KEY POINTS:
Bob Autridge isn't one to make excuses.
And he's not looking to excuse himself if Captain Jingle fails to figure in tomorrow's $70,000 PGG Wrightson Grand National Steeplechase.
But the perfectionist in Autridge knows that missing the first day of the three-day Riccarton carnival last Saturday, might just have cost him another Grand National.
Captain Jingle, one of the emerging excitement machines of jumps racing, ran well below his best when only sixth in Wednesday's lead-up Koral Steeplechase, which was meant to be run last weekend.
And now Autridge says he can only hope he's been able to make up the shortfall in conditioning.
"It's a shame we didn't get six days between racing instead of two, which was what we'd been planning on when we left home.
"The only thing is, it's the same for everybody," he said yesterday.
Captain Jingle looked to be under pressure a fair way out on Wednesday, with rider Jonathan Riddell riding him along hard for much of the final 1600m.
"He said he jumped well throughout the race, but he struggled getting out of the ground on the landing side of his fences in the final stages.
"The ground was very testing."
Autridge is relying on several factors to help turn the talented jumper's luck around.
"We've got a beautiful day here today and I'm hoping we get the same tomorrow and on Saturday. If we do the track will come back a little in condition.
"Also, the extra distance is in our favour. If you look at all the races he's either placed in or won, the distance has been longer than the 4150m they ran yesterday.
"And they won't be going along at that same speed - they'll be gasping if they do."
