Nine-year-old hopes to be lucky charm for Grand National runner
A nine-year-old with a rare neurological condition is hoping to be the lucky charm for a Grand National runner.
Joshua Duckworth, who lives in Aintree and has life-limiting condition 4H leukodystrophy, rubbed a 'lucky medal' on the nose of his favourite horse, Iroko, on a visit to his Cheshire stables last month.
While visiting the yard, he also made the good luck gesture to horse Jagwar – who went on to win the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase at last month's Cheltenham Festival.
Joshua said: 'I love horseracing and I love Iroko. It was great to meet him where he lives and I hope rubbing my lucky coin will help him win. I'll be cheering him on at Aintree.'
Josh Guerriero, who is joint trainer of Iroko with Oliver Greenall, said: 'We've loved meeting Joshua and his family. It was brilliant having them on the yard, they had a great time watching horses on the gallops and seeing the facilities.
'You could see how much he enjoyed meeting Iroko and we hope that him rubbing his lucky coin will bring him as much fortune in the National as it did for Jagwar at Cheltenham.'
The medal was given to Joshua after he met a member of Brentford Football Club's security team called Andy.
His father Christopher said: 'Joshua melted his heart, and when he saw him again Andy gave Joshua a lucky medal from his Army days and said the medal always kept him safe and strong.
'He said it was lucky and wanted Joshua to have it to protect him and keep him safe and strong against his disease.
'Joshua wanted to take this medal to Josh and Olly's yard to wish Iroko luck and to keep Iroko safe and protect him in the race. Joshua will be bringing it to Aintree too.'
Joshua has been named as the honorary 35th runner in the world-famous steeplechase, which takes place at 4pm on Saturday.
The role was created for neuroblastoma campaigner Bradley Lowery in 2017, three months before his death, and has since been used to highlight youngsters and the work of Alder Hey Children's Hospital and charity.
Joshua is being treated for his condition at Alder Hey and was at the Liverpool hospital on Friday to meet 2012 Grand National-winning horse Neptune Collonges and jockeys on their annual visit.
Mr Duckworth added: 'It's a huge honour for Josh to be this year's 35th runner in a race like the Randox Grand National. The opportunities Aintree have given to Josh and us as a family have been amazing.
'He had a great time meeting Josh and Oliver at their yard and loved seeing the horses up close. We'll have everything crossed that Iroko can win the Grand National but it'll be a day we'll never forget whatever the result.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
6 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Willie Mullins eyeing famous Ascot success with Reaching High
Willie Mullins could be set for another landmark occasion in his glittering training career when he saddles Reaching High for the King and Queen at Royal Ascot on Tuesday. The master of Closutton has long been at the top of the training tree and it should perhaps be no surprise that the first man to pass a century of winners at the Cheltenham Festival and who also holds his own on the Flat is the first Irishman to train for the reigning monarch. If Mullins was feeling any nerves after being bestowed such an honour, he can take comfort from heading to the familiar territory of the Ascot Stakes with Closutton's royal inmate, a race he has won four times and which came immediately on Reaching High's radar after a pleasing stable bow at Leopardstown. 'I've been very happy since his first run, he did everything nicely at Leopardstown and if he could run a similar type of race at Ascot I would be very pleased,' said Mullins reflecting on Reaching High's short head defeat in the hands of Jody Townend. 'It would be great to have a winner for Their Majesties. It's great of them to send me a pedigree like this to train and we're hoping for the best and that it all goes well on the day.' Mullins of course has previous with the royal family at their own meeting having been the man who saddled Simenon to narrowly finish second to the late Queen Elizabeth II's Estimate when she achieved a famous Gold Cup success in 2013. Estimate was trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Ryan Moore and it is perhaps fitting that Mullins' first horse since being added to the royal roster is a former Stoute-trained offspring of Estimate set to be partnered on Tuesday by Moore. Mullins though, is determined to enjoy his week attending Flat racing's annual jamboree, even if the magnitude of victory for the King and Queen will see him bookmarked in racing history yet again. 'Why wouldn't you look forward to Royal Ascot,' said Mullins. 'Yes we'll have a few runners and hopefully a winner, but it's sort of a busman's holiday that gives you a good chance to get round and meet people who I don't get to meet at Cheltenham. 'While the Flat trainers are working away, I can catch up with all our owners just like the Flat trainers do while we're busy during Cheltenham and it works well. If we can then get a winner it's a bonus, even one in the first four is great.' Mullins currently has 10 Royal Ascot winners to his name and will also bid for a Copper Horse Stakes hat-trick with Charlus on the opening day card, while the biggest threat to Reaching High could in fact come from within his own Closutton camp in the form of Triumph Hurdle hero Poniros. Owned by Brighton and Hove Albion supremo Tony Bloom, for who Mullins saddled Stratum to win back-to-back Queen Alexandra Stakes in 2021 and 2022, the Ascot Stakes marks what could be a busy summer on the level for the shock 100-1 Cheltenham Festival scorer who was bought with dual-purpose designs. 'Poniros is well entitled to go there and he ran well there at the meeting last year,' continued Mullins. 'I think we could have some fun with him this summer and he would be one we can look forward to in all of those staying handicaps.'
