Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson hoping for Grand National glory
Sir Alex Ferguson will be cheering on Give Me A Copper in the 2021 Randox Grand National on Saturday afternoon, the former Manchester United manager part owner of the horse alongside four others. They have targeted this runner towards the big one since 2019 and the current odds make him a 50/1 punt for the testing contest.
Indeed the latest Grand national news suggests that pundits aren’t really giving the horse much of a chance, however amidst all the chaos anything can really happen and the big odds certainly shouldn’t put anyone off having a flutter. Give Me A Copper triumphed in the Badger Beers Silver Trophy at Wincanton back in November 2019 and plans were subsequently put in place to aim him to the 2020 Grand National, a race which was ultimately cancelled due to the continued Covid19 restrictions.
Since then, the gelding has undergone wind surgery and he has enjoyed a lengthy break of 357 days, followed by a second-placed finish at Doncaster over three miles in December 2020. He was pulled up on his last outing three months ago following an unsatisfactory round of jumping, however trainer Paul Nicholls will have done his utmost to get him into top shape for the marathon test at Aintree on Saturday afternoon.
Co-owner Ged Mason spoke recently of how much the horse means to him and Sir Alex. He said: “Sir Alex without question shares the same enthusiasm for going back – he loves jump racing and since leaving football management it’s been a big hobby of his.
“Give Me A Copper should get in the National and it would be great to have a runner.
“It’s one of the biggest worldwide jumps races so that will be a thrill.
“He’s always been a little bit tricky to train but Paul always gets the best out of his horses and hopefully he can work his magic with him.”
