West Ham link with Grand National runner

West Ham United-supporting racehorse owner Andrew Gemmell has a horse in the Grand National today called Discorama.

The Shropshire-born former shop steward and Westminster Council official Gemmell started supporting West Ham when he went along to the Boleyn Ground with workmates after moving to London,

The Hammers fan who has been blind since birth found success with his wonder horse Paisley Park in 2019 who also runs today at Aintree.

Joint-owner is Tom Friel who is the landlord of the Black Lion pub in Plaistow, once a popular destination for West Ham fans.

The Irishman plans to reopen the venue, once popular with West Ham players such as Bobby Moore and Harry Redknapp, next month.

A sound jumper and a proven stayer, Discorama is set to carry a handcap racing weight of 10st 6lb and has been attracting very strong each-way support.

Discorama did not line up at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, side-stepping the meeting in favour of a trip to Liverpool – having run well in March at Prestbury Park for the previous three seasons without enjoying a victory.

In fact, despite a string of admirable performances in graded races, Discorama has not won at all since triumphing on his chasing debut in 2018 – something County Wexford-based trainer Paul Nolan attributes to both his running style and a degree of misfortune. Discorama was runner-up in the National Hunt Chase.

Discorama is currently on odds of around 22/1