118th Grand National Hurdle Stakes (Grade 1)
NICK Peacock and Sue Gaskin stopped. About halfway between the finish line and the last hurdle at Far Hills Steeplechase last Saturday, the couple stopped, stood and stared. Unable to go closer, unable to walk away, just two people hoping for a miracle.
Far Hills director Guy Torsilieri saw the couple, who he had met earlier in the week, and began to make the same walk, his legs leaden, his heart heavy.
The trio met again and hugged, a long, time-standing-still hug of sadness and disbelief. Torsilieri was meant to be handing the American Grand National gold trophy to Peacock, Gaskin, Patrick Mullins, Paul Townend – another celebration, another pinnacle from their pinnacle-providing, once-in-a-lifetime horse, Wicklow Brave.
Screens
Instead, the screens went up, a long, red equine ambulance pivoted into place, two outriders rode away wiping tears from their eyes, assistant Patrick Mullins and groom Jason Dear confronted the worst and Wicklow Brave breathed his last breaths.
Mullins’ words from an hour earlier ringing hallow and haunting.
“He’s an absolute character of a horse. He always seems to run well. He’s settled in well, Jason is very happy with him. I don’t think the trip is a problem, the ground is perfect,” Mullins said on his way back to the barn three races earlier. “He schooled, he was a bit careful yesterday. I think in a race with horses around him, he’ll be fine. If he runs to his best form, he wins, doesn’t he? You don’t know. You don’t know.”
No, you never know.
Challengers
Making his 59th start in a career that had taken him around the world, Wicklow Brave had jumped tepidly early and brilliantly later, piling on the coals to turn back all challengers. Turning for home and attacking the hill for the third time, Wicklow Brave dispatched his last rival, British raider Brain Power, and aimed at the last hurdle… if he jumps the last, he wins, doesn’t he?
Nico de Boinville, aboard Brain Power, had the best and worst seat in the house.
“I was beat at the time,” de Boinville said. “I would not have gotten past him.”
The live-wire act that is racing.
Henderson
Owned by Michael Buckley and trained by Nicky Henderson, Brain Power recaptured the form that had propelled him to a 162 rating in an eight-win career. Bred in Ireland by David Harvey, Brain Power won the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December but pulled up in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March and Scottish Champion Hurdle in April.
Henderson and Buckley put him away then and aimed at Far Hills. In the end, Brain Power scored by 15 lengths over Scorpiancer and Moscato. Last year’s winner, Jury Duty, finished fourth.
“He loves it here. America is really his place,” de Boinville said. “He likes the ground, he loves those fences, they are ideal, they fill his eye and he respects them. He’s different gear here. Different gear. But, I was beat, I was beat. Full credit to Willie Mullins and Wicklow Brave.”
Buckley accepted the trophies, congratulated de Boinville and answered questions asked by television host Megan Connolly, but he was miles and miles away.
“Horrible. Horrible,” Buckley said. “I was going to say something, but what do you say?”
WILLIE Mullins’ day had started very differently. Pravalaguna made her American debut in the Peapack Hurdle, a $75,000 filly and mare hurdle stakes and did what she was meant to do, trouncing eight overmatched rivals.
Owned in Ireland by America’s leading steeplechase owner, Bruton Street US, the seven-year-old mare simplified the excursion with a front-running demolition job, scoring by eight lengths under Townend.
Exiting a fifth-place finish in the Kerry National, the mare earned her fifth win over hurdles and eighth in her career.
“She’s incredibly versatile, she’s won going two miles, three miles, she’s won in the winter, won in the summer,” assistant Patrick Mullins said.
“She’s a very masculine mare, sometimes you’re trying to keep the condition on them so you have to be easy on them. She hasn’t missed a nut since she’s come over here, we give her plenty of work, we give her plenty of racing and she thrives on it.
“You can’t do it with every horse, but it’s her constitution, she eats so well, she’s so strong, she’s able to take her racing, if she was a little feminine filly, you couldn’t do that.”
Pravalaguna stayed in America and could take on the best in the sport next spring.
“Her options at home are kind of limited, she’s got to the top of the handicaps, this looked like a good opportunity,” Mullins said. “They were keen to come and we wanted a winner in America. My grandfather did it with Grabel.”
Global Freedom another American winner for Elliott
GORDON Elliott targets Cheltenham, Punchestown, Aintree, of course. Far Hills? Sure, it’s on the list. The Irish-based trainer raided the Gladstone, a $50,000 three-year-old hurdle stakes, yet again this year with Global Freedom.
The son of Maxios exited Ed Dunlop’s British stable this summer, made his first two starts over hurdles for the Little Emperor Syndicate before being purchased by George Mahoney’s Rosbrian Farm for a final start over hurdles at Down Royal and a winning American debut.
Robbie Power picked up $3,000 spending money on his trip to ride Jury Duty, opting to allow Must See The Doc, purchased by Irv Naylor after winning two of three starts in England, to pester Elftiz on the lead. Global Freedom rallied to run down Must See The Doc to win by two and three-quarter lengths.
“They started racing a long way out, kind of put him on his head early, he came back into the race well. There was no sense forcing it, I couldn’t go anyway,” Power said.
“It was a big call from Gordon to bring him over, he’ll improve an awful lot with the experience over those hurdles, I think he’ll stay here and he’ll be a nice horse here.”
AMERICAN-bred horses managed to win two of the seven stakes on the card. Leading trainer Jack Fisher provided the two winners, Snap Decision and Pik Em, for the home team.
Snap Decision won his fourth consecutive start over hurdles and secured the novice championship with a facile win in the Foxbrook Champion Hurdle. Bred by Phipps Stable, the son of Hard Spun tracked the pace set by stablemate Storm Team, took over with his usual stamina, holding off the Irish raider Days Without End by four and three-quarter lengths.