Trainer Lucinda Russell is dreaming of Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup glory after Ahoy Senor (4-1) ran out a superb winner of the Betway Mildmay Novices’ Chase on the second day of the 2022 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse.
Having provided a 66-1 shock as last year's Aintree Festival in a over hurdles, the seven-year-old announced himself as a potential staying chase star of the future with a superb front-running victory, under Derek Fox, to land a first Grade One win over fences.
Having been beaten earlier in the season by the two market leaders, Bravemansgame (11-8 favourite) and L'Homme Presse (7-4) – the latter at last month's Cheltenham Festival – Ahoy Senor proved his class by landing a five-length victory over Fury Road (4-1).
Having made all and jumped to his right throughout it looked as if he was sitting duck for his three rivals who tried to close coming over the second last fence. But as his rivals tried to get near Fox and Ahoy Senor simply piled on the pressure and move clear.
He jumped the last superbly and powered up the run-in in style with only Fury Road getting anywhere near him.
READ MORE: Get a copy of the ECHO's Grand National Special
Next year's Gold Cup, for which Ahoy Senor is now a best-priced 12-1 with Coral behind 4-1 favourite and this year's winner A Plus Tard
But Lucinda Russell, who won the Grand National with One For Arthur in 2017, was just savouring this latest success.
Russell said: "This time last year he was just amazing and this year he's been learning about his jumping, but each time he's raced he's got better and better.
"At Cheltenham I thought he learnt what he was meant to be doing and he showed it today – he was just outstanding. Cheltenham did make a man of him.
"He's just a fantastic novice and this is a great way to end his novice season.
"Derek rides him all the time at home. He knows the horses inside out and he is a fantastic horseman. His whole world is focussed on the horse and already has his campaign for next season mapped out!"
Betfair were most impressed with the winner and have him at 8-1 for next year's Gold Cup. Russell added: "Hopefully we'll end up with the Gold Cup, God willing. Now it's a dream again. I love Aintree and always have done. When we drove in yesterday you can't help but feel the spirits of everyone past - it's magic."
Peter Scudamore, Russell's assistant and partner, said: "Superman is no good without kryptonite and this horse makes the odd mistake!
"Everyone said he didn't jump very well at Cheltenham, I thought he made one mistake.
"You are dealing with an elite athlete and I just wanted him to prove it, that's why I get emotional.
"He's as good as I've come across. I don't see him as a Carvill's Hill. This horse jumps right, but I remember another good horse I rode called Young Hustler who'd go left on a right-handed track and right on a left-handed track. I think he finds himself room and he's just getting it together.
"The only thing I do think he likes is better ground, which works for the big races.
"The Gold Cup trip won't be against him. We are small fish amongst the big fish and to have a horse like this is an immense privilege."
On third home L'Homme Presse jockey Charlie Deutsch said: "He wasn't as sparky as he'd been at Cheltenham and when I looked across and saw how well Derek was going I knew we were in trouble early on. He wasn't the same horse as at Cheltenham, but it was worth a try."
Williams added: "It's horses for courses. I'm not going to take anything away from the winner, who put up a blistering performance, but this was more of a speed test today than even L'Homme Presse's two-and-a-half-mile races.
"I'm very happy with the way he's run at the end of a busy season, and I'm delighted for Lucinda."
Of Bravemansgame, Nicholls said: "That was disappointing, he just didn't run his race.
"If he'd been upsides two out and got beat yes I would have believed it, but that wasn't his true form. I think we can put a line through it."
It was a good day for favourite backers as Nicky Henderson's Jonbon landed the Grade One Betway Top Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (2.20pm).
Nicky Henderson's six-year-old lost his unbeaten record at the Cheltenham Festival, when he had no answer to his talented stable-mate Constitution Hill and was well beaten in second in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
But with no Constitution Hill lining up, the JP McManus-owned gelding resumed winning ways.
Sent off the 11-10 favourite, Jonbon obliged under Aidan Coleman, but had to battle to fend off Willie Mullins' El Fabiolo (4-1).
Despite getting warm before the race, he was settled just off the pace set by leaders Salamanca Bay and Aucunrisque. As the big guns made their move coming to the third from home Salamanca Bay unseated his rider and slightly hampered El Fabiolo.
But he came through to challenge Jonbon and after a thrilling battle the former won by a neck with a massive 19 lengths back to the third, Gordon Elliott's Vina Ardanza (14-1).
The win brought up a Grade One double for trainer Henderson, jockey Coleman and owner JP McManus following on from Epatante's Betway Aintree success on Thursday. Joseph O'Brien's Fakir D'Oudairies then gave McManus a third Grade One of the week in the Marsh Chase.
READ MORE: Pinstickers' guide to all the 40 Grand National runners
Henderson said: "It's not a consolation prize, but he deserves it because he's done nothing wrong all year except bump into what could be an extraordinary horse who luckily lives in the same place!
