Aintree Saturday
Randox Grand National Handicap Chase
THERE may have been several Grade 1 races on the card, but the eyes of the world, as always, were focused primarily on the Randox Grand National last Saturday afternoon, and the race provided more spectacle than a few recent renewals and saw history made as I Am Maximus (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) carried top weight to victory.
The heavily-backed 9/2 favourite landing one reported bet of £800k to £100k with rails bookmaker Fitzwilliam, which sparked a wholesale gamble.
Townend was coolness personified as he delivered the winner at the elbow to run down Jordans (Joseph O’Brien/Ben Jones), who had gone from last to first only to falter late, conceding second to Iroko (Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero/Jonjo O’Neill Jr) close home with Johnnywho (Jonjo and A J O’Neill/Richie McLernon) making it three of the first four finishers to represent leading owner J.P. McManus.
The first four home were covered by just four and a quarter lengths in a race that gripped from start to finish.
To defy 11st 12lb in a modern Grand National geared towards high-class chasers rather than the plodders of yesteryear, I Am Maximus was showing himself to be one of the best winners of the Aintree marathon in living memory; comparing current champions with those of the past is complicated by the huge modifications made to the track in recent years, but nonetheless, it’s impossible not to make some comparison with the great Red Rum, with I Am Maximus carrying the biggest weight to victory since “Rummy” scored in 1974 with 12st and more weight than any other winner since WWII.
Regaining the crown
He was also the first horse to regain the Grand National crown since Red Rum in 1977, with the latter the only one to achieve that feat in the 20th Century. Now it just remains for him to win one more (and finish second in another) to equal the full heroics of Red Rum over Aintree’s formidable fences.
On the subject of historical records, Willie Mullins was also emulating a great from the past, with I Am Maximus his third consecutive winner of the National, equalling the feat of Vincent O’Brien, who sent out Early Mist, Royal Tan and Quare Times to win in 1953, 1954 and 1955. That will mean a lot to Mullins, who became the first Irish-based trainer to win the British Trainers’ Championship since O’Brien did so in the midst of the great run of triumphs.
In all, 16 of the 34 starters completed the course, with four pulled up, leaving 14 who either fell or unseated, a significant increase in the totals of recent years, but with no fatalities on the day, which will be welcome news to the race’s organisers at the Jockey Club and BHA.
“I Am Maximus is tough isn’t he,” beamed the winning jockey on ITV. “When they jumped off, I got into a nice rhythm again – I still didn’t think he travelled with the enthusiasm of the first year, but I just thought the cheekpieces helped me in the middle part of the race.
On the subject of not committing early to counter Ben Jones’s move on Jordans, he added: “I saw the horse in front and I wasn’t going to be the one to go chasing them. I was able to get a lead to the elbow and I didn’t know where the loose horse was going. He’s so good and has got such an engine. He’d gallop to the end of the world for you and I’m privileged to have anything to do with him. What a clever horse.”
The world’s toughest steeplechase
Some may point to the number of fallers, three of whom needed veterinary supervision on the day, as a sign that further changes may be necessary, but a race that bills itself as the world’s toughest steeplechase cannot exist on a manifesto of minimising fallers.
I think the balance has been struck correctly at present between ensuring the Grand National provides the ultimate spectacle, while removing strictly unnecessary risks. There will, by the very definition of the sport, always be an element of risk, but jumping fences is the fundamental challenge of the race and reducing that challenge further goes against the grain.
As mentioned here before, I believe that the relatively small reduction in field size has done plenty to make the race safer, and the only other aim I would have is to find a way that horses can spread out more without conceding a significant advantage. Paul Townend was keen to stay close to the inside all the way, and that has understandably become the norm in recent years.
If someone can alter the course layout to take away the “shortest-route bias”, then the fields will spread out, reducing the risk of incident, and providing an even better spectacle. It’s more than my puny brain can manage, but there might be someone out there who can find the perfect solution. Jockey Club Racecourses would love to hear from them.
Jet2 Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1)
THE victory of Home By The Lee (Joseph O’Brien/J.J. Slevin) in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham came at odds of 33/1 and was viewed in some quarters as proof that the result was a fluke of sorts, but connections have always had complete belief in the 11-year-old, and he silenced his critics by following up in game style in the Grade 1 Jet2 Liverpool Hurdle, benefiting from following front-runner Hewick and shrugging off several challenges before pulling away to beat Take No Chances (Dan/Harry Skelton) by seven lengths.
Honesty Policy (Gordon Elliott/Mark Walsh) – sporting a first-time tongue-tie - started favourite after an encouraging fifth to Home By The Lee at Cheltenham, but fared no better here and was beaten a further length and a quarter in third, while former winner Strong Leader flopped badly and was pulled up, having had wind surgery since his previous outing.
