PART II
DIARY – AINTREE FESTIVAL
GRAND NATIONAL DAY
SATURDAY 14 APRIL 2018
|
This year’s Grand National
winner, the Gordon Elliott-trained Tiger
Roll, ridden by Davy Russell Click here to read my Grand National Day Diary Part I The favourite for the next race was
Sam Spinner, trained by Jedd O’Keeffe and ridden by
Joe Colliver; price 6-5. There
were no greys in this race. The start of this race was part way
down the home straight, with one flight therein to jump and therefore just
over 2 circuits to travel.
And
then they were off, with Coole Cody leading the
runners towards the first flight, from the favourite Sam Spinner; bringing up
the rear at this earlier stage was Identity Thief. Having cleared the first obstacle in their
stride, the field headed down past the winning post with two circuits ahead
of them. The
leader, which was sporting a hood, was three lengths clear of his rivals as
they travelled around the bottom bend; Sam Spinner led the remainder, from
Lil Rockerfeller, Wholestone,
Thomas Campbell, Old Guard, The Worlds End, Serienschock,
Identity Thief and Shelford. Having
entered the back straight, the runners soon headed over the second flight; as
would be expected from this calibre of competitor, they all jumped it
well. The horses journeyed along the
back straight with Coole Cody continuing to lead
the way and Shelford remaining at the back of the
field; the latter nodded slightly on landing over the third. The
runners crossed over the sanded track-way prior to jumping the fourth flight;
Wholestone was slightly less fluent than his rivals
at this one. Subsequently they headed
into the far turn with no change at the head of affairs, although his
advantage had been reduced to just a length at this point. Coole Cody led the competitors into the
home straight, from Sam Spinner, Lil Rockerfeller, Wholestone, Thomas Campbell, Old Guard, The Worlds End, Serienschock, Identity Thief and Shelford. The favourite jumped the next flight a
little untidily, with jockey Joe Colliver
subsequently reorganising his reins.
Lil Rockerfeller was pushed along briefly
following the flight also. The
runners continued their journey to the sixth flight, with Sean Flanagan
redirecting Identity Thief after the obstacle because The Worlds End briefly
took his ground. The field had now
completed one circuit. The following
hurdle would be the final obstacle on the next circuit; once again Sam
Spinner was a little awkward here, having jinked slightly and gone up in the
air in order to avoid contact with the flight. Coole Cody retained the advantage as the
competitors headed down past the winning post, now with one circuit to
travel. Lil Rockerfeller
was struggling to retain his position as the horses travelled around the
bottom bend; jockey Trevor Whelan bumping up and down in the saddle at least
thirty times. I don’t like to see
jockeys doing this, as there is a school of thought that this can inflict damage
to a horse’s spine in the long term. There
was no change at the head of affairs as the runners entered the back
straight; Sam Spinner continued to hold second position, from Wholestone, Lil Rockerfeller,
Thomas Campbell, Old Guard, The Worlds End, Serienschock,
Identity Thief and Shelford. The runners cleared the first flight
therein without incident. Having
retained his position initially, and with the pace increasing, Lil Rockerfeller now came under pressure once more; he didn’t
jump the next flight particularly well and received a couple of reminders for
his trouble. Sam Spinner was almost
eye-balling the long-time leader as the field headed across the sanded
track-way on their way to four out; Coole Cody
bunny-hopped this one and Lil Rockerfeller had
dropped back through the field. The
favourite held a narrow advantage as the runners headed into the far turn,
from Coole Cody, Wholestone
and the improved The Worlds End. Also
in the leading group were Old Guard and Identity Thief; Serienschock
led the remainder. Coole Cody soon gave way and dropped back
through the field; Sam Spinner continued to lead and he was being pressed by
The Worlds End and Wholestone. Daryl Jacob, aboard the latter, glanced
briefly over his right shoulder to check on the opposition as they travelled
across the top of the course. The
runners entered the home straight led by Sam Spinner; Wholestone,
The Worlds End and Identity Thief made up the leading group of four, with
their nearest pursuers being the ridden-along Old Guard and the improving Serienschock, followed by Shelford. The favourite held a narrow advantage as
they cleared three out but was joined by his rivals shortly afterwards. Lil Rockerfeller,
Coole Cody and Thomas Campbell were all pulled up
before this flight. The
leaders continued their journey towards two out, with Wholestone
and Identity Thief jumping it in unison, marginally ahead of both Sam Spinner
and The Worlds End. Running down to
the final flight, the latter was the first beaten and dropped away; Sam Spinner
did so latterly, leaving Identity Thief and Wholestone
locked in battle briefly before the Irish raider got the upper hand. Identity
Thief was more than a length up as they cleared the final flight and, once on
the run-in he continued to stay-on well, drawing away to win by 5 lengths at
the line from the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained
runner. Sam Spinner, who’d made an
error at the last, completed 10 lengths further back in 3rd. Having weakened latterly, The Worlds End
managed to hold off the challenge of Serienschock
to claim 4th-place by a neck. Shelford completed in 6th and Old Guard 7th, the
remainder having been pulled up. It
had been a successful step-up in trip, which had been suggested by jockey
Sean Flanagan, following the horse’s 4th place in this season’s Champion
Hurdle. Wholestone
is a perpetual runner-up or worse … always running well but rarely winning! Being
the Ryanair Stayers’
Hurdle, the sponsor Dreary O’Leary had won his own race.
