The 2016 Crabbie’s Grand National Ladies Day saw 47,084 take in an outstanding day of racing.
The first race of the day signaled the third time lucky for Party Rock in the Alder Hey Charity Handicap Hurdle.
Jennie Candlish-trained nine-year-old fell at the second-last in the race two years ago, and finished sixth in it last year before scoring under Sean Quinlan today. The 33/1 shot beat Champagne At Tara by five lengths.
Candlish, for whom it was a first success at the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival, said: “He’s very special. I ride him every day, so to say he’s family is an understatement. I do everything with him and he’s a lovely horse. I wish I could say that he’s a difficult ride, but he’s not. He gets under your skin. This is a real emotional one for me today.”
The second race of the day saw Buveur D’air foil Willie Mullin’s duo. Speaking ahead of the race trainer Nicky Henderson hoped that Buveur D’Air represented his best chance of a success and so it proved when
the 11/4 chance scored by a neck.
The French-bred had to battle hard to get the better of the Willie Mullins-trained Petit Mouchoir, a 40/1 shot, with the runner-up’s stablemate Limini (11/10 Fav) in third, eight lengths adrift.
Collin Tizzard continued a great season with a Native River win in the third race of the day by three lengths.
Speaking following the Betfred Milmay Novices Chase Tizzard said “”He ran well in the four-miler at Cheltenham so his job was going to be to make the running today, be positive and make as much as you can for as long as you can.
One of his main attributes is staying,” said Tizzard.
“Richard Johnson was absolutely brilliant. The horse runs a bit lazy but there’s nothing wrong with that, they last a bit longer. Richard had to wake him up once or twice but he was straight back into his stride. He obviously loves that ground with his lovely, low action and he’s a beautiful six-year-old.”
The fourth race offered an upset when the favourite, Valtour, fell and allowed God’s Own to secure a win in the JLT Melling Chase. Paddy Brennan rode the Oscar eight-year-old, who had previouslt finished fourth behind Sprinter
Sacre in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last month.
Trainer Tom George said: “You have to feel for Vautour, but these things have happened to all of us, and you have to take advantage of it. Luckily both horse and jockey got up ok. God’s Own has won a Grade One already in his career and people forget about him a lot. There has been a lot of hard work at home and it’s great to get it right on the big day. Paddy has ridden for us a long time now and we know him well. We keep working together and enjoying big days like today.”
The Topham Chase saw Jonjo O’Neill, who saddles Holywell and Shutthefrontdoor tomorrow, had a fillip when Eastlake battled well to win the race by four lengths.
“I’m a bit happier after this fellow one as the ground may not be as bad as I thought. Like them, Eastlake wouldn’t want too much rain,” said O’Neill. “Eastlake is a great horse and a brother to More Of That. He has never won over
further than two miles and I told Barry to keep giving him a chance if he could. He ran a nice race in Cheltenham and I thought he might be just losing his speed and the trip was always going to be a worry on this first try over further than two miles. He jumped and travelled so well and the second is a fair horse. He’s honest, jumps great and everything went according to plan.”
Ballyoptic, a 9/1 shot, got up in the shadow of the winning post to win the Grade One Doom Bar Sefton Novices’ Hurdle from the 11/2 favourite Bellshill by a neck. Ridden by Ryan Hatch and trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, this was only six-year-old Ballyoptic’s third start over hurdles.
The Willie Mullins-trained Bellshill was ridden by Mullins’ son Patrick, who was replacing the injured Ruby Walsh.
Twiston-Davies said: “He’s improving – we had no idea how good he was. He’s won his two hurdles before this really well, and he’s now proved he’s a top horse. It’s really encouraging. Thistlecrack [last month’s Ryanair World Hurdle winner at the Cheltenham Festival] won this race last year and if we can even slightly follow in his footsteps it would be good. He really battled, so we can look forward to next season. Chasing is his future, but let’s look at long distance hurdles next season to start with. Let’s hope he can go right to the top.”
The final race saw Willie Mullin’s close what he described as a “Character Building” with a win. Mullins posted a one-two with Bacardys and Battleford in the final race of the day on Ladies Day at Aintree.
Bacardys, ridden by Patrick Mullins and a 15/2 shot, beat his stable-mate Battleford, better fancied at odds of 7/2 and ridden by Paul Townend, by half a length. The Minch, a 100/1 shot on his racecourse debut, was third for trainer Jim Goldie and jockey Danny Cook.
Mullins said: “When I asked Patrick [his amateur rider son] which one he wanted to ride, he thought Bacardys was unlucky at Cheltenham [he finished third in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper; Battleford was second], so he plumped for him. They are two lovely prospects. What I love about Battleford is that even after getting
a hard race at Cheltenham, he’s still carrying condition and he’s very strong. He’s very tough and that’s a great sign for the future.”