William Hill Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1)

THERE was no Lossiemouth in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle, but her presence was palpable as the quartet who chased her home in last month’s dominated the finish of the feature race in the same order that they had finished at Cheltenham.

Brighterdaysahead (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) was a heavily backed favourite after the wellbeing of the stable had been confirmed in the opening race and the 13/8 favourite looked happier taking a lead from Potters Charm than when having to act as pacemaker in the Champion, jumping boldly and accurately before pressing on from the seventh flight.

She made her only mistake at the third-last hurdle, and keeping on well after producing a better jump than The New Lion at the last to gain a commanding success by two and a quarter lengths.

Alexei (Joe Tizzard/Brendan Powell) was a creditable third, beaten three and three-quarter lengths in total, but unable to raise a serious challenge to the strong-travelling winner.

Relished the test

Brighterdaysahead had beaten Lossiemouth on merit in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown but is not in her element at Cheltenham’s Old Course and relished the stiffer test and long straights here as she got back to her best.

“Brighterdaysahead is a champion and we’re very proud of her,” said Gordon Elliott. “I think two and a half miles is her trip and we’re very happy. It was easy to watch and she was travelling great the whole way, but I was still nervous.

“She ran a great race at Cheltenham this year and the fact she hasn’t won there is unfortunate, but hopefully the best is to come. I’d imagine that would be it for the year.” As for her next race, he added: “I’d imagine she’s going to go chasing. She was supposed to go chasing this season and was entered up, but she pulled a muscle and that’s why she didn’t go.”

Racing Welfare Bowl (Grade 1)

THE ups and downs of racing were well advertised as Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville followed Lulamba’s humiliation by taking the Grade 1 Racing Welfare Bowl with Gold Cup runner-up Jango Baie, who overcame a mixed round of jumping to beat Protektorat (Dan/Harry Skelton) by 16 lengths.

The evens favourite was facing a challenge from Impaire Et Passe when that rival crashed out in the straight, allowing him to stroll home for a rather hollow victory.

The race was marked by mistakes from several of the runners, notably Spillane’s Tower, who was eventually pulled up after a series of errors, while the winner warmed to his task when seeing daylight on the second circuit, albeit not needing to improve to go one better than at Cheltenham.

“He looked a sharper horse today to me than maybe he did even in the King George,” mused Nicky Henderson. “Kempton and the Gold Cup are the two obvious races next season. I can’t see any reason to change it.”

GORDON Elliott managed just one winner at Cheltenham last month, but he matched that in the very first race of the Grand National Meeting as Mange Tout (Jack Kennedy) beat Selma De Vary (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) in the Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle under a tactically astute ride.

Sent off 5/1, Mange Tout showed the benefit of missing Cheltenham and settled better than when a place behind Selma De Vary at the DRF, making ground to lead at the penultimate flight and finding plenty to win by thee-parts of a length, with outsider Indian River (Adrian Keatley/Danny McMenamin) third, another three and a half lengths away.

Elliott said: “Jack gave her a beautiful ride. We said we’d drop her out completely and see how she settled – she was too keen at Leopardstown the last day – put a hood on her, put a sheepskin [noseband] on and try something different; it was a good performance.

“She’s actually put on a lot of weight. We were thinking of going to Cheltenham but we felt the week before she was very light.

“I thought Jack won the race from the fourth last to the third last and you could see Paul trying to hold him in and he just got out and got his position; that’s race riding.”

William Hill Manifesto Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

THE complexion of the Grade 1 William Hill Manifesto Chase changed dramatically when odds-on favourite Lulamba propped on landing and unseated Nico de Boinville at the 10th fence.

It left the way clear for 3/1 second favourite Koktail Divin (Henry de Bromhead/Darragh O’Keeffe) to beat Blueking d’Oroux (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) and Mambonumberfive (Ben Pauling/Ben Jones) by two and a quarter lengths and eight lengths.

Koktail Divin, Mambonumberfive and Blueking d’Oroux were all keen to get on with things, but the race settled down after the favourite’s unfortunate departure, and the trio turned for home with little separating them.

A mistake by Blueking d’Oroux at the third-last seemed to gift the race to Koktail Divin, but the runner-up rallied from the final fence to ensure the winner had to be kept up to his work.

The winner travelled well in the three miles, one-furlong Brown Advisory (Broadway) Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last month before finding the trip stretching his stamina and clearly appreciated the return to shorter here.

Superb

O’Keeffe told Racing TV: “His jumping was superb again today. I couldn’t really hear a whole lot coming down the back straight but I could hear the commentator gasp so I knew Lulamba had disappeared from my inside.

“I think over this trip you can really use his jumping and use his stride whereas at Cheltenham I jumped really well but I was always taking him back; today, if I gained a length I could keep it. He’s only a six-year-old but it’s great to get a Grade 1 winner.”

De Bromhead added: “We hoped on better ground he would stay [at Cheltenham]; he didn’t - he looked the winner to my eye turning in - and so we said we’d drop back in trip and give this a go.

“Darragh was brilliant on him and I’m delighted for the Maloney family, who are massive supporters of ours.”

Rest of the Card

RYAN’S Rocket (Fergal O’Brien/Jonathan Burke) was suited by the hectic pace when winning the Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase at 14/1, having been fancied for the Grand Annual at Cheltenham last month where he missed the cut.

Ryan’s Rocket can be let down by his jumping at a slower pace, but seems to come alive when going a stride faster, and Burke rode him close to the strong pace set by dual winner Sans Bruit, with Highlands Legacy (Jonjo & A J O’Neill/Jonjo Jr) also close up in a race that typically suited those ridden prominently.

Coming to the last, the race looked in the balance, but Highlands Legacy made a mistake that Jonjo O’Neill Jr did well to survive, allowing Ryan’s Rocket to score by three and a half lengths, with Sans Bruit weakening late for third.

Snow’s lap of honour

The Randox Foxhunters’ turned into a lap of honour for Cheltenham hero Barton Snow, with Henry Crow reprising his armchair ride on Joe O’Shea’s star as he positively cruised to victory in the two-mile contest, justifying the confidence of those who backed him into 7/4 favourite.

He won by seven lengths from the Mags Mullins-trained Let’s Go Champ (Sophie Carter), with the always-prominent Take All (Myles Osborne/Sam Scott) third.

The concluding mares’ bumper commemorates the feat of Nickel Coin, who remains the last mare to win the Grand National in 1951. The latest renewal saw Nan’s Choice (Dan /Harry Skelton) score on debut for new connections having won a Gowran bumper for Conor Houlihan in February. She beat the Gavin Cromwell-trained Lennon Grove by a length and a quarter at odds of 9/2 and looks a good hurdling prospect.