As the Grand National runners were now preparing to enter the Parade
Ring, the placed horses from the Liverpool Hurdle were led back to the stable
yard via the walkway beside us. We were also able to defend our position at the corner of the Earl of
Derby enclosure next to said walkway ahead of the big event ... although it
does get a little scary at times with people trying to muscle in! Race
5 - 4:20pm Following the race, Nico
de Boinville reported that THOMAS CAMPBELL, which
was pulled up, stopped quickly and the Veterinary Officer reported that a
post-race examination of gelding failed to reveal any abnormalities. Trevor
Whelan reported that LIL ROCKERFELLER (USA), which was pulled up, was never
travelling and the Veterinary Officer reported that a post-race examination
of the gelding failed to reveal any abnormalities. Harry Cobden reported that
OLD GUARD, placed seventh, was never travelling and the Veterinary Officer
reported that a post-race examination of the gelding during routine testing
failed to reveal any abnormalities. The Veterinary Officer also reported that
SHELFORD (IRE), placed sixth, was suffering from post-race heat stress. It
was eventually time for the feature event, the 2018 Grand National. As
has happened recently, and to lessen the stress upon the competitors, the
horses were paraded in the same order in which they exited onto the
racecourse. There
were 38 runners going to post for this year’s feature race. The first reserve, Road To Riches, had got
into the race on Thursday following a withdrawal. Then on Friday, Thunder And Roses, Delusionsofgrandeur, and Walk In the Mill became
participants. However, the field was
reduced to 38 on Saturday, with Regal Encore now a non-runner, as was the
final reserve Walk In The Mill. One of the withdrawals had been the
top-weight Minella Rocco, so all of the weights had
to rise by one pound, thus making Blaklion the new
top weight. There
were 16 Irish runners in the field; that’s 42%. Five of the runners were owned by Michael
O’Leary, that’s 13%. The oldest horses
in the race were Bless The Wings and Raz De Maree; both aged 13.
Bless The Wings used to be trained by Alan King and was now trained by
Gordon Elliott. Raz
De Maree had won this season’s Welsh Grand
National. JP McManus had three runners
remaining in the race – Anibale Fly, Carlingford Lough and Pendra. I
decided to place each-way bets on Shantou Flyer and Warriors Tale. The latter was bred by Alan King and is
trained by Paul Nicholls; the horse had been purchased by Trevor Hemmings recently.
Shantou Flyer’s price was 20-1 and Warriors Tale 33-1. The
favourite was Total Recall at 7-1; trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by
Paul Townend.
He may have won the Ladbrokes Trophy (formerly the Hennessy Gold Cup)
in early December, but he’s a dodgy jumper!
Adrian
Heskin had broken his arm when falling aboard Rocklander during race 4; he was replaced aboard Aintree
stalwart Saint Are, by Ciaran Gethings. Surprisingly, Richard Johnson didn’t have a
ride in this year’s race! There
was just one grey in the race, namely the mare Baie
Des Iles ridden by Katie Walsh and trained by her husband Ross
O’Sullivan. Having
reached the far end of the parading area, the runners then cantered across
the track, through the gap at the elbow before continuing upon the Mildmay chase track around the bottom bend; the jockeys
then took their mounts to look at the first fence before returning to the
starting gate.
