IT was a special day for Stanton Fitzwarren trainer Johnathen de Giles at Southwell earlier in the week when he saddled 9-1 shot Wednesday Country to win the two-and-a-half mile conditional jockeys' handicap chase ridden by his son Felix.
TOMORROW'S Grand National meeting gets underway at Aintree at 1.45pm with the BBC2 Cameras covering the first two races then switching to BBC1 for the following three races including the Grand National.
Television ratings are set to soar at the weekend when millions will tune in to watch the nation's favourite horse race, the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree.
FARINGDON trainer/jockey Sean Curran, who has had eight winners in the past four weeks, was in the winner's enclosure again at Warwick earlier in the week when Rebellious Spirit became the first winner of the new Flat season.
Trainer Andy Turnell's horses are in sparkling form at the moment and Jigsaw Dancer gained his third victory on the bounce in the Betfred Novices Handicap Hurdle at Wincanton on Thursday, beating Celtic Spirit by seven lengths.
The opening day of the new flat season takes place at Doncaster today where the feature race is the William Hill Lincoln Handicap run over a straight mile.
