Geoff Brown’s Grand National runner

Apr 8 2011 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

IT’S decision day for Geoff Brown as he prepares to unleash Silver By Nature at tomorrow’s John Smith’s Grand National.

And with the going at Aintree described as “good to soft”, the St Johnstone chairman is ready to give Kinross-shire trainer Lucinda Russell the green light to run his nine-year-old grey.

That will be good news for Perthshire punters who have been piling cash on a horse now quoted around the 14/1 mark to become the first Scottish winner since Rubstic more than 30 years ago.

The highly-regarded grey, named Tonto by Geoff when he helped deliver him at his Kinfauns stables, is more than a horse in the Brown household.

Geoff previously told the PA there was no way he would let the horse run if conditions weren’t favourable.

But yesterday he said: “The horse is in great shape. We have been keeping a close eye on conditions down south all week and it’s looking promising. If it stays ‘good to soft’ my horse will run.”

He will pass on tomorrow’s Tayside derby clash with Dundee United to cheer on Silver By Nature in the big race at 4.15pm.

“I certainly wouldn’t be at Aintree if my horse wasn’t running,” he declared, in advance of a week which culminates in a potentially unforgettable Scottish Cup semi-final against Motherwell at Hampden. “But this will be a one-off.

“It will be exciting for me but there’s no way I will be able to relax. It will be a long day. There are 40 horses going under starter’s orders and it’s into the unknown for many of them, including my horse.

“You never know how a horse will react to the huge crowds at Aintree and they are going over 30 fences which are totally new to them. There are just so many unknown quantities but that is what makes the Grand National so special. That is what it’s all about and why there have been so many outsiders winning in years gone by.”

Punters might be piling on cash at the bookies but the Perth businessman, who rarely gambles himself, is adopting a cautious approach, prompted by strong emotional bonds between the runner, himself and wife Joyce, who will be fretting all day in the countdown to the race.

He hasn’t even given a moment’s thought to a record prize pot totalling £950,000. It’s not about the cash.

The bookies rate a dream sporting double for Geoff at 100/1.

McBookie spokesman Paul Petrie knows the entire country is willing Silver By Nature to become the first Scottish-trained winner since 1979 and they face a major financial hit if the horse romps home and Saints go on to lift the cup.

“This could be one of the most amazing sporting doubles ever completed and we wish Mr Brown all the best.

“The odds suggest that St Johnstone have the better chance of claiming glory but it will be Silver By Nature that ends up costing us the most money.”

But the Perth businessman, who could be the first owner to have bred his own National winner, said: “I would give you better odds than that! Bookies quote you odds just for horses getting round the course at Aintree. And on the football front we still have to get past Motherwell before we even think about winning the cup.”

Explaining the Tonto monicker Geoff said: “His sire was a horse called Silver Patriarch. When I thought of Silver the name of the Lone Ranger’s horse sprang to mind.

“The first foal was called Ranger so we went with Tonto for the next. My grandfather had a television before we did and I remember going to his wee farm during the school holidays and we got to watch the Lone Ranger.”

There is another local link, with millions of viewers around the world cheering on Silver By Nature and Arlary yard jockey Peter Buchanan in his distinctive black and gold silks. They were selected because they are the colours of St Madoes Primary School near the GS Brown Construction yard.

SEE page 18 of today’s PA for a free £2 bet at Ladbrokes on the Grand National.