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Michael 'Mouse' Morris first came to prominence as a leading amateur jockey, before turning professional is 1975. Throughout the next 6 years he rode the winners of the Grand National, the National Hunt Festival in Cheltenham as well as the Queen Mother Champion Chase - twice. As soon as his days as a jockey were over he quickly turned his hand to National Hunt training and one of his first horses Buckhouse, brought him quick success - he gave Morris his first winner at the Cheltenham Festival when prevailing in the 1983 Supreme Novice Hurdle but it was when he went over fences that his true potential was realised, and he reached the very top claiming a superb victory in the 1986 Queen Mother Champion Chase under Tommy Carmody. Mouse Morris trains up to 50 horses at a time on the 80 acres surrounding his home at Everardsgrange in Co. Tipperary, Ireland. The private facilities include schooling grounds, grass and all-weather gallops which are renowned for being amongst the best in Europe. Everardsgrange has 45 boxes to house the horses, a 10 Horse walker and a 0.5 mile sand gallop making it the ideal place to train horses. Due to Mouse's huge ability with horses and his amazing training facilities, since Buck House, he has had success with horses such as - Boss Doyle, Foxchapel King, His Song, What a Question, Doorstep, Attitude Adjuster, Door Latch, Aonoch, Lastofthebrownies, Trapper John and Cahervillahow. Mouse Morris has indeed proved himself time and time again to be a hugely talented trainer and is able to get the best from injury prone horses, a prime example being Keepatem, owned by JP McManus. Between January 2000 and April 2004 he won three times over hurdles and finished twice in the frame in the Martell Cognac Handicap Hurdle at the Aintree Grand National meeting. Things got even better however when under a vintage waiting ride, he landed an impressive gamble in the 2004 renewal of the Paddy Power Chase, on only his fifth start over fences, having been shrewdly campaigned in the months leading up to the race. War Of Attrition is a horse who had endured an uneasy start to his career, winning a few important races but only managing to place second in several more, however the 2005-2006 National Hunt season will always be remembered for the feats of War Of Attrition. Mouse believed that he was capable one day of winning a Gold Cup at Cheltenham, and on St Patrick's Day, he led home an Irish 1-2-3 defeating compatriots Hedgehunter and Forget The Past. War of Attrition proved himself again in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown, took the Guinness Punchestown Gold Cup, and was crowned Champion Three-Mile-Chaser at the Anglo-Irish Jumps Awards. Two Mouse-trained horses are racing in the Grand National on April the 4th – War Of Attrition and Hear the Echo, who won the Irish Grand National last year at odds of 33/1. Make sure you get your bets on, as it's quite likely that given their training, one of them could be a winner!
Do you want to know how to pick a winner in the Grand National? Our free guide to the Grand National at Aintree can help you pick a champion.
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