew he’d have top weight,” trainer Hanlon said. “You have to expect that. He probably deserves top weight. I think the trip will suit him.
“He’s going for the Gold Cup first and please God he comes out of the Gold Cup safe and if he does he’ll definitely head there [to Aintree].
“It’s a mighty day. It’s one of those days you look forward all year to. The National, the Gold Cup and the King George at Kempton – they’re the three big days in England aren’t they, so it’s great to have a runner there.”
Hewick and Jordan Gainford stay on to win the Galway Plate
Hewick was discovered in a local sale “five minutes down the road” and famously cost his owner TJ McDonald just €850 (around £800).
“We always said that he’d be a National horse and there’s a month between the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the National this year so I think it’s a big opportunity for him,” Hanlon added.
“The most important thing is that he gets good ground. With fewer runners in the race this year there won’t be quite as much weight between us and the horses at the bottom. In previous years the difference could be a fair bit more and we’d be giving more away.
“He won the Galway Plate off nearly top weight, he won the bet365 (Oaksey Chase at Sandown Park) off a big weight. It’s not that he’s not used to carrying top weight and he carries it very well.
“All is great with him and he couldn’t be better. I’m very, very happy with him.”
Derek Fox and Corach Rambler win the Grand National last year
Last year’s winner Corach Rambler has been given a rating of 159 and will carry 11st 2lb, while Gavin Cromwell’s Vanillier – current favourite for the race – has an attractive mark of 151.
Noble Yeats, who won the Aintree showpiece in 2022, has been handed 165, while Welsh Grand National winner Nassalam was given 161 for the Gary Moore team.