Bainbridge (2-1) opened the 2023 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse with victory in the opener, the Racehorse Lotto Manifesto Novices’ Chase.
Having bypassed last month’s Cheltenham Festival, Joseph O'Brien's seven-year-old was a fresh horse and on some better ground landed a fine length-and-a-half victory over Willie Mullins' Saint Roi (3-1). Paul Nicholls' Stage Star was sent off the 6-4 favourite to follow up his victory in the Grade One Turners Novices' Chase at Cheltenham. And under Harry Cobden, Stage Star led for much of the way in the Aintree novices' contest. But after a couple of errors, he dropped away and under JJ Slevin, Banbridge came through to lead over the final two fences. He has to be pushed out all the way to the line as Saint Roi tried to close, but O'Brien's rising star scored comfortably in the end.
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O'Brien hinted that he could be turned out quickly at the Punchestown Festival at the end of the month,although he was just excited for the future following this Grade One success. The Irish trainer, who will saddle his first ever runners in the Grand National on Saturday with Darasso and A Wave Of The Sea, said: "JJ gave him a lovely ride and it's great to come here with a fresh horse. He was a little bit sticky over the first couple, normally he's quite exuberant but he was a little bit slow. Once he got into his rhythm he was lovely.
"We took him to Cheltenham early in the season to get experience and then we ended up missing it (Festival), but that's the way it goes. We ran him in the Drinmore and we knew he was just a much better horse on better ground so there was no point in wasting runs on heavy ground.
"I think we probably saw the result of minding him earlier in the spring today. It was beautiful ground today, on the easy side but perfect spring ground."
O'Brien added: "We declared on Saturday just in case the rain came and I wanted to walk the track. He won't run. We'll look at Punchestown. There's no race over two and a half but while he could stay further in time, I'd imagine it might be back at two miles there because he's not slow. Two would be more likely but I don't know yet."
Of the Willie Mullins-trained Saint Roi, Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus, said: "He was a little bit keen, but jumped well bar one. There were no excuses, he was good at the last and Mark said it was lovely ground. He's entered at Punchestown and Willie will decide if he goes there."
Zenta – sent off the 5-4 favourite on the back of her fine third in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham – just hung on for victory in the Grade One Jewson Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle. The Willie Mullins-trained four-year-old, who was receiving a fillies' allowance, scored in the bob of the heads from Gary Moore's Bo Zenith (6-1) – who had been a winner at Haydock Park in February. She travelled well throughout under Mark Walsh and when the JP McManus-owned filly went to the front it looked like she would win cosily. But Bo Zenith battled to try and get in front before going down by a head. Nusret (6-1), bidding to give Joseph O'Brien a early Grade One double following Banbridge's, was five lengths back in third.
Mullins' assistant, David Casey, said: "She travelled and jumped brilliant, we think she's still improving. Mark just thought he got there a bit too soon. She travelled and jumped so well he's just ended up in front sooner than he wanted. When he got there he felt he'd better keep going but he said she pulled herself up, she still had plenty left.
"She's a lovely mare to go forward with. She's not had much racing and she was very green the day she won her first race for us. That was why we ran her, just to get some more experience into her. "I don't know if she'll go to Punchestown, we'll see how she is when we get her home."
Owner Olly Harris said of his runner-up: "He's a proper horse, really good, and when he battled back I thought we had it. He's going to be a two-and-a-half-mile chaser. We've looked after him but thought he had a massive chance today. We were a bit scared of Willie's and it turned out that Zenta had a bit more speed than us. Ours is a horse for the future and we will put him away now."
