Betway Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1)

EPATANTE (Nicky Henderson/Aidan Coleman) was back to her very best when second to Honeysuckle at Cheltenham, and had no problem with the extra half mile as she added the Aintree Hurdle to her list of wins.

The 2/1 second favourite beat Monmiral (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) by 14 lengths, after main challenger Zanahiyr crashed out at the last with the race still in the balance.

Epatante looked to be going best when Zanahiyr fell, causing Guard Your Dreams to be unseated, and the way she powered home left little doubt that she would have won without that help.

Winning trainer Nicky Henderson said: “She’s right back to her best. That’s the first time she has ever been two and a half miles and she got it standing on her head.

“She’s quickened very well and her jumping was electric.

“She’s just been back to herself, we didn’t have to change an awful lot. She needs her confidence, and she’s got it back as you can see.”

On the subject of her future targets, Henderson added, with a wry smile: “Something like Constitution Hill might come into the equation. We’ll see where they all go, and worry about that later.”

Clan heading to Punchestown after his second Bowl success

Betway Bowl (Grade 1)

CLAN Des Obeaux brightened Paul Nicholls’s day even as the rain came down, as he landed back-to-back Betway Bowls, hanging on by a length from Davy Russell and Conflated, having looked sure to score comfortably jumping the final fence.

Russell got a fine late rally out of Gordon Elliott’s Irish Gold Cup winner, but it was more a case of the winner having reached the end of his tether, having been sent for home by Harry Cobden after leading three fences out.

Kemboy (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) made the running, but his jumping wasn’t good enough to enable him to repeat his 2019 win, and he finished a respectable third.

Clan Des Obeaux had the same prep as last year, but disappointed in the Denman Chase in February, and was allowed to go off a 13/2 chance this time. He wore blinkers for the first time here, which may have been the reason why he travelled much more sweetly than at Newbury. Favourite Protektorat travelled well enough on the first circuit, but he and Royale Pagaille had endured hard races in the Gold Cup, and the pair faded in the straight to be fourth and fifth.

Asked about the decision to fit blinkers for the first time on the 10-year-old, Paul Nicholls said: “We just tried to do something different with him, it’s just sharpened him up so much. He was getting a bit idle, he’s pricked his ears before the line there. When they get a bit older they know the routine, they get a bit lazy.

“I’ve been pulling my hair out since Christmas to be honest with you. To get him back looking like that is a team effort. He’ll definitely go to Punchestown now, that was always the plan.”

Controversial decision gives Knight Salute outright win

Jewson Anniversary Four-Year-Old Hurdle (Grade 1)

MILTON Harris capped a fine season as Knight Salute (Paddy Brennan) was awarded the Jewson Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle by the stewards, having produced a thrilling dead-heat with Pied Piper (Gordon Elliott/Davy Russell) in the first instance. The pair were involved in a ding-dong tussle from the final flight, pulling 12 lengths clear of Fred Winter winner Brazil (Padraig Roche/Mark Walsh) in the process.

Knight Salute was sent off at 14/1 after running his only moderate race over hurdles in the Triumph, but he was better suited by the relative test of speed here, and was delivered late by Brennan to nab the idling favourite, only for Pied Piper to rally.

Pied Piper appeared in control between the last two flights, but jumped left at the last, crossing Knight Salute, and it was that incident which led to the stewards demoting Gordon Elliott’s 10/11 market leader, a decision which was not universally popular, including with connections of the promoted winner. Brennan told the stewards he felt the contact did not affect the result and he was happy with the outcome, but his verdict was rejected.

Milton Harris, saddling his first Grade 1 winner of a rather turbulent career, was typically forthright in his post-race opinions: “He could run anything down, this horse, but the juveniles are still 15lb below the Champion Hurdle horses. That’s why we were going to take him for a race in America later in the year with a view to possibly selling him.”

“[The disqualification] doesn’t sit well with me, it’s not the way I like to play sport, but that’s the rules – I just feel sorry for the second, I thought it was a good battle and it’s a shame to see someone demoted.”

Millers is much the

best back in Aintree

SSS Super Alloys Manifesto Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

MILLERS Bank (Alex Hales/Kielan Woods) ran his best race over hurdles at this meeting last year, and showed his liking for the track with an improved effort to land the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase, produced to take the lead at the last, and sprinting clear from War Lord (Colin Tizzard/Brendan Powell) to win by 10 lengths at an SP of 7/1.

Millers Bank was third in the Aintree Hurdle 12 months ago, and looked set for big things when winning on his chasing bow, but he unseated on his next two starts, leaving Hales to go back to the drawing board. He ran well after a wind-op to be second to Pic D’Orhy in the Grade 2 Pendil at Kempton in February, but needed to step up on that to win here.

Pic D’Orhy and Erne River were let down by their jumping, the former blundering badly at the 12th, and the latter a faller two fences earlier. That said, War Lord seemed to run his race, and was beaten a similar distance in the Arkle on his previous start.

This was a first Grade 1 for Hales, who also bred the winner with wife Sally, and he couldn’t hide his delight: “That was fun, wasn’t it? We’ve worked so hard for so long and to find a horse like this and do it here is wonderful. It’s hard to compete at this level and to have winners anywhere.

“For small trainers like us, it’s brilliant to come here on the top stage and do it. I’m just delighted for the team, Sally, Kielan, and Harry [Bannister].”

Family triumph comes to pass in Foxhunters

Rest of the Card

THE Foxhunters’ Chase was a family triumph as Tom Ellis saddled 7/2 fancy Latenightpass to better last year’s second in this race, with wife Gina Andrews in the saddle.

The decision to swerve Cheltenham this year paid off in spades, as Latenightpass held off the determined challenge of David Maxwell on Cat Tiger to win by one and a quarter lengths. The winner is owned and bred by Tom’s mother.

The Last Day (Evan Williams/Adam Wedge) has ben a hard horse to keep right, but was produced at his peak on the day to land the Red Rum Chase from Henry de Bromhead’s front-running Dancing On My Own (Darragh O’Keeffe), winning by two and a half lengths at an SP of 12/1.

Williams deserves great credit, given the winner had taken a heavy fall on his return to action at Haydock, but he is best fresh, and the trainer opted against a confidence-boosting run, and that move paid off.

“Willie’s in the bumper” is a popular cry, and the maxim proved spot on again as Ashroe Diamond proved a class apart under son Patrick to beat Gavin Cromwell’s Law Ella (Aidan Coleman) by six lengths, having been gambled into 9/4 favouritism for the Grade 2 Nickel Coin Mares’ Bumper.