4.10pm Annie powers to Aintree Hurdle glory
Annie Power reigned supreme as she followed up her Cheltenham exploits with a brilliant performance in the Doom Bar Aintree Hurdle at the Liverpool track.
Emulating the mighty mare Dawn Run, who won both this race and the Champion Hurdle in the same season back in 1984, Annie Power was simply the best.
She was barely out of second gear for most of the race as Nichols Canyon set the pace.
Ruby Walsh sat motionless on the brilliant eight-year-old, trained by Willie Mullins, before she went on a long way from home.
Cheltenham second My Tent Or Yours tried to mount a challenge but was brushed aside before lack of stamina kicked in.
The 4-11 favourite went on to win as she liked by 18 lengths from My Tent Or Yours. Nichols Canyon, also trained by Mullins, was third as owner Rich Ricci chalked up his first winner at the course.
The New One fell at the fifth flight. Both horse and rider Sam Twiston-Davies got up quickly.
Full report here by Chris Cook.
3.35pm Card wings home right on cue
Cue Card made amends for his fall in the Cheltenham Gold Cup with a clear-cut victory in the Betfred Bowl Chase at Aintree.
Colin Tizzard’s classy performer fell three out when in with every chance in the blue riband and put the record straight as he slammed Djakadam and Don Poli, who had been second and third respectively at Cheltenham.
Dynaste made the running in the early stages but the Willie Mullins pair of Djakadam and Don Poli soon took over on the final circuit.
Ruby Walsh tried to dictate matters on Djakadam but was hard pressed in the straight.
Paddy Brennan oozed confidence on Cue Card [6-5 favourite], who sat on the tail of the leading duo before leading at the last.
He drew clear to score by nine lengths from Don Poli, with Djakadam a further eight lengths away in third.
Brennan, who had been left heartbroken at Cheltenham, said: “Just relief. We changed the bit on him today and it helped. He is a horse of a lifetime and is unbelievable. He was not at his best today and he still did that.
“He was just lacklustre at times, if asked for a long one he was not giving me that same exuberance. It’s probably me just asking too much of him. I’d just like to thank everyone for their support as there are a lot of worse things that can happen in life. I’m just very grateful to still be on the horse.”
Tizzard said: “He was awesome, like he has been all season. The real big one escaped us this year, but that just shows what a horse he is at the moment. We changed the bits today. He is a completely different horse and he will stay all day. I get nervous with this horse from day one.
“You have got to jump the jumps and thank god he got up [from the fall at Cheltenham]. He trotted up the next morning as sound as a pound, as if he didn’t have a race. He is 10 now and is better than he has ever been. He was brilliant today. He runs with his head a little bit high, not like a typical chaser.”
He added: “He completely missed it at Cheltenham and I never thought he would fall.
“He will go to Punchestown. I entered him yesterday, it was always going to be on the cards. He hasn’t had a hard race, he is 10 so there is no reason not to go there.
“Paddy wears his heart on his sleeve. He was sensible, he wasn’t as nervous - there was a lot of hype going into Cheltenham and that was a thorough test, this was a bit more relaxed.”
Mullins said: “We have no excuses. Our two did the donkey work out in front but we were beaten by a better horse on the day.” PA
2.45pm Apple’s looks tasty romping home in Anniversary
Apple’s Jade reversed Triumph Hurdle placings with Ivanovich Gorbatov in some style as the filly spreadeagled the opposition in the Betfred Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree.
Beaten a length and a quarter by Aidan O’Brien’s runner at Cheltenham, the 3-1 turned that form on its head. Azzuri took the field along to just before three out, but that is where Bryan Cooper asked the Willie Mullins-trained filly to go about her business.
She did not disappoint and steadily pulled clear to win by a yawning 41 lengths in the Gigginstown House Stud colours.
Azzuri stuck on gamely for third, just half a length behind Ivanovich Gorbatov.
Footpad, a stablemate of Apple’s Jade, fell at the fourth-last flight. Both horse and jockey Ruby Walsh appeared to escape unscathed.
Cooper said: “I knew turning in there was not much coming from behind me. I got lovely breather into her and a nice lead. She is very good at jumping and I’d say the Triumph probably left her right for today.
“She had a long break since her run at Christmas time and I think she has improved. David Casey and Ruby Walsh had said she’d improved a bit since Cheltenham and I’d say they are dead right.
“I’d imagine the ground had a big help to her over Joseph’s [O’Brien] horse to be fair, there was a nice ease in it which suited her well. She couldn’t have done any better.”
Mullins said: “I could not dream of anything like that. I was hoping to win and that the ground might not suit the favourite but suit us.
