Aintree Grand National meeting notes including reflections on Shishkin, Constitution Hill, Corach Rambler and Gerri Colombe
If a week is a long time in politics, then 47 of them must seem an eternity in jump racing, but that's how long there is to wait until the start of the next Cheltenham Festival. And yet, at the second most significant Festival in British jumping, Aintree last week, the future focus was largely on four days in March.
It's true that the discussion around Constitution Hill and whether he goes over fences or remains over hurdles is a more general one, but ultimately is an argument about whether it is better to stick with him doing what he does very, very well, and aim to win the Champion Hurdle three, perhaps four times, or switch him to fences, with the ultimate aim to land the biggest prize, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
That would presumably be the 2025 version of jump racing's blue riband, but there were also performances that had an impact on the market for the 2024 renewal, not least from Constitution Hill's stable-companion Shishkin.
For his first attempt at three miles or more, Shishkin contested what, despite the enforced withdrawal for non-racing reasons of the Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame, on paper was a quality renewal of the Bowl. Looking in fine shape, Shishkin was back at the top of his game and produced the sort of strong finish that had won him the 2022 Clarence House against Energumene, outpaced into the straight before rallying to overhaul the leader Ahoy Senor on the run-in (replay below).
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Shishkin clearly ought to relish the extra furlong of the Gold Cup on this performance and could well develop into the main threat to Galopin Des Champs next March. While he deserves plenty of credit for how much he found, there was an element of this being one that got away from Ahoy Senor.
At the start of what turned out to be the finest three days of her training career, Lucinda Russell and her team must have been frustrated that Ahoy Senor didn't quite get the job done after he'd looked home and hosed, having kicked clear two out. This was still Ahoy Senor's best-ever performance. Under Brian Hughes for the first time, Ahoy Senor typically travelled strongly, but produced his usual fiddly round of jumping, tending to correct to the right – it's hard to recall a chaser of his ability with such a suspect fencing technique.
Hughes was in the saddle due to regular rider Derek Fox focusing on being fit to ride Corach Rambler in the Grand National. Obviously that worked out rather well, though it needed a horse 10lb well in to deny Irish stables a fifth successive win in the race, the next six home all trained there.
Such was the ease of Corach Rambler's success, disguised in terms of the winning margin due to his tendency to idle once in front, that top conditions races, including the Gold Cup, are likely to be on the agenda next season. He has quite a bit of progress to make to bridge the gap to that level, but it's hard to be sure what the limit is of his ability.
Gerri Colombe is another who set out his Gold Cup stall at Aintree, gaining compensation in the Mildmay Novices' Chase for his narrow defeat in the Brown Advisory. He won impressively, though was aided by mistakes from two of his main rivals and an overly aggressive ride on Galia Des Liteaux.
Galia Des Liteaux was asked to press on a long way from home and set the race up perfectly for a stout stayer like Gerri Colombe, the winner seen to much better effect than he had been in a more tactical affair at Cheltenham.
Before Corach Rambler gave the stable a second Grand National, Lucinda Russell's yard had landed a second Sefton Novices' Hurdle courtesy of the gutsy mare Apple Away. She made virtually all, going with plenty of zest, then seeing off the challenges of a pair of Cheltenham Festival winners and the Grade 2 scorer Maximilian.
Apple Away won an Irish point in her younger days and like most in her yard has a profile that suggests a future chaser. She looks a stout stayer too, which offers another reason why she might go over fences.
The Sefton field, like that for the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham, contained plenty that ought to make the grade once they switch to the larger obstacles. The well-made Saint Davy would be near the top of that list. He lacked experience for a race of this nature and seemed to lack stamina as well, after still being well positioned into the straight.
Iroko, who had won the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham, is another with the look of a chaser. Unlike Saint Davy, Iroko saw out the longer trip pretty well, finishing a creditable third. He's still only five, so has plenty of time on his side to go far over fences.
However, perhaps the most exciting novice chase prospect in the three Grade 1 novice hurdles is Strong Leader. He was mentioned as a prospective chaser in this column at Cheltenham. On that occasion, in the Supreme, he didn't really cope with the demands of a much stiffer task. At Aintree, in the Top Novices', he made more impact, even if he rather got run off his feet in a well-run affair. However, he impressed with his strong finish, making up significant ground from the last to take second.
Strong Leader was beaten only by Inthepocket, who had finished fourth in the Supreme. The form pick coming into the race, Inthepocket didn't have to better his Cheltenham form, though his rider's dropping her whip probably meant he didn't win by so far as he might have.
It's worth underlining that the performances of the first two in the Top Novices' (replay below), as well as the win of Fennor Cross in the two-and-a-half mile handicap hurdle gave an early indication of the strength of the Supreme form (Fennor Cross had finished only 11th behind Marine Nationale that day).
Found A Fifty was another smashing potential chaser on looks in the Top field, though his performance was a puzzling one. He still looked to be going well early in the straight but began to lose ground from two out, only briefly asked for an effort; his rider Davy Russell was reported to the stewards to have said that the gelding ran too free.
Found A Fifty is clearly better than this run and he wouldn't be one to dismiss should he turn up at Punchestown.
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The third Grade 1 novice hurdle, the Mersey, was another contested by some likely to make a mark over fences next season, if not necessarily the first two.
This was a messy race, marred by a fatal fall for the Supreme sixth Dark Raven, the spoils falling to Irish Point. He's not yet the finished article and it might be he'll be kept to hurdles next season, still only five. The runner-up Kateira isn't that substantial and the mares programme over hurdles gives connections plenty of incentives to stay over timber with her as well.
Hermes Allen, who had every chance and again didn't quite match his form in winning the Challow, is much more a chaser on looks than the first two, while Springwell Bay, who was hampered twice, Crambo, who was badly impeded three out, and Coll Survivor, who was still going well when falling there, also have the physique to make the grade over fences.
By contrast, the juveniles in the Anniversary weren't a great bunch on looks, and neither were the mares in the Nickel Coin bumper, though the wide-margin winner Dysart Enos was one of the best types and ought to make quite an impact in mares novice hurdles next winter.
The field for the Grade 2 bumper that closes the meeting was a better one. Particularly taking was the third Hasthing, a good sort who looked in fine shape beforehand. He was a bit short of speed at a crucial stage, but saw the race out well and ought to win his share of races in novice hurdles next season, particularly over further than two miles.
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