THE Grand National has always been there for Chris Jones, in the same way as it has been for most people. Today he has two runners in the Aintree feature. Noble Endeavor and Mala Beach are not without chances, though the latter’s participation remains dependent on the ground not drying any further.

“I fell into the exact same category as everyone else,” Jones muses.

“It was the race that stopped a nation. It wouldn’t have been something that in my early days of ownership would have been on my radar. But I suppose we have a few more of those type of horses now.

“I am actually very relaxed about Saturday. It’s not like going to Cheltenham because this is just such a different ball game. You need so much luck in running. I don’t have any real expectations – you can see their prices – but it’s the classic thing, if you’re not in you can’t win. Touch wood, normally they are very good jumpers. They are both dour stayers. The only problem there is will it be soft enough for them?”

Home Farm carried Jones’ distinctive maroon and white striped jacket when Rule The World famously shed his maiden status as a chaser in the most spectacular manner three years ago but was pulled up having become tailed off after clearing 20 obstacles.

Noble Endeavor and Davy Russell in the thick of the action before winning the Paddy Power Chase at Leopadstown in 2016. Photo: Healy Racing

BOTTOMLESS

“His chance went in the morning. It did what we probably need it to do on Saturday but obviously it won’t. The heavens opened. On the Friday night in Liverpool it was nice ground. By the time we got to the National on the Saturday, it was bottomless.

“In fairness, he jumped for fun. But Home Farm couldn’t walk on anything other than good ground. He just couldn’t deal with anything else in his career. Previous to that the only horse we ever had in it was The Ellier, who Frank Berry rode.”

That was 1987, the year of Maori Venture, and it was Berry’s last of eight rides in the race. The Ellier, who had won the Kim Muir at Cheltenham under Gee Armytage the previous month, ran on strongly to finish seventh.

Now we know where Jones got the name for Ellier Developments, which he co-founded in 1993. The Ellier was owned by his late father, also Chris and also a successful property developer. It was he who devised the colours and when Chris Jnr assumed responsibility for the racing interests, he not alone retained the livery but maintained the registered name associated with them – C. Jones. Only those very close to the sport realised any change had occurred.

Relative to the elite owners on both sides of the Irish Sea, Jones does not shell out colossal sums of money in acquiring young stock. But while the boss of leading commercial and residential development company Jones Investments is focussed on maintaining a select but high quality group, he is operating on a more significant level than his father, who inculcated the love of racing in his son and four daughters, just as Jones does now with his own three boys Andrew, Christopher and Robbie.

In truth they were surrounded by it. Jockey Timmy Jones was a cousin who rode My Templar to win the Huzzar Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday in 1974 for Chris Snr. Another cousin, Mary is married to Arthur Moore and he trained Klairon Davis to win six Grade 1s, including the Arkle and Champion Chase double at Cheltenham.

“The most horses my dad might have ever have had were two or three at any one time. He’d more sense than I had! To find one like Klairon Davis was unbelievable, and at a time when Irish horses weren’t winning at Cheltenham.”

Klairon Davis lived “an incredible retirement” at Killeen Glebe, the training centre Jones has established in Dunshaughlin, until passing away last August at the age of 29. The farm is managed by Gearóid O’Loughlin, who also trains some of Jones’ troops, and O’Loughlin’s predecessor Andy Lynch, who trained Zabana to win the Grade 1 Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown in 2016, remains a vital component of the operation.

This is two-pronged enterprise. On the one hand, foals are bought and pinhooked. This pays the bills. On the other, stores are purchased, pre-trained and sent to Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead primarily.

“Those Nobles, Malas, all of those good horses that we had, Paloma Blue, they would all have come out of the store sales. That is predominantly what we do. Then Mega Fortune, Coeur Sublime and Zabana came off the flat. The most we ever tend to do is one of those a year. I don’t tend to buy the pointers because I am not prepared to pay that kind of money for the one that we want. I take my chances. We go to those sales but it is not a big opportunity for us.

“We try and buy the best pages, and the individuals that we like by the established stars at the store sales. They are Beneficials and Flemensfirths; there are not too many curve balls in there. If we buy two or three every year, we try and buy what we think are the nicest two or three and I do that with Kevin Ross and Mags O’Toole. I mix the sales. Mags does one and Kevin does another. It keeps us all fresh. They are so successful at what they do. I am fortunate to have both of them really.

As much as he has enjoyed many good days thanks to the likes of the aforementioned Mala Beach, Noble Endeavor, Home Farm and Paloma Blue, as well his first Cheltenham winner Tiger Cry in the 2008 Grand Annual Chase and What A Charm in the Fred Winter three years later, there have been very low days too.

His two Grade 1 winners, Mega Fortune and Zabana, lost their lives within three months of one another last season. Their losses are keenly felt in terms of the talent he now possesses and he has described this year as a transitional period as a result.

But in a reminder of the deep bond that develops between man and horse, Jones has described quite starkly the impact of Zabana’s death in particular.