“That was extraordinary the performance she put in there. I thought Bryan was mad going on before he turned in, you could see him letting her slip into the lead and I thought ‘this straight is far too long with hurdles to jump, keep a little bit up your tank’, but when he got off her he said he still had plenty left in the tank.
“Who knows where she will go after that, that was only the fourth or fifth run of her life as she never ran on the Flat or anything like that.
“I think she had been placed in France. We thought she was a nice mare that might work into a Triumph Hurdle mare. You are always hoping they might win a Listed or a Graded race, or maybe a Grade One, but that performance brings her into a different league.
“Next year it’s a tough year for five-year-olds when they put in performances like that.” PA
2pm Arzal proves his case in the Manifesto
Tony Paley: Arzal saw off all his challengers to produce a superb front-running performance on the opening day of the Aintree Grand National in the Manifesto Novice Chase.
Trainer Harry Whittington’s decision to skip the Cheltenham Festival proved inspired as Arzal put in an impeccable round of jumping to take Grade One honours.
L’Ami Serge, his only serious challenger, was beaten eight lengths clear with Arkle Trophy runner-up Sizing John, sent off the 11-4 favourite, 16 lengths back in third.
Whittington said: “He did have a temperature about two weeks before Cheltenham so that helped us make our mind up. He was fine about a week before Cheltenham - it just gave us an excuse to miss Cheltenham.
“I’ve been pretty worried, we’ve had a fantastic season and it is great credit to the team and I’m lucky to have good people around me and good horsemen riding out. I was just a little bit worried about our last three or four weeks.
“I was going into it with no expectations, but once he jumped the first I was pretty happy. It’s amazing for the whole team. I can’t tell you how much of a team effort it has been at home. It has been way beyond my expectations and this has been the icing on the cake.”
Of immediate plans for the winner, Whittington added: “That will be it [for the season], for sure. I would think he might end up back here for the Old Roan [Chase] as his next target. He loves a flat, left-handed, galloping track.
“That is where he is at his best and he gets into a really good rhythm. The likes of Aintree and Doncaster suit him well, so they are the tracks we will stick to.”
12.45pm Cooper now set to ride Lieutenant in National
Chris Cook: AND . . . in what one hopes is a final late change, Bryan Cooper will now ride First Lieutenant in the Grand National on Saturday. He has done a straight swap with fellow Gigginstown jockey David Mullins, who will now be on Rule The World.
It’s only a matter of hours since Cooper reportedly chose Rule The World, so who can say what’s happened there. Perhaps he looked in the form book and realised that one hadn’t yet won a race over fences.
11.50am Katie Walsh in line for Ballycasey ride in National
Chris Cook: Willie Mullins has yet to make official jockey bookings for his Grand National runners but it appears that Ruby Walsh will now switch from Boston Bob to Sir Des Champs, which will trigger a plunge on that horse, I imagine, if confirmed. Paul Townend would then be on Boston Bob and Katie Walsh is apparently in for the ride on Ballycasey, making her the only female rider in this field.
Of course, Walsh was not free to choose Sir Des Champs until Bryan Cooper, retained by the owners of Sir Des Champs, chose to ride something else. Cooper plumped for Rule The World this morning. So this does not count as a Vautour-style late change of plan.
All of the other jockey bookings have now been published for the Grand National. Here are the ones that were new to me:
Aachen - Henry Brooke
Double Ross - Ryan Hatch
Katenko - Will Kennedy
Vics Canvas - Robbie Dunne
11am Bishops Road heads reserves list for the National
Chris Cook: The four Grand National reserves have been confirmed. In order, they are:
1) Bishops Road
2) Knock House
3 Perfect Candidate
4) Maggio
That means Pineau De Re, Alvarado, Cause Of Causes and other big names now have no chance to compete in this Grand National.
Just a reminder to anyone who has had a bet on any horses that have missed the cut: you are entitled to get your stake refunded by your bookmaker. If said bookie refuses to refund on a horse who has missed the cut for this race, come on here and tell us who that bookie is.
10.55am Guardian tipster selects Druids as National each-way tip
Chris Cook: I’ve chosen The Druids Nephew as my £25 each-way OLBG grand-national-guide.co.uk Charity National Bet. All proceeds will go to the Injured Jockeys’ Fund.
10.45am Top 40 horses stand ground in National
Chris Cook: The top 40 entries in the Grand National have all stood their ground at the final declaration stage on Thursday morning. Hope remains if you’ve backed something outside the top 40, however, because there will be four reserves in case any of the top 40 drop out before 1pm on Friday. The identity of the reserves is not yet known but I expect that Kerry Lee’s Bishops Road will be the first of them.
