EVEN exceptional races on the Grand National undercard tend to get overshadowed by the main event, especially when there is a Tiger Roll about. But, rather like when Red Rum won his historic third Grand National in 1977 accompanied by an epic dead-heat between Monksfield and Night Nurse on the same card’s Templegate Hurdle, people will not forget in a hurry a magnificent finish to Saturday’s Grade 1 Ryanair Stayers’ Hurdle, either.

Less than half a length separated If The Cap Fits (158 timefigure) and the mares Roksana and Apple’s Jade (both 151) come the line, with the first-named overcoming traffic problems and a blunder at the last to edge it. Never mind that Apple’s Jade was again not at her best, the winner has the potential to do even better at staying trips next season.

SPECTRUM

Ornua is at the other end of the distance spectrum as a fast-jumping two-miler, and rapidly drying conditions on Saturday played to his strengths in the Grade 1 Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase, which he took by a length and three-quarters from the Arkle Chase runner-up Us And Them. A 153 timefigure (151 on Us And Them) has him well behind 170-rated Duc Des Genievres, however.

Reserve Tank won a slightly under-strength Grade 1 Betway Mersey Novices’ Hurdle with a 140 timefigure. Aux Ptits Soins (just 0.5s slower than If The Cap Fits was later on) ran a new personal best of 157 in the opening handicap hurdle, Kildisart returned a 137 timefigure in victory in a three-mile handicap chase which was a bit too strongly-run (second-placed Mister Malarky is understandably on many people’s radar as a Grand National horse of the future) and Chief Justice took the finale.

The last-named (137 timefigure) struck a blow for four-year-olds in the amateur riders’ handicap hurdle, and there is a suspicion that the juvenile hurdlers are a decent bunch, even though it is not cut-and-dried as to which of them is, or was, the best.