Having
had their girths checked, the runners were sent back in the direction of The
Chair before returning towards the starting gate. And
then they were off at the first time of asking; it having been a totally
organised rolling start. The first
ones to show heading across the Melling Road on
their journey to the first fence were Ucello Conti,
Double Ross, Thunder And Roses and Perfect Candidate; also prominent were Blaklion, Raz De Maree, Final Nudge and Milansbar.
Coming
through to lead as they jumped the first was I Just Know; Milansbar
over-jumped here but survived. In
contrast, there were two departures; Perfect Candidate fell, bringing down Becher Chase winner and last year’s 4th-placed horse Blaklion in the process; he was carrying top weight
today. In other words, trainer Fergal
O’Brien took out his neighbour Nigel Twiston-Davies’
runner! Anibale
Fly, Carlingford Lough and Virgilio
were all hampered and Total Recall, not renowned for his jumping skills, hit
this one but the partnership remained intact. With
36 runners now remaining, the field headed on towards the second fence. There were no departures at this obstacle
and the horses continued to the first of the open-ditches, known as ‘Westhead’. I Just Know spearheaded the field from,
spread across the course, Double Ross, Saint Are, Captain Redbeard,
Thunder And Roses and Milansbar. Total
Recall made a shocking blunder at this one; the horse lost his hind-legs on
landing and jockey Paul Townend briefly ended up
with his arms around his mount’s neck … but they survived despite losing a
number of places as a result.
Currently amongst the backmarkers were Maggio,
Chase The Spud, the grey mare Baie Des Iles and the
previously hampered Carlingford Lough. With
36 still in the running, the field headed to fence number four. The highly experienced Saint Are got too
close to this one and almost unseated Ciaran Gethings; he also briefly ended up with his arms around
his mount’s neck! Moving on, Danny
Cook’s mount continued to spearhead the field, from Milansbar
to the outside and Double Ross to the inner.
There were no noticeable errors to report at the fifth obstacle. The
Last Samuri, runner-up in 2016, was very much
towards the rear of the field as the horses headed towards the sixth fence; Becher’s Brook. I
Just Know took off in the lead but hit the fence, skewing in the air and
falling as a result. The horse was
quickly to his feet, and those behind him managed to take evasive
action. Within the second half of the
field, Houblon Des Obeaux
landed too steeply and fell; Virgilio crumpled on
landing and was out of the race too.
The Last Samurai was severely hampered by Houblon
Des Obeaux’s departure, firstly having to avoid the
horse which he did, but he then kicked the prostrate Charlie Deutsch;
ouch! All three horses appeared okay
and galloped after the others; this left 33 runners still standing. Having
lost his place amongst the early leaders, Captain Redbeard
hit the small Fionavon fence and unseated Sam Coltherd as a result.
Last of those still going as they headed towards the Canal Turn was
Fergal O’Brien’s Chase The Spud. The
initial leader having departed, Aintree stalwarts Ucello
Conti and Double Ross now led the way; from The Dutchman, Milansbar,
Pleasant Company and Valseur Lido. Saint
Are made another error here, Buywise was badly
squeezed up and unseated as a result; Final Nudge came down having been short
of room too. Lord Windermere lost his
rider; he’d been badly hampered. This
left 29 runners heading for Valentine’s Brook. The
field was well stretched out by this stage, with Ucello
Conti leading over this fence, from Double Ross, Valseur
Lido, Milansbar, Pleasant Company, Seeyouatmidnight and The Dutchman. There were no departures here, although
Total Recall made another error! The
runners continued to the next, a plain fence, where Valseur
Lido nodded on landing. Next up was
the eleventh, an open-ditch; to the back of the main group, Tenor Nivernais
made an error, with jockey Tom O’Brien being thrown forward as a result. The following fence was a plain one, with
no departures or serious errors to report. Thus
there remained 29 horses in the race as the runners headed back across the Melling Road, led by Ucello
Conti and Double Ross. The Dutchman
and Milansbar disputed third position, from Valseur Lido, Pleasant Company and Seeyouatmidnight. Behind these travelled Alpha Des Obeaux, Anibale Fly, Warriors
Tale, Bless The Wings, Tiger Roll and Childrens
List. Having
completed the long run to the thirteenth fence, all of the runners cleared
this safely. With Daryl Jacob’s mount
continuing to lead the way, the competitors headed towards and over the next fence;
meanwhile at the back of the field, travelled Chase The Spud, Delusionofgrandeur and Maggio. Paddy Brennan decided to call it a day
aboard Chase The Spud having jumped it. Twenty-eight
horses remained in the race as they made their way to The Chair; two of the
loose horses went around the elbow and headed down the home straight, thus
negating any trouble which might have been caused had they continued in the
race. Ucello
Conti, Pleasant Company and Double Ross negotiated the 5 foot 2 inches fence
without any trouble, whereas Alpha Des Obeaux went
straight through the top of it and fell.