The intriguing detail there is that one of the top 40, Black Thunder, is due to be auctioned here at Aintree tonight. Clearly, quite a few people will fancy the idea of buying a horse that could carry their colours in the National two days later. Alternatively, Alan Halsall, owner of Bishops Road, could buy Black Thunder and withdraw him, thereby letting his other horse into the race.
We always make a big fuss over which of the McManus entry is chosen by his retained jockey, and that was the case earlier when Barry Geraghty chose Shutthefrontdoor but it may set the significance of this issue in context if we recall that the owner is 1 winner from 52 with his Grand National runners so far.
Bryan Cooper, Gigginstown’s main rider, has picked Rule The World over First Lieutenant and Sir Des Champs. David Mullins is likely to ride one of the others and clearly Gigginstown will have to employ a third jockey, as yet unspecified. I wonder if it could be Nina Carberry, who rode First Lieutenant last year. She is currently booked for Knock House, but that is likely to miss the race, as it can’t be better than second reserve just now.
10.30am Geraghty plumps for Shutthefrontdoor in National
Tony Paley: Barry Geraghty has picked Shutthefrontdoor as his ride in Saturday’s Grand National at Aintree.
The Jonjo O’Neill-trained nine-year-old, who is a general 20-1 chance for the race and who finished fifth a year ago, is one of four horses - the other three being Gallant Oscar, Gilgamboa and Pendra - set to run for Geraghty’s retainer, owner JP McManus.
Shutthefrontdoor was the final ride for Sir Anthony McCoy when completing the course 12 months ago.
Frank Berry, racing manager to JP McManus, said: “Barry had first pick and he went for Shutthefrontdoor as he has the form round the course. He run well in it last year and hopefully he will go well again.
“Mark Walsh has gone for Gallant Oscar, while Pendra will be ridden by Aidan Coleman and Gilgamboa will be ridden by Robbie Power.”
Thursday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
A going change to start the three-day National meeting at Aintree, where 5mm of rain during what Andrew Tulloch, the clerk of the course, describes as a “dampish” night has left the going soft, good-to-soft in places on both the National course and the hurdles circuit. The chase course, which was good-to-soft all over on Wednesday night, is now soft in places.
Despite that, there is not - as yet - a single non-runner anywhere on the card, with a fascinating and dramatic race in prospect at 4.05 when 23 runners are due to go to post for the Fox Hunters’ Chase, the first race of the week over the big fences.
On The Fringe was the first horse since 1993 to complete the double of the hunter chase events at Cheltenham and Aintree when he took this race 12 months ago, and he will be the favourite to do the double again again at around 2-1. Pacha Du Polder, the runner-up here in 2015, will also receive plenty of support, however, after catapulting to national fame and popularity as the mount of Victoria Pendleton at the Festival last month. He produced a dramatic late charge from well off the pace to get within a few strides of making the frame at Cheltenham, and has been popular at around 100-30 this morning.
Other popular early choices with punters on the opening card include Willie Mullins’s runners Apples Jade and Footpad in the juvenile hurdle, and Ivanovich Gorbatov (2.15) is a little weak in the market as a result. Don Poli and Djakadam, Mullins’s two runners in the BetFred Bowl, have also attracted support against Cue Card, the favourite, and with many bets also running to trebles with the stable’s Annie Power in the Aintree Hurdle, the Champion Hurdle winner is also getting steadily shorter in the betting.
Later on the card, Pearls Legend (4.40), who ran in the same race last season, is a fair price at around 11-1 to improve on last month’s fifth place in the Grand Annual, while La Bague Au Roi (5.15) will be hard to beat in the concluding mares’ bumper. This will be a race for celeb-spotters in the paddock beforehand, as the second-favourite is Augusta Kate, owned by a syndicate that includes Alan Shearer, Lee Westwood and Ant and Dec.
A full preview of the opening day is here, while the first race of the Grand National meeting is due off this afternoon at 1.40pm.
Skybet Grand National tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Draytonian 8-1
Dadsintrouble 20-1
Mustmeetalady 8-1
Tuesday
Stamp Hill 7-2
Almost Gemini 7-2
Tanarpino 7-1
Wednesday
Sinfonietta 9-1
Lackaday 13-2
Viscount Barfield 4-1
And our leader is:
cornsay +36
… who is four from nine so far and, having teased pursuers with a slow Tuesday, rocketed forwards again on Wednesday through Sinfonietta AND Viscount Barfield. Other good scores: Bonzodrongo +17, 23skidoo +14.50, BearRides +12, Crasivo +7.50.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 2.50 Aintree, 3.25 Aintree, 4.05 Aintree.
This week’s prize, kindly offered by Skybet, is a £100 bet on this week’s Grand National!
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today but you will start on -9.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
