Any lingering doubt that Nicky Henderson would retain the National Hunt trainers’ championship appeared to be extinguished here on Thursday, as a Grade One treble took his prize money haul for the season past £3m and opened a gap to Paul Nicholls, the 10-times champion, that even a Grand National victory would fail to bridge.
Henderson’s three winners in consecutive races included an easy success for Might Bite, the Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up, in the Betway Bowl and a three-length victory in the Aintree Hurdle for L’Ami Serge, a horse whose appetite for a battle has sometimes been called into question. We Have A Dream, a 2-1 chance, set the ball rolling in the Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle.
The ease of Might Bite’s success, which was sealed with a flourish as he flew the last fence, was all the more impressive in view of his hard race behind Native River on heavy ground at Cheltenham last month. He will now head to summer quarters as the ante‑post favourite for both the King George VI Chase and Gold Cup next season, while Henderson may also consider a run in the Betfair Chase in November to set up a possible tilt at a £1m bonus on offer for victory in all three races.
“He’s been fresh and well since Cheltenham and you’d have thought he’d have been the one who wouldn’t be as he had such a gruelling race at the Festival,” Henderson said. “He’s not a fragile horse in any sense but you always have to be wary of his head, so it was quite brave coming here and I had my doubts. His jumping was an exhibition round. The plan will be the same next year and I’d love to have another crack at the Gold Cup on good ground.”
Just over half of the 21 starters in the Foxhunters’ Chase completed the course, including Gallery Exhibition, whose rider Guy Disney was the first amputee to ride in a race over the Grand National fences.
Gallery Exhibition was the last of the 12 finishers behind Balnaslow and Derek O’Connor, who appeared as delighted after winning the “amateurs’ National” as he was after landing the Irish Gold Cup against professional riders in February.
“Personally, it’s a massive achievement for me as there’s something about the challenge and the trials and tribulations of Aintree,” O’Connor said. “I had a great run around the inside, and as the race got into the latter stages there were a couple of bad jumpers down there so I switched out and got a perfect run over the last four fences.
“The ground was a bit dead and tacky, but because it was fresh ground, it rode quite nicely. But after a couple of races [on the Grand National course] and if it stays in the same condition, then by Saturday it could be tough.”
Lilbitluso, a 100-1 outsider trained by JJ O’Shea, suffered a fatal injury in the first race over the Grand National fences this week, falling at the Canal Turn in the Foxhunters’ Chase on Thursday. A statement from Aintree said the horse was quickly attended to by vets but that the nature of his injury meant he could not be saved. Later, the stewards meted out a 17-day ban to Jamie Codd after he won the final race on the favourite Getaway Katie Mai but used his whip about twice as many times as is permitted by the rules. Greg Wood
Aintree
1.45 Project Bluebook 2.20 Global Citizen 2.50 Terrefort 3.25 Min 4.05 Mystifiable (nap) 4.40 OK Corral (nb) 5.15 Portrush Ted
Kempton
5.45 Wynfaul The Wizard 6.15 Dark Alliance 6.45 Delilah Park 7.15 Khamry 7.45 Airshow 8.15 Folies Bergeres 8.45 Chetan
Sedgefield
2.00 Pc Dixon 2.30 Heresmynumber 3.05 Bulkov 3.40 Frankie Ballou 4.15 Knockrobin 4.50 Pretty Miss Mahler 5.20 Classical Sound
