Legendary jockey Richard Johnson reckons Shakem Up’Arry has what it takes to land the £500,000 jackpot for his famous owner.
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Trained by Ben Pauling, Shakem Up’Arry has won almost £140,000 in his career already but has his sights firmly set on the Aintree target now.
The new-look National will see 34 runners instead of 40 this year so, at 64th on the list of possible runners, Redknapp’s hope needs a few to drop out.
But Johnson thinks, should he sneak in at the bottom of the weights released today, the ten-year-old has a right chance.
The former rider, speaking to BoyleSports who offer the latest Cheltenham odds, said: “I really like Ben Pauling’s horse Shakem Up’Arry.
“He ran in the Coral Gold Cup, ran well at Aintree last year finishing fourth in the three-mile handicap.
“It’s whether 4 miles 2 furlongs is maybe a stretch too far… but if Ben can keep the horses in the form they’re in at the moment then who knows.
“For me you are looking for a yard in form.”
Shakem Up’Arry was last seen winning his owner a cool £57,000 with victory in a Grade 3 chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.
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And he’s 16-1 for the Ultima at the Festival – a race used as a stepping stone to National victory by Corach Rambler last year.
Redknapp, who is a regular at the races, revealed the reason behind the horse’s unique name a few years ago.
He said: “I used to have a guy stand behind me at West Ham when I was manager.
“For 90 minutes, he’d shout right behind my dugout, ‘shake ’em up, ‘Arry, shake ’em up, ‘Arry’.
“I used to come home on Saturday night after the game and all I could hear was this guy’s voice, ‘shake ’em up ‘Arry’.
“So I thought, when I get a horse, I’ve got to call it Shakem Up’Arry.”
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