Ludlow trainer Henry Daly enters Pearlysteps into John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Ludlow trainer Henry Daly enters Pearlysteps into John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree

7:00am Thursday 7th February 2013 in Sport By Ian Morgan

LUDLOW trainer Henry Daly has submitted one runner into this year’s John Smith’s Grand National – but admits it’s a ‘speculative’ entry.

The entries for April’s National closed last week and Pearlysteps was published among a high-class field of 84 horses.

The weights for the entries will be revealed next Tuesday (February 12).

Pearlysteps is trained by Daly at Downton Hall and owned by The Glazeley Partnership.

“We are going to run Pearlysteps in the next 10 days and we will be working to formulate a plan,” said Daly last week.

“He’s not run at all this season. It’s a speculative entry and I am not sure if we will put him out.

“It’s always hard with these early closing entries.

“We are at the end of January for a race which will be taking place in April.

“I don’t want to say that he’s going to run or he’s not going to run.

“It’s not really about forming a market at this stage.”

The National takes place at Aintree on Saturday, April 6. It will have a maximum field of 40 horses plus four reserves.

And it will, for the first time, be run over the new distance of four miles, three-and-a-half furlongs.

The first scratching deadline is on February 26, with the second on March 19. Daly say it has been a tough season so far.

“It’s been very frustrating because the weather has been so bad,” said Daly.

“I can never remember Ludlow being described as heavy on the day of a race.

“It’s a large gravel pit and it’s quite astounding that it’s like this.

“Most of the horses have hardly run due to the weather.

It’s been a rather average season for me so far.”