Those in behind managed to take evasive action whilst the horse was on
the floor although Warriors Tale was hampered; however, once Alpha Des Obeaux had got to his feet, Saint Are cannoned into him
bringing the latter down and knocking the Gigginstown-runner
off his legs once more. Both horses
got to their feet and moved off following the incident. The
following fence was the water-jump.
Having negotiated the obstacle successfully, it left 26 competitors to
head around the bottom bend with one more circuit to travel. Ucello Conti continued
to lead the way, from Pleasant Company, The Dutchman, Double Ross, Milansbar, Valseur Lido, Seeyouatmidnight, Tiger Roll, Bless The Wings, Childrens List, Anible Fly,
Warriors Tale, Tenor Nivernais, Gas Line Boy, Shantou Flyer, Baie De Iles, Road To Riches, Total Recall, Pendra, Carlingford Lough,
Vieux Lion Rouge, Thunder And Roses, Raz De Maree, The Last Samuri, Maggio and Delusionofgrandeur;
the latter called it a day at this point, easing down to a canter, trot, then
walk. The
remainder continued across the Melling Road on
their way to the seventeenth fence.
The runners were spread wide across the course with Pleasant Company
and Ucello Conti jumping it in unison. Thunder And Roses made an error here, with
jockey JJ Slevin half-heartedly calling a cab! Completely tailed off and reluctant to
continue despite receiving reminders, Maggio was
pulled up by Brendan Powell Junior having jumped the fence. Pleasant
Company held a very narrow advantage as the competitors headed over the next
fence; Thunder And Roses now brought up the rear. The following fence was the open-ditch;
identified as ‘Westhead’. The leader had plenty of energy in reserve,
as he flew over this fence barely touching a twig. Tiger Roll’s jockey lost his left iron at
this point, his leg having dragged through against a stray branch of spruce;
Davy Russell quickly regained it however.
At the rear of the field, Thunder And Roses veered across to his left
in order to safely negotiate the obstacle.
David
Mullins’ mount continued to hold the advantage as they crossed the fourth in
this line of fences, from Ucello Conti, Double
Ross, Milansbar and Seeyouatmidnight. Having spotted the chequered warning flags,
the jockeys began to angle their horses away from the inside rail as they
neared the one before Becher’s; apart from Total
Recall’s jockey who seemed a little bit slow on the uptake! Pleasant Company jumped this one ahead of Seeyouatmidnight; the latter hit this one slightly. Having
reported that all three fallen horses were up okay having departed on the
previous circuit, it soon became apparent that the injured party was, in
fact, jockey Charlie Deutsch; he was receiving treatment behind green screens
on the landing side of the fence.