“Mega Fortune was a big loss and had a bright future,” he said in an interview in the Sunday Independent. “Zabana was such a big part of Andy Lynch’s life, and ours. He was a special horse. We were very attached to Zabana because he was at home on our farm in Dunshaughlin. For me, my wife (Afra) and the kids, he was part of the family.”

He was pleased to see Mala Beach so full of himself and giving Keith Donoghue a hard time while the jockey was being interviewed by Katie Walsh about Tiger Roll. Jamie Codd is booked to ride.

“We would love to run him but obviously as Gordon always says, we will do what is best for the horse. It’s a funny old sod at Aintree. It’s different to a lot of places in that it is a peaty kind of sod, it is quite forgiving. We are both fairly relaxed about the fact that we will bring him and if we are not happy, we won’t do it.

“He ran well in the Galmoy Hurdle. Then we fully expected him to go and win in (Down Royal), although in fairness to Gordon he had said the other horse (Jury Duty) is a sharper type of horse. I thought it was a great run. I was disappointed that he didn’t get his head in front. Now that he has had those runs, I am sure that man (Elliott) will have him spot on.

“He has been a long time on the go. He won his Grade 2 hurdle in 2013. He spent a fair amount of his time with Gerry Kelly (Fethard Equine Hospital vet) as well. But actually, he only suffered from one problem and that is his two knees are not ideal. But we managed them. Thankfully Gordon has the pool. You won’t see him jumping National fences on the Curragh because we just try and keep the miles down if we can. I couldn’t believe when he came out and won a Troytown.

“Mags O’Toole bought him with me and he seems to be around forever. I would say he is getting to the end. That is why we are anxious to let him roll. He is not going to have too many years to run (as an 11-year-old).”

COSTLY

Noble Endeavor will have Mark Enright doing the steering.

“He has run in the Becher over the fences (in December) when he was so not prepped for that. He finished and he jumped well. He took to the fences and the trip won’t be a problem. The ground shouldn’t be a problem. Please God he gets a clear run.

“He probably needed the run in Cheltenham. He had a big gap from Aintree to Cheltenham. We can’t get these horses out (due to the quick ground). I have another one, Space Cadet, he has the exact same profile and we can’t get running him. It has been a disaster for those type of horses. They just have stood around for the entire year. It has been very, very costly, and that is the word. You have been making entries all year long with those horses and running 50 or 60% of the time.

“At Cheltenham, Noble Endeavor probably just got a bit tired. But he ran well. I said to someone yesterday it is odd when you are bringing your horses to Cheltenham for a prep run but it is the only place we could bring him to get a race into him before the National.”

He left Prestbury Park without adding to his Cheltenham Festival tally but was delighted with how his horses fared, Coeur Sublime running a huge race to finish second in the Triumph Hurdle.

Prize money

“We brought six horses, five of them finished in the prize money and we had a second and a third. The only horse that really disappointed was Paloma Blue. He just has a couple of things that caused him to do that. Other than that I thought Jarob ran a cracker in the Cross Country. The ground had probably gone for him so I can’t believe he finished fifth. Coeur Sublime ran a brilliant race. You couldn’t have been disappointed. I came home and I was very, very happy. Don’t get me wrong I would have loved a winner. But we got into the winner’s enclosure twice (before). It only gets harder.”

Coeur Sublime “will definitely jump a fence” and could be very exciting if he stays fit. With a modicum of luck, he would be four from five runs this year and will finish his juvenile season in the Champion Four-Your-Old contest at Punchestown.

PASSIONATE

Today is a rare one for racing in that it transcends not just its sport, but any sport and will have the eyes of the world on it. But at real grassroots level, Jones is passionate about attracting more people into racing in Ireland, as future owners and regular, committed attendees. He is a member of the committee at Leopardstown, where improvements to facilities have been considerable and are continuing apace.

“The owner experience has improved a lot around the various tracks. To think that you can now go to Leopardstown and someone will offer you a nice lunch and the badges if you require them. The racecourses are very, very focused now on the fact that the owner is key. There are some exceptions but by and large most of them are trying to improve the experiences, no doubt about it.

“I was at Leopardstown last week and even in the number of weeks since the start, you can see the progress that has been there. It is exciting. HRI and Leopardstown, you look at the Curragh… it’s all about trying to get new people to go racing. It’s trying to attract new people. That is what I talk about all the time in the committee.

“It is no challenge trying to get me to go racing because I am going to go racing and you are going to do the same. It’s trying to get people from a non-racing background interested in the sport. HRI have recognised that and Amber O’Grady in the ownership department has had a number of very positive initiatives, trying to attract and invite people to new events to give them some idea what goes on. There is no question they recognise that is where we need to improve.

“The forms of ownership have bounced back, and the statistics are so much better. But I think the syndicates are a great opportunity for people to get exposure to it without having to break the bank.”

Jones planned to drive over yesterday morning and believes Tiger Roll will take all the beating with a clear run, but is as entitled to dream as any of the participating owners.

“Wouldn’t it be fabulous to think I had to fly home (after some major celebrations)?! But I am a realist. It is nice to be involved. I hope they come back, man and beast, safe and sound and that is the key.”