“We’ve been riding Home By The Lee a bit different this season and obviously he’s in great shape,” said the winning trainer. “We’ve been learning about him as well and Hewick has set up the two races for him pretty good, because it’s hard to get a horse to put on the tempo all of the way.
“We had a plan that J.J. would inject some pace down the back straight with a circuit to go and then whoever would beat him would outstay him, but he outstayed everyone at Cheltenham and he outstayed everyone today. He’s a superstar, but he’s a tricky customer, you know, and not an easy one to deal with.”
Maghull Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
THE opening Hallgarten & Novum Wines Maghull Novices’ Chase provided the surprise of the day, with the Grade 1 contest going to Mirabad (Dan Skelton/Tristan Durrell) at odds of 50/1.
Previously beaten in a three-runner novice at Bangor, Mirabad was gaining a first win since his chase debut, and beat better-fancied stablemate Be Aware (Harry Skelton) into third, with the pair split by odds-on favourite Salvator Mundi (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend). The margins were six lengths and two lengths, with Mirabad the beneficiary of a late pace collapse. The winner was improving a little on the pick of his form, but seemed to be greatly helped by being held-up in a race where the placed horses undid each other in a destructive battle for supremacy.
Connections of the winner do deserve credit for not persisting with aggressive tactics on him, as he had made the running on all but one of his previous chase starts. Panic Attack’s early Grand National fall was a low point for the Skelton team, but Mirabad’s win was the first of four on the supporting card for the champion trainer-elect and things have never looked rosier in Alcester.
Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
DAN Skelton’s day got twice as good when 11/4 joint-favourite Bossman Jack (Harry Skelton) powered home through a heavy shower to beat stable companion Soldier Reeves (Tristan Durrell) by five and a half lengths in the Grade 1 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle. Ballyfad (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy), the other joint-favourite, was third, losing out on the silver medal by a short head.
This particular Turners was giving another boost to the sponsor’s two-mile, five-furlong novice at Cheltenham last month, with the first three all unplaced behind King Rasko Grey at Prestbury Park, while Turners runner-up Zeus Power did his bit for the form when winning the Sefton on Friday.
“Bossman Jack looked like a very good horse and the mistake at the last at Cheltenham probably cost him second,” mused Dan Skelton. “He’s got a big engine, but a child’s brain. He didn’t jump the best on the way round, but hopefully it’s all ahead of him. He could be very good. Hopefully, it all gets easier for him mentally and he’ll understand things a bit better and his jumping will get more reliable. I wouldn’t call him Gold Cup class as there’s a long way to go, but he could be really, really good.”
Three of four
Mr Hope Street (Dan/Harry Skelton) was another winner on a red-letter day for the stable, when taking the Freebooter Handicap Chase in the Noel Fehily Racing colours, with the gelding getting the better of favourite Lookaway (Neil King/Jack Quinlan) from the final fence to win by a head, with the pair six lengths clear. This was a third of four winners on the card for the trainer, who revealed that he only just managed to get the gelding to the race after a mid-season injury.
“Mr Hope Street is a good horse,” said Skelton. “But mid-season he had a hind high suspensory injury and it just meant we had to back off him. He was ready last week, but I literally had one week in hand, that was it, so everything had to go to plan. I took him for a day out three weeks ago – he had a canter round a point-to-point just to get a sweat on when he got off the lorry, and it was really necessary and put him spot-on.
“It’s remarkable how it’s all coming together today. Harry gave him a beautiful ride. He’s only a baby and has only had three runs over hurdles; I knew there was going to be the odd mistake in there, but luckily they weren’t too big. I said to Harry when he went out there, if you’re going to win, just get there late; I think he gets three miles – I’m not sure he gets three miles two.”
Rest of the card
BILL Durkan just missed out on a double at the meeting, when Eagle Fang (Patrick O’Brien) finished a creditable second to the mercurial Wade Out (Olly Murphy/Gavin Sheehan) in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle, but that fine achievement was tarnished when connections discovered that Laafi was to be disqualified from his victory on Friday due to his rider falling foul of the new whip rules.
The Whip Review Committee found that jockey Patrick O’Brien had used his stick 11 times after the second last hurdle, four above the permitted level of seven, and moved to disqualify the horse as a result. O’Brien was also banned for 28 days.
Dan Skelton completed a famous day when Forthfactor (Heidi Palin) scored a 10/1 success in the Grade 2 bumper that closed the card, beating the Willie Mullins-trained Look Me (Paul Townend) in the process. Champion Bumper third Bass Hunter proved a disappointment turned out fairly quickly after his Cheltenham run, but remains one to be positive about when going hurdling.