McCoy primed to emulate Miller's National tale

Synchronised will be ridden by National Hunt riding legend Tony McCoy in Saturday's Grand National as he bids to become the first horse since Golden Miller in 1934 to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and National in the same season. McCoy, 16 times the British champion jockey, will team up with trainer Jonjo O'Neill and owner JP McManus just as he did in 2010 when Don't Push It ended years of frustration for the Ulsterman in the race which is run over 4 1/2 miles and 30 imposing fences. While Synchronised was a surprise winner of jump racing's Blue Riband event the Gold Cup in March - getting the better of last year's winner Long Run while another former champion Kauto Star was pulled up - McCoy believes he is fresh enough for Saturday's challenge. "Jonjo is pretty happy with him so we'll have to see. I'm looking forward to it," said McCoy. "He was obviously very tough and brave to win the Gold Cup. "He's got a lot of weight but he's a classy horse and he's won a Welsh National and a Midlands National, so he stays well and if he does take his chance hopefully he'll give a good account." Aside from Golden Miller only one other horse has achieved the golden double, though Irish runner L'Escargot did it on different years, winning the Gold Cup on two successive occasions in 1970/71 and finally after several failures beating the incomparable Red Rum in the 1975 National. However, top weight Synchronised will face a classy field including last year's impressive winner Ballabriggs who would be an even more emotional winner this time round as trainer Donald McCain's father Ginger, Red Rum's handler, died late last year. Another former winner Mon Mome, who caused quite a stir when he won at 100/1 in 2009, is also due to run while another that would provide a good story is the Irish raider Seabass. Unbeaten in his four starts this season and trained by Ted Walsh, who sent Papillon out to win in 2000, he has been rejected by the trainer's son Ruby and is now the mount of his daughter Katie. Should Seabass prevail she would become the first woman rider to win the 950,000 pound race. Ruby, who rode Papillon to victory in his first ride in the race, has opted instead for another Irish runner and equally well fancied On His Own. There are still 48 horses entered for the race with only 40 allowed to run owing to safety regulations. The going on the National course was described as soft, good to soft in places on Tuesday.