past winners

grand national 2012 /

Neptune Collonges Lands National Thriller
14/04/12

1 Neptune Collonges 33/1
2 Sunnyhillboy 16/1
3 Seabass 8/1J
4 Cappa Bleu 16/1
40 ran Distances: nse, 5l, 7l
TIME 9m 5.10s (fast by 4.90s)

After 52 unsuccessful runners in the John Smith’s Grand National, Paul Nicholls secured a seventh trainers’ championship when Neptune Collonges got up by a nose to win under jockey Daryl Jacob.

Neptune Collonges
© Racehorse Photos

“Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! I wasn’t sure we had got there,” said Nicholls. “He was running away when the other horse was stopping and I thought the verdict could have gone either way. He got there at the right time and that’s what counts. This has been a race we haven’t had the best of luck in but it’s great to win. It’s a race everyone knows and everyone watches.

“If it hadn’t been for Denman or Kauto Star then he’d have won a Gold Cup. He’s won two Guinness Gold Cups at Punchestown and been placed in a Gold Cup and no other horse apart from Synchronised had form like that. Gold Cup form counts for an awful lot. What a fantastic horse he has been and he will retire now. He’s probably the best horse we have run in the race. I knew he’d stay and keep galloping.

“Ruby (Walsh) always just felt he was too old. I’m so chuffed for Daryl, he went the brave man’s route and little short cuts like that make all the difference. Daryl keeps getting better and better and when you