Aintree Saturday review: Davy Russell wins Grade One on Irish Point

Davy Russell's (potential) swansong hit another high when Irish Point (5/1) ran out an impressive winner of a fairly dramatic renewal of the Grade One Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle.

Dark Raven was among the leading fancies for the two and a half mile contest but sadly took a fatal fall five from home, hampering Springwell Bay, while Cool Survivor suffered a tumbling fall at the second last when firmly in contention.

Just in behind the leaders, Irish Point appeared to be travelling well and the grey moved to the front approaching the final flight from the Challow Hurdle winner Hermes Allen who could only stay on at the one pace having raced prominently throughout.

Kateira came from off the pace to overtake Hermes Allen but she couldn't lay a glove on the winner who had three and a half lengths in hand at the line.

It was a second Grade One success of the meeting for Russell following victory aboard Gerri Colombe with both horses trained by Gordon Elliott and owned by Robcour.

"I don't want to say it is (my final day riding) and come back for the third time but I'm enjoying it anyway and will take it all in," Russell, who had a short-lived retirement earlier this season, told ITV Racing.

"I have to ride like I was 21 again. You have to, these young lads are not easy beat and they're all great chaps in the weighing room there and all very professional and fit so you have to prepare the way they prepare or you get left behind.

"Aintree is a very special place. I just hope the people of Liverpool and people of England know what they have here, you can't get this anywhere else in the world; it's very special."

Russell went on to say: “It all went according to plan. We jumped out and got a good position, and he jumped fantastic. He was always travelling and we know he stays. He was just very professional.

"In the early part of the year he was very immature and I’d say those early races might have caught up with him, so Gordon slowed it all down and brought him back at Naas, with here in mind. The bit of rain about probably helped, and it’s a credit to Gordon and Robcour for the decisions they made to benefit the horse, which probably maxed him out.

"He could be anything next season. All along I thought he was immature, but today he seems to have come of age. He does stay well and he jumps fantastic, so he could go chasing or stay hurdling.

“My wife was very upset after Cheltenham - her dad had passed away recently too - and I think the whole thing caught up with her. She stressed to me that I needed to get back in and not finish on that note, then obviously Gordon jumped in as well and between the two of them they made it very comfortable to go ahead and come here.

"I’d have been happy enough to finish after Cheltenham. I’m big enough to accept that, but the two Grade One wins here have really put a shine on it.”

Dan Skelton, trainer of Kateira, said: “I’m delighted with that run for a very progressive filly. She has been very good all season and that is the first time we have asked a big question of her so to finish second in a Grade One is very good. The other one skipped clear and showed real Grade One quality and I don’t think much dissimilar other than we have been beaten three and a half lengths. It was a very good run.

“I don’t think what happened late on, when one fell, hampered her as Harry was glued to the rail but I couldn’t really see. But whatever happened we were beaten far enough that it wasn’t an excuse.

“She hadn’t shown her hand whatsoever as she had been going around in small novice hurdles but she is very good. Two and a half miles is a nice trip for her. I wouldn’t be afraid to start over two miles next season up at Wetherby for the Listed hurdle on Charlie Hall Chase day. We could start her in something like that and work around it from there.”

Paul Nicholls was delighted with Hermes Allen saying: “I’m thrilled with that. He’s run a really good race.

"Probably, we could have done with it being the other way round and the three-mile being today on that ground; I was trying to get it all right earlier in the week, and I was always going three miles with him, but when we thought it was going to rain I switched Stay Away Fay (to the Winners Wear Cavani Sefton Novices’ Hurdle on Friday) because I didn’t want to go three on soft ground. But as it turned on that ground today, we’d have been better going three miles.

“But he’s run really well, he’s a Grade One for the season, we can improve his breathing, he’ll have a wind op in the summer and then go novice chasing. Ultimately his aim is the Kauto Star at Kempton.”

West Balboa delivers knockout blow

West Balboa (9/2 favourite) had been off the track since winning the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton in mid-January but there were no signs of ring-rustiness as she ran out a wide margin winner of the Village Hotels Handicap Hurdle to claim another valuable prize.

Stepping up to three miles for the first time under Rules, West Balboa travelled well throughout and although there were a number of runners in contention approaching the second last she quickened right away from her field after jumping the final flight and the result was never in doubt.

Pounding Poet came from off the pace to finish second at 50/1 with the evergreen Mill Green third at 14/1. Cheltenham Festival winner Good Time Jonny appeared outpaced on this sharper track but rallied to claim fourth from another Irish challenger in Gatsby Grey.