"From my point of view it was rather less painful (at Cheltenham) than it was for the Jonbon team. It's great to have two horses like that. They're very, very exciting – you couldn't have better.
"It was a very good race today and there's no doubt the second horse is a very good horse – they were a long way clear of the rest.
"Jonbon has had it fairly easy up until today and that is the first time he's really had to put his head down and fight for it – and he jolly well did. You have to admire him for the way he battled.
"He's had a great campaign. Constitution Hill was the only horse that could lower his colours and you can't really take that out on him and he's finished up getting his Grade One here, which is great.
"He's a big horse and his future probably lies over fences – I would have thought he'll be novice chasing next season.
"He'd get further that two miles, I'm sure. We had him in the two-and-a-half-mile races both at Cheltenham and here, but we always felt we could stay at two for now."
Mullins said of runner-up El Fabiolo: "It was only the third run of his life and he got a little bit of interference at the third last.
"I don't know whether it cost him the race, but Paul (Townend) had to use some petrol to get back.
"He's finished with two little nicks, one on each front leg, but we still might be able to get him to Punchestown."
Dan Skelton's Langer Dan ran out a fine winner of the opener on Ladies Day, the 20 Years Together, Alder Hey & Aintree Handicap Hurdle.
Sent off the 4-1 favourite, under the trainer's brother and jockey Harry Skelton, the six-year-old came through to land a length-and-a-half success over Nicky Henderson's Fils D'Oudaries (10-1) with Seven Barrows stable-mate Balco Coastal (10-1) eight lengths back in third. Garry Clermont (25-1) was a neck further adrift in third.
READ MORE: Enjoy D'allen can win the Grand National - big race tips
Trainer Skelton said: “This horse was well-handicapped - we knew that from Galopin Des Champs and he picked up a bit of an injury at the start of the year that meant we couldn’t get going with him.
“He needed that run at Taunton badly, but then we obviously wanted to try and win the conditionals’ race (the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at The Festival), and I was actually angrier when we got beat by Galopin Des Champs (in the same race in 2021) than when we got brought down at the second (this year), because Galopin Des Champs – how was he there to beat us that day, you know what I mean?
“He was clearly a Grade One horse in a handicap. But being brought down – that’s sport, you’ve got to shrug it off and get on with it. He’s made amends today; we always felt he was well-handicapped, and he’s entitled to get a bit better than last year, because as he’s getting older he’s getting stronger. He’s tiny but he’s just getting a little bit more mature.
“I was stunned when he was dropped 3lbs in the handicap, but I think it’s appropriate. We benefited in this instance, but I think it is appropriate, what the British handicapper has done this year and reassessed the whole herd, especially the novices, and set them at a lower mark, because it was clear from the year before that we were either as a herd way too high, or the Irish were so far in front of us, not just with quality, but also with the quantity of handicappers, so he got dropped.
“Would the 3lbs have made a difference today? Not a jot. No one’s been unlucky or lucky; it’s just the way the system works now. I don’t want to use the word fair, it’s just more equal. Sometimes it neatly comes together, and it has today.”
On future plans, he added: “I’ll see how he comes out of it. Colm (Donlon, owner) has grand ambitions with his horses – we work from Cheltenham backwards.
“He can’t be here today because he’s busy working and that’s why Cheltenham is so important to him, because it’s the only four days he can get off apart from family holidays, but we’ve got grand ambitions for his horses.
“We’re trying to make them Graded horses – so I think, all things being equal, we’ll throw the dice at that Select Hurdle at Sandown in two weeks, then next year, if it’s appropriate, we might even start at something like the West Yorkshire Hurdle, and go from there.
“He won’t jump fences – he wouldn’t see over one! Although he would jump one, because he’s got the heart to do it, but he is small; he’s tiny.
“My agent Ryan Mahon bought him as a foal; we loved the breeding, and everything else – Colm bought three at the time, and we were jogging them round as three-year-olds one day, and I said to Colm, ‘Look, you’ll have to get your money back on this one – he hasn’t grown from a foal’, and he said, ‘Don’t worry about that, if they’ve got the heart for it, they’ll run’, and he’s turned out the best of the three by a country mile.
“The horse has got a phenomenal attitude on him and I’m chuffed to bits.”
Winning jockey Harry Skelton said: “He’s like a little motorbike and I had a dream run round. He’s not very big, but he thinks he is and he’s got a good will to win.
“He’s been a bit unfortunate, getting beaten by a good one at Cheltenham a year ago (subsequent dual Grade One winner Galopin Des Champs) and then being brought down there last month, but everything happens for a reason and we’ll take those beatings on the chin. You get a bit of bad luck in racing – that’s sport – but you just get back up and go again.
“I must say though that Dan has done an unbelievable job, along with our head girl Amber Blythe who looks after her. He had a bit of a hold-up before Christmas, with a little injury behind, and our backs were against the wall a bit, but Colm (Donlon, owner) has been very patient. We put all the pieces together and it’s all come right.
“In time he might just be a bit better than a handicap hurdler.”
