Diary: Godfrey Maundrell aims to make Aintree debut, aged 61: Horse Racing

By Marcus Armytage Published: 7:33PM GMT twenty-two February 2010

Cold caller: Richard Dunwoody is on a scouting mission in Russia Photo: TELEGRAPH

"If the equine gets there no one else will float him, that"s for sure, but I don"t wish to lure predestine by observant he"ll really run," he explained.

Maundrell, who runs a dairy and cultivatable plantation nearby Marlborough, is in his 40th deteriorate as an owner/trainer/rider. He"s the last chairman to whom you"d have longed for to be an understudy, but with 148 winners in in between the flags and fourteen some-more underneath Rules, he is still chipping afar at losing his 3lb explain in pledge races.

Dick Francis eventually since his due Grand Dreams come loyal Tough charge for Mon Mome Racing Diary: Derby story underneath examination The idealisation decider Sport on radio

His initial float was on a Russian-bred equine you didn"t get most of those at the tallness of the Cold War called Electric, that he pulled up, at Hackwood Park in 1970. The owners of the horse, Jeremy Robb, subsequently presented the Electric Cup for the most appropriate owner-rider over a deteriorate at Larkhill point-to-point course. Maundrell managed to win it thirty years later.

In his 30s he was once knocked about in a point-to-point at Larkhill by a immature supplement deliberate full of guarantee called Richard Dunwoody, who was roving a equine lerned by Henrietta Knight a multiple that would go on to win 4 Gold Cups and 6 King Georges in in between them. "Looking back, it seems a bit astray now," pronounced Maundrell.

He even had a float for the challenging Jeff King, who was one of the hardest charge masters, and considers it one of his larger claims to celebrity that he was asked to float the equine again.

Even when struck down with cancer fifteen years ago, Maundrell timed both the seizure and liberation to happen at the same time with the point-to-point close season. Falling off the wrong side of 60, he says, doesn"t harm any more, but usually takes longer to mend. He has no approaching plans to retire.

Richard Dunwoody is right away in Siberia on a short outing to advise a solidified lake for a probable destiny speed with his long-term exploring partner Tony Martin.

A publisher wishing to write this eventuality up not long ago got his Martins in a mess-up and rang the Irish tutor of the same name to ask him if he was seeking brazen to his outing to the solidified wastelands of Russia with Dunwoody. The reply, we are led to believe, was short and not really sweet.

Retirement has not been as kind to David Gandolfo, who is right away on 6 weeks box rest. After 50 years of precision horses with no injuries alternative than teenager trivialities, he was rushing for an appointment when he slipped and fell down the steps at his Somerset home in Charlton Adam.

The outcome was that he burst a knee and ruptured a flesh at the tip of one of his thighs.

He is right away encased in smear from the round of his feet to his groin and cramped to reading, not formerly one of his hobbies.

Gandy was really tender with the Accident and Emergency section at Yeovil Hospital, where he underwent a three-hour operation. When he arrived, you could have been forgiven for meditative that a bend assembly of the National Trainers Federation was receiving place as the initial chairman he met was internal trainer, John Dufosee.

"The usually great thing, deliberation the whack I gave it," pronounced Gandy seeking on the splendid side, "is that it was the knee rather than the head."

For those of his friends meddlesome in the predicament of his stairs, amazingly, they transient undamaged.

One of the personal highlights of the Grand National weights lunch last week was an comical short travesty movie about Mon Mome"s perspective of hold up since winning the race.

It is voiced-over by stand up comic Hugh Dennis, whose credits embody Mock The Week. He was since the footage and told to get on with it.

It is well value a look, simply key in "John Smith"s Grand National leader Mon Mome talks" in to the Youtube poke engine.