b g Old Vic - Bettyhill (Ardross)
Mr Pointment began his racing career under the care of Charles Egerton, who trained the gelding to immediate success with a galloping victory in a bumper at Bangor in December, 2004. Following a good fourth in a competitive Grade Two bumper at Newbury in February, 2005, the son of Old Vic made the transition to hurdles look easy with a comfortable win in a novice event that November, but he couldn't live with the strong pace on his next start in a similar event at Newbury, and made a bad mistake two from home to finish a tired fourth behind Wee Robbie. He put this disappointment firmly behind him with a convincing six-length victory in a novice hurdle at Fakenham in February, 2006, a display which earned him a crack at the Grade One Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Appreciating the step up in trip, Mr Pointment led the race with four flights left, but a mistake at the third last cost him valuable momentum, and he went on to finish fifth behind Nicanor. A switch to fences the following season brought about more improvement in Mr Pointment, and the gelding produced a faultless display of jumping to run out a game winner of a beginners' chase at Bangor in November, 2006. Another good display followed with a close second behind the smart Don't Push It at Cheltenham in December, before a lacklustre effort behind future stablemate Denman over three miles on soft ground at Newbury in February, 2007. Put away for the season, Mr Pointment moved to the powerful Paul Nicholls yard that summer, and his first start for the Ditcheat-based handler, a close fourth in handicap company at Cheltenham in October, 2007, proved that the gelding could stay further than three miles. Mr Pointment's best performance over fences followed with a fantastic display in the totesport.com Becher Chase over the Grand National Fences at Aintree on November 25, 2007. Out in front after the third fence, Mr Pointment ground out a game length victory over Bewleys Berry, a win that catapulted him to the top of the John Smith's Grand National betting. On his final start before this year's John Smith's Grand National, Mr Pointment broke a blood vessel in the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster on March 1, and could only finish sixth behind new National favourite Cloudy Lane. Trainer Paul Nicholls is adamant that Mr Pointment will be a far bigger threat to the Donald McCain Jnr-trained contender on April 5.
Race Record: Starts: 12; Wins: 5; 2nd: 2; 3rd: 0; Win & Place Prize Money £85,599
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AINTREE GRAND NATIONAL 2008