Winning jockey Harry Skelton told ITV Racing: "Yes she did (quicken). I was running away to be honest. She's got a lot of talent. She's got a lot in hand. Good mare. Good training, she hasn't run for 90 days. She's won two big handicaps this year but that's down to the training.

"Dan (Skelton) leads the team and is a great leader but we've got a lot of good people around us and good owners who have been patient and they've been rewarded.

"Cheltenham obviously is the pinnacle, it's the Olympics but there's no place like this. Liverpool is unbelievable, the people of Liverpool, it makes it all special. You're going to witness later on the greatest race there is and look at the people that are here. It's great to see the crowd and the fantastic support that British racing has."

The winning trainer commented: “We’ve ridden our bad luck, to be honest with you, all meeting. We’ve had a few fallers and nothing’s gone well, but that is the nature of sport. You’ve got to keep your head up and keep going. But you’re in a lucky position when you’ve got a big team; you’ve always got a horse to run.

“She was a fresh horse - that counts for an awful lot. She looked fabulous, the step up to three miles was always going to be a positive, and we always knew we had a very good mare on our hands. The Lanzarote proved that. Going back to when she was second to Stage Star in the Challow - only a good horse could have done that. We felt that this year could maybe be an intermediate year before you step up to the Graded mares’ level, and she looks like she is more than capable of doing so.

“The mares’ hurdle at Cheltenham this year was so, so strong - there was no point competing in that to be sixth. I think next year she could step up and be a player in all those races, but know when to hold your hand and when to play it, and I wasn’t going to overplay this year. The Lanzarote was £100,000; this was a valuable, important race today. She’s had a fabulous year and she’ll step up on it.”

Skeltons complete double with Midnight River

The Skeltons, or at least Midnight River (15/2), had to work much harder for victory in the William Hill Handicap Chase (registered as the Freebooter Handicap Chase).

After victory at Cheltenham in January, the trainer commented that Midnight River would improve for the step up to three miles in time and so it proved as his stamina won the day against the odds.

Despite being one of only three runners at the head of affairs, Midnight River found trouble in the straight as he got involved in a barging match with Shakem Up'arry as the latter's stablemate Bowtogreatness took advantage and skipped a couple of lengths clear.

However once out in the open, Midnight River, who had disappointed at the Cheltenham Festival, hit his stride and ate up the ground to record a convincing success by a length and a half.

Kinondo Kwetu stayed on from off the pace to fill third, splitting Ben Pauling's two runners.

The trainer told Racing TV: “The only day I’ve not had him right, and I thought I had him right, was at Cheltenham. I thought I had him spot on, but sometimes they don’t perform. Maybe the ground was a bit tacky that day? But the step up in trip today has certainly helped – it was always a question of when we did that, not if we did that. He is just progressive, he is getting the hang of racing in handicaps now, and hopefully there is the next level.

“He got a great start and when you get a great start in any race, you can be where you want to be. He was never chasing to be where he wanted to be, he actually had the luxury of coming back a few spots. I was a bit concerned that a horse as good as Eldorado Allen was getting a soft lead and it was helpful, perhaps, when a couple came round us to push on and Harry obviously felt confident going to the last that he had enough to pick up. The jump at the last was necessary, without that, we wouldn’t have won. But perhaps only a horse with a bit left in the locker can jump like that.”

On future plans, he added: “It will be one run and then the Coral Cup at Newbury, then we will see.

"A hundred per cent he can (make the jump into graded company), I’m not all of a sudden going to say that the Gold Cup horses need to get frightened, because there’s a long way to go from that. But there is a gap, an area just below that Grade One standard and he is certainly a horse to fill that. Whether he can take that Grade One level? That’s up to him, he needs to keep improving, I’ll do my best to help him rather than hinder him to do that. But he definitely belongs just below that Grade One level in my opinion.”

Brother Harry said: "He was absolutely fantastic, and gave me a dream ride round. He was always travelling very easily. The step up in trip has definitely helped this horse - he finished really well. He can have the nice long holiday that he deserves, and he will be a nice horse to go with next year. I think he’s a proper improver, you know - there’s still more to come from this horse, and he’s definitely going the right way.

“I’ve been long enough in the game now that it certainly keeps your feet on the floor, but you enjoy it when it goes right, and you have to get up and go when it’s not going right. You’ve no choice, really!”

What Dreams are made of

There was an exciting finish to the closing Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race with Florida Dreams (18/1) taking his record to a perfect two from two in the Grade Two heat.

Trained by Nicky Richards and ridden by Danny McMenamin, Florida Dreams had to see off a raft of challengers in the straight as the race unfolded quickly but finished over a length to the good at the line.

The 16/5 favourite Blizzard Of Oz was second with Hasthing just holding on for third from the rallying Bowenspark.

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