Meanwhile jockey Danny Cook, who’d fallen aboard I Just Know on the
previous circuit, stood in front of Becher’s and
directed the jockeys around it … although the stewards weren’t particularly
impressed by this action. One rule for
Ruby Walsh during a previous Grand National and one for Danny Cook it would
seem … Pleasant
Company spearheaded the runners as they bypassed the famous fence, from Ucello Conti, Milansbar, Seeyouatmidnight, Double Ross, Valseur
Lido, Childrens List, Tiger Roll, The Dutchman,
Warriors Tale, Bless The Wings, Anibale Fly, Gas
Line Boy, Baie Des Iles, Vieux Lion Rouge, Tenor
Nivernais, Road To Riches, Total Recall, Pendra, a
loose horse, Shantou Flyer, Raz De Maree, Carlingford Lough, The
Last Samuri and, finally, Thunder And Roses; making
24 in total. The
next fence was Fionavon, where Harry Cobden was
catapulted out of The Dutchman’s saddle as they jumped it. The horses angled out once more on the
approach to the Canal Turn, before swinging back towards the corner of the
fence; the inside rail encourages this, breaking off a few strides before
it. The leader jumped this in fine
fashion, whereas Ucello Conti got too close and
made a bad blunder, but survived. Baie Des Iles also made a slight mistake here. Twenty
three competitors were still going as the field headed back towards
Valentine’s Brook. Pleasant Company
continued to jump for fun at the head of affairs, but Tiger Roll got a little
bit low over this one. Further back in
the field, Katie Walsh’s mount was hampered slightly by a loose horse. The jockeys aboard Shantou Flyer, The Last Samuri and Thunder And Roses decided to call it a day
having jumped it. There
was no change at the head of affairs as the leaders cleared five out; Seeyouatmidnight, Valseur Lido
and Ucello Conti continued to be his nearest
pursuers, from Tiger Roll, Childrens List and Bless
The Wings. This group of seven were
clear of Milansbar, Double Ross, Anibale Fly, Gas Line Boy, Vieux Lion Rouge and Road To
Riches. Tenor Nivernais was pulled up
before the next. Four
out was the final open-ditch, with Pleasant Company jumping it well; in
contrast, Ucello Conti hit it and his nose hit the
turf. Jockey Daryl Jacob was flung
over his head as a result. Technically
it was an unseat, as the horse managed to remain on his feet, just, but there
was no way any jockey could have stayed in the plate. This
left a leading group of six to continue to the plain fence, three from
home. There were no departures at
this fence, with the gap between these and their pursuers seemingly closing
as those initially outpaced began to stay on.
Thus, returning across the Melling Road,
Pleasant Company remained ahead of Tiger Roll, Seeyouatmidnight,
Valseur Lido, Bless The Wings, Childrens
List, Milansbar, Gas Line Boy, Double Ross, Anibale Fly, Road To Riches, Vieux Lion Rouge and Raz De Maree. The remainder were just making up the
numbers, with no chance of claiming any of the 10 prizes. The
competitors continued the long run towards two out; Warriors Tale and the
favourite Total Recall called it a day before they got there. Childrens List
had already begun to tire and drop back; he was soon joined by Seeyouatmidnight.
This left five Irish competitors out in front and clear of the
remainder; Anibale Fly having made significant
ground to join this group. Having turned
in, Gas Line Boy now led the pursuers.
Tiger
Roll was upsides the long-time leader as they jumped two out; the latter made
an error here, allowing his rival to a narrow advantage as they continued
towards the final fence. Bless The
Wings chased them, from Anibale Fly and the also
now fading Valseur Lido. The diminutive Tiger Roll was around one
length up as they jumped the last. Gas
Line Boy blundered here when clearing it in unison with Road To Riches and Valseur Lido. Meanwhile
the leading duo was heading towards the elbow; Tiger Roll was five lengths
clear of his rival by the stage.
However, as he approached the site of the water-jump to his left, Davy
Russell’s mount began to falter, with Pleasant Company laying down a renewed
effort and closing upon the leader with every stride. Photograph!!! Triple
Cheltenham Festival winner Tiger Roll got the verdict, by a head. In another couple of strides the story
would have been very different. So it
was a first-time win in the big race for jockey Davy Russell; he was the
oldest rider in the race. Had
Pleasant Company prevailed, it would have been David Mullins’ second Grand
National winner at the tender age of 21, having ridden Rule The World to
victory in 2016; that horse was also owned by Dreary O’Leary. It
was also a very close thing between the 3rd and 4th placed finishers; Anibale Fly failing by just a neck to collar 13-year-old
Bless The Wings at the line, although they had completed 11 lengths behind
the winner and runner-up. The
first Brit home was Bryony Frost aboard Milansbar,
having stayed on into 5th during the final furlong. If any lady is going to ride a Grand
National winner in the foreseeable future, Bryony is probably the one, if she
gets aboard a stayer with some toe! Especially as both Katie Walsh and
sister-in-law Nina Carberry hung up their racing
boots in 2018. Today
she finished 32½ lengths behind the winner and 21 lengths behind the
4th. Milansbar,
in turn, was 12 lengths ahead of the 6th-placed Road To Riches, followed by
Gas Line Boy, Valsuer Lido, Vieux Lion Rouge, also
13-year-old Raz De Maree,
Seeyouatmidnight and, finally, Baie
Des Iles. Double
Ross, Childrens List and Pendra
were pulled up before the last fence, Carlingford
Lough after it. Dreary
‘not in the least bit funny’
O’Leary described his winner as a ‘rat
of a little thing’; although, after today’s victory, he joked that he
wanted to ‘adopt the horse as his fifth
child’! The
first four horses home were trained in Ireland; in fact eight of the 12
finishers were trained in the Emerald Isle.