South Wales Guardian
21 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Willie Mullins eyeing famous Ascot success with Reaching High
The master of Closutton has long been at the top of the training tree and it should perhaps be no surprise that the first man to pass a century of winners at the Cheltenham Festival and who also holds his own on the Flat is the first Irishman to train for the reigning monarch. If Mullins was feeling any nerves after being bestowed such an honour, he can take comfort from heading to the familiar territory of the Ascot Stakes with Closutton's royal inmate, a race he has won four times and which came immediately on Reaching High's radar after a pleasing stable bow at Leopardstown. 'I've been very happy since his first run, he did everything nicely at Leopardstown and if he could run a similar type of race at Ascot I would be very pleased,' said Mullins reflecting on Reaching High's short head defeat in the hands of Jody Townend. 'It would be great to have a winner for Their Majesties. It's great of them to send me a pedigree like this to train and we're hoping for the best and that it all goes well on the day.' Mullins of course has previous with the royal family at their own meeting having been the man who saddled Simenon to narrowly finish second to the late Queen Elizabeth II's Estimate she achieved a famous Gold Cup success in 2013. Estimate was trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Ryan Moore and it is perhaps fitting that Mullins' first horse since being added to the royal roster is a former Stoute-trained offspring of Estimate set to be partnered on Tuesday by Moore. Mullins though, is determined to enjoy his week attending Flat racing's annual jamboree, even if the magnitude of victory for the King and Queen will see him bookmarked in racing history yet again. 'Why wouldn't you look forward to Royal Ascot,' said Mullins. 'Yes we'll have a few runners and hopefully a winner, but it's sort of a busman's holiday that gives you a good chance to get round and meet people who I don't get to meet at Cheltenham. 'While the Flat trainers are working away, I can catch up with all our owners just like the Flat trainers do while we're busy during Cheltenham and it works well. If we can then get a winner it's a bonus, even one in the first four is great.' Mullins currently has 10 Royal Ascot winners to his name and will also bid for a Copper Horse Stakes hat-trick with Charlus on the opening day card, while the biggest threat to Reaching High could in fact come from within his own Closutton camp in the form of Triumph Hurdle hero Poniros. Owned by Brighton and Hove Albion supremo Tony Bloom, for who Mullins saddled Stratum to win back-to-back Queen Alexandra Stakes in 2021 and 2022, the Ascot Stakes marks what could be a busy summer on the level for the shock 100-1 Cheltenham Festival scorer who was bought with dual-purpose designs. 'Poniros is well entitled to go there and he ran well there at the meeting last year,' continued Mullins. 'I think we could have some fun with him this summer and he would be one we can look forward to in all of those staying handicaps.'
Daily Record
29 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Bryson DeChambeau torched by King of Oakmont as busted LIV star sees brute US Open approach flop
Johnny Miller set the course record 63 over 50 years ago and knows the tricks Busted Bryson DeChambeau has been torched by a former US Open champion the King of Oakmont after flopping with his brute approach to the course. Johnny Miller mastered the toughest challenge in golf when he shot a mind-boggling and record-setting 63 around the treacherous terrain in the act of winning the 1973 tournament at the fearsome Pennsylvania track. Miller used panache and precision to get the job done and gave a scathing assessment on LIV star DeChambeau's boom-or-bust outlook which saw him miss the cut and crash out after just two days hacking through rough and finding bother. DeChambeau shot 73 and 77 for 10-over par and Miller said: 'When you can get the ball in the fairway, you can work the ball if you need to and you eliminate so many mistake upon mistakes. If you hit it here in this rough and you try to get too much out of the lie, you get in even more trouble. 'It's still all about hitting that ball in the fairway. You see the guys that don't. Like Bryson DeChambeau, he was living in the rough there this last couple days. Of course he gets to watch it on TV today. You've got to hit it in the fairway and then you've got to be able to handle the US Open pressure. There's a lot of guys like Jack [Nickalus] was sort of alluding to that the thought of winning a US Open is a little out of their comfort zone, so there's only a certain kind of player that can win a U.S. Open, especially on Sunday.' Of course, De Chambeau did manage to win the US Open trophy 12 months ago at Pinehurst and stayed strong down the stretch against Rory McIlroy. However, he was battered by Oakmont and never in with a chance of defending his title as he stumbled around trouble for 36 holes. Miller, on the other hand, was smooth when he won 52 years ago and said: 'For me, I was up and down the first couple days. I wasn't really hitting the ball that great, especially on the first round when I shot the 76, I did not play well at all tee to green. Then in the last round, it was like, my guardian angel out there said, Okay, we're going to put together a perfect round of golf and it was literally a perfect round of golf. 'I missed one fairway on 11 just by a couple feet, but the fact I hit every green and I hit the ball underneath the hole, only had one putt that was a little bit downhill, that's hard to do at Oakmont, to hit 18 greens and have no downhill putts. 'I guess it was meant to be because I was not playing that great. I had played with Arnold Palmer the first two rounds, which was, back in those days, was a crazy experience with his gallery. His gallery, they were crazy. crazy good. 'But to get through the gauntlet of playing with Arnold on the first two rounds was pretty good. We both shot 140, and just handling the pressure that week was he other part.'
