Aintree Foxhunters’ Chase: “This race has always been the plan”

Amateur jockey David Maxwell believes Cat Tiger is the horse that they all have to beat in the Rose Paterson Randox Foxhunters’ Chase on Thursday. The Paul Nicholls-trained seven year old is currently the 7-2 second-favourite for the 2m 5f contest.

Maxwell is very confident that the two-time Grade Three winner can claim his third victory at this level. He will have to win over the Grand National fences at the first time of asking in order to do so.

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Maxwell quotes

Restrictions on amateur riders have been lifted in time for Aintree and Maxwell said: “It is exciting to think about being back at Aintree but you just have to keep everything in perspective.

“I always come back to the same point in this pandemic – we’ve all had to stop doing something that we like doing and have had to go without things. However, people have lost jobs during the pandemic and thousands of people have died, so there have been far worse things over the past 12 months than having to wait a while longer to ride.

“Cat Tiger is a very nice horse that jumps well. He will love the track and 2m 5f is perfect for him. It’s tailor-made for him. This race has always been the plan.

“I won the Grade Three on him at Auteuil, when I fell off on him on the way down to the start, and he was a pretty good novice hurdler over here where he did nothing wrong.

“I think we will probably give him a school over the National-style fences at David Pipe’s before the race. As ever in these races you need a bit of luck, but he is pretty useful.”