Owner Michael O’Leary managed to get five horses into the race, with three
of them finishing; in 1st, 6th and 8th places respectively. Gordon Elliott
had trained the 1st and 3rd. The
trainer of the runner-up Pleasant Company, Willie Mullins, said his tip for
next year’s race, all being well, is Childrens
List. Gavin
Sheehan, who had fallen aboard Final Nudge at the Canal Turn, sustained a
broken arm. There were concerns following
the race regarding Saint Are, who had been brought down at The Chair but got
up again and galloped away; he was put under observation by the vets. However, he proved to be fine and was
subsequently retired. Also
Milansbar and Seeyouatmidnight
finished lame; with Anibale Fly, Carlingford Lough and Raz De Maree suffering from post-race heat stress. Here
is the full result for all those runners which finished the race:
And
those which did not finish:
Following the race,
trainers Colin Tizzard and Tom George were stood in
one of the corrals, beside the course-side rail, chatting. They were waiting for their charges, which
would have been running loose, to be found and brought back to the enclosure. When Colin’s horse, The Dutchman, was found
and led back, he went to check on his charge and followed the horse as it was
led into the covered unsaddling area. We remained beside the course-side
rails following the Grand National; there would have been too much of a crush
in the Winners’ Enclosure/Parade Ring area. Race 6 - 5:15pm THE RANDOX HEALTH GRAND NATIONAL STEEPLE
CHASE (HANDICAP) (CLASS 1) (Grade 3) ALPHA DES OBEAUX (FR) wore earplugs which were
removed at the start and PLEASANT COMPANY (IRE) and TOTAL RECALL (IRE) wore
earplugs throughout the race. The
favourite for the final race of the day was Michael’s Mount, trained by Ian
Williams and ridden by James Bowen; price 4-1. Both
Sandra and I fancied Donald McCain’s runners – she liked William Of Orange,
whilst I liked the grey Dear Sire.
There were two greys, the other being All Set To Go. Having
had their girths checked, the riders began to congregate in the chute at the
far corner of the track.
And then they were off, with Sternrubin
and the blinkered and noseband-wearing William Of Orange leading the way as
the runners headed along the side of the racecourse. The competitors had soon entered the home
straight and continued on their way to the first flight; bringing up the rear
was one the greys, All Set To Go. All
fifteen runners cleared the flight safely, although both Broughtons
Admiral and Dear Sire were a little short of room in mid-field. They continued on their journey to the
second where, to the inside of the field, the favourite bunny-hopped it;
Havana Beat was slightly impeded here by Colwinston
who jumped across in front of him.
Birch Hill was untidy at the back of the field too. There
was a longer run between hurdles two and three, with Sternrubin
continuing to set the pace, ahead of William Of Orange and Solatentif; the latter sporting the colours of the late
Ann and Alan Potts for trainer Colin Tizzard. All Set To Go occupied last position as
they all negotiated it successfully. The
runners subsequently continued down past the grandstands on their way towards
the winning post. Sternrubin
led from William Of Orange, Solatentif and Broughtons Admiral.
