It's all going swimmingly...

Water therapy and core-building for equine competitors

- BY CHRIS RICHES

Taking a dip in the pool and soaking up rays in a solarium might sound like a luxury spa, but it’s also the life of a Grand National winner at the UK's top racing yards.

That's because in three days’ time, 800 million sports fans will watch with bated breath as 34 horses gallop around the course of the 187-year-old race dubbed the “world’s greatest steeplechase” at Aintree in Liverpool.

And, despite the excitement and adoration the spectacle draws, few know the effort, love and dedication it takes to train horses to run and leap 30 fences over the four-mile and 514-yard long distance.

So, I'm here at Grand National-winning trainer Jonjo O’Neill’s Jackdaws Castle yard in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, to see how his equine charges including 16/1 Saturday hopeful Johnnywho are being treated to a first-rate service in hope of a first-place finish.

Here, some 116 horses enjoy state-of-the-art training, nutrition, science and loving care under the watchful eye of Jonjo, his family and his staff. “They're very good at swimming,” smiles racing groom Hayley Meeking, 35, as we watch seven-year-old gelding Hawthorn Street doggy-paddle his way around the unique two-metre deep equine pool.

“Each horse is different. This horse, having completed two canters, will do three minutes of work and three minutes in the water. We have another horse, he'll do two canters, but he'll do eight minutes and eight minutes. It really depends.”

I watch as the yard’s pool expert John Dina leads Hawthorn Street around the oval aqua-track. It's so deep the horse cannot touch the bottom and gets a good swim workout.

AJ O'Neill, 26, is one of racing legend Jonjo’s sons and a top trainer. “Some horses may have a niggle, but the water takes the pressure off their limbs so they can still exercise,” he adds. “They're still getting that cardio-masculine fitness without the most weight-bearing aspects.”