Final Choice followed these, together with the hooded Dear Sire and
Michael’s Mount. Behind them travelled
the hooded Scheu Time, also Havana Beat and Maquisard, then High Expectations and Colwinston,
the cheek-pieced Birch Hill, Unison and All Set To Go. There
was no change at the head of affairs as the runners headed around the bottom
bend; Unison was now detached by three lengths at the rear of the field. Having entered the back straight, the
runners had soon arrived at the fourth flight; Sternrubin
and Solatentif jumped this in unison and they all
cleared it safely once more. The
competitors continued their journey along the back straight to the next. The inside panel of this flight was trashed
as a result of untidy jumps from a number of runners who appeared slightly
short of room. Meanwhile the fourth
panel was destroyed by All Set To Go, which stepped on it with his hind-legs. Broughtons Admiral was
being pushed along as the field headed over the sanded track-way on their way
to the fourth last obstacle. Solatentif led the runners over this one, from Sternrubin, Final Choice and Scheu
Time. Having jumped the flight, Unison
received some stern reminders when trailing in rear. The
runners entered the top bend and made their way along the far end of the
track once more; one circuit now completed.
Solatentif continued to lead from the
improved Dear Sire who now disputed second position with Sternrubin,
followed by Final Choice, Scheu Time and Michael’s
Mount. A number of the back-markers
were now struggling and William Of Orange had tailed off too. Both he and Unison were pulled up before
three out, as was High Expectations. The
Colin Tizzard-trained runner led the field into the
home straight but he had relinquished the lead by the time they reached three
out; Dear Sire held the narrow advantage as they jumped it. At the rear of the field, Maquisard tripped over the hurdle and did a somersault
latterly; it didn’t look promising at the time. Meanwhile
the remaining eleven runners continued their journey down the home straight
towards the penultimate flight; Dear Sire still led at this one, from Sternrubin, Solatentif and Scheu Time. Solatentif began to tire as they headed down towards the
final hurdle. Havana Beat was staying
on behind the leaders as Scheu Time joined the grey
to dispute the lead just prior to the obstacle. Scheu Time met it spot on but, despite
this, he caught his near fore on the flight and came down; Dear Sire missed
the prostrate horse by inches but not so the prostrate jockey and was almost
brought down as his legs became entangled with Katie Walsh. Dear Sire had almost been stopped in his tracks,
and this enabled the only slightly hampered Havana Beat to now take the
lead. James
Nixon’s mount subsequently kept-on well and was ridden out to the line to win
by 10 lengths. Dear Sire managed to
hold onto 2nd place, three quarters of a length in front of Sternrubin; All Set To Go claimed 4th by a short-head
over Broughtons Admiral, with Solatentif
in 6th. Although
it didn’t look promising at the time, Maquisard was
okay; his next run was on the flat at Epsom on Derby Day! Scheu Time was
okay too, as he’d risen to his feet and galloped away immediately after his
fall. The
winning jockey is a Liverpudlian, who moved away
from home to live in Hereford and was attached to Robin Dickin’s
yard at the time of his victory. The
winning trainer on this occasion was Tony Carroll.
Race 7 - 6:10pm THE PINSENT MASONS HANDICAP HURDLE RACE
(CLASS 2) (For Conditional Jockeys and Amateur
Riders) Permission was given for DEAR SIRE (FR) to be
mounted in the chute and go early to post. Racing
over, we’d returned to the steppings above Winners’
Enclosure before popping to the loo ahead of departing the racecourse. Having
walked back along the rubbish-strewn concourse, we headed across the track in
order to catch a bus back to the far side of the Mildmay
course. We walked along the sanded
track-way, across the Melling Road and out through
the tented entrance. As you may
recall, Sandra’s car was parked very close by. Today’s
racecourse escape was in total contrast to last year when, eventually, we’d
decided to follow the locals out of the gate situated close to the stable
yard, presumably the one used by the horseboxes. Today we were delayed in a queue to leave
via Anchor Bridge but, as we’d been parked much nearer to our exit point, we
were able to squeeze into the queue rather than join the end of it. There
were a number of coaches holding us up, as marshals gave them priority; but
many of these exited via the roadway which runs along the perimeter of the Mildmay course, rather than via the canal bridge. Having reached Aintree Lane, there was a
little bit of confusion; a white van was manoeuvring in the roadway, partly
blocking our right-turn escape route. Having
negotiated this obstruction, we headed along the lane, passing over numerous
speed bumps, before turning right at a mini-roundabout. Our route took us back over the canal, via
a swing-bridge, and under a railway bridge, before arriving at the A506. We subsequently took a left turn to travel
down the dual carriageway to a large roundabout beneath the M57. We
exited the roundabout via the slip-road onto the M57, travelling for a single
junction before continuing eastbound on the A580 all the way to Stone
Cross. We arrived back at our hotel at
19:55, with dinner booked for 21:00. In
the restaurant we were shown to a table situated in the room with the
fireplace; a 4-seater to the left thereof.
We both fancied chips today, so ordered a separate side-order of thin
fries. Our main course was the vegetable lasagne, the same choice of meal
which I’d enjoyed on Thursday evening.
It was accompanied by garlic bread.
I didn’t quite manage to eat all of the fries ... I was too full, but
still found room for a dessert, as you do – my choice was baked cheesecake,
with lemon curd and topped with raspberries.
I ordered a J2O as I always do – apple and mango today. I
packed some of my
clothes and clobber on Saturday evening, leaving the remainder until early
Sunday. I also took a number of bags
to my car, before calling for Sandra at 07:45 to go to breakfast. I didn’t use the lift today when transporting
my luggage, although I’d used it a number of times on Wednesday evening when
taking my bags to my room. I
set off for home at 08:45. I’d already
researched, via my mobile phone, which motorway Service Stations had a WH
Smiths on site, as I wanted to buy a copy of the Racing Post. I chose Knutsford;
it seemed appropriate!!! Also, my
research suggested that the earlier Lymm Services
area was more geared up to lorry-based customers. At
this point in time, Knutsford Services was situated
within the M6 ‘smart’ motorway
road-works taking place between junctions 19 and 16. As a result I had to negotiate traffic
cones denoting the entrance thereof. I
parked up and headed over to the service station building. However,
once inside WH Smiths, I did a tour of the shop, twice, even popping upstairs
to the M & S Simply Food at one point in search of a newpaper
stand ... someone must be selling newspapers, as I’d seen a bloke carrying
one as I’d walked towards the main service station building. I eventually found it, having gone back downstairs
again – it was now right in front of me!
It was probably plain to see ... provided you were just walking past,
rather than visiting the shop itself!
Fortunately they had a number of copies of the Racing Post, so I
bought one before heading back to my car.
Evidently
plans are afoot to increase capacity at the roundabout above the M6 (junction
19) at Knutsford: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-43866570 As
always, I found the chevron markings painted on the motorway carriageway very
annoying. I never drive too close to
the vehicle in front on me and find these mesmerising; so much so that my
concentration wanes. As far as I’m
concerned, it makes motorway driving more dangerous, not safer. The chevrons appear after Junction 15,
when one is heading towards Stafford.
There
were no delays on the motorways, M6 and M1; although there was a further
section of the M6 being transformed into a ‘Smart’ motorway, with a reduced speed limit of 50mph – between
Birmingham and the M1. There were
chevrons painted on the carriageway here too.
The
long-term road-works associated with the A14 trunk road at Junction 19 of the
M1 were now complete, having been started in January 2014. Two bridges were demolished and six
constructed as part of the project; this enabled the free flow of traffic
from the motorways to the A14, and vice versa. http://roads.highways.gov.uk/projects/m1-junction-19-improvement-scheme/ Can
you tell that I would like to have been a construction engineer, in a
different life? Once
again I noticed the attractive ‘shades
of blue’ building beside the motorway at Milton Keynes – Altitude -
evidently it’s a warehouse, the largest and tallest in the UK! Who’d have thought a warehouse could be
attractive!!! Having
completed by journey without incident, I arrived home at 12:15. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
AINTREE FESTIVAL
2018 – Jockeys’ and Trainers’ League Tables Here
is a round-up of the Top Jockey and Top Trainer statistics for this year’s
Festival ... Daryl
Jacob, having won three Grade One races, aboard We Have A Dream, L’Ami Serge and Terrefort
respectively, claimed the Top Jockey award.
And Nicky Henderson claimed the Top Trainer award
with 5 victories – We Have A Dream, Might Bite, L’Ami
Serge, Terrefort and Santini;
all Grade One races too! Tom Lacey was the surprise package; Alan King failed to win a
race but did have a second, two thirds and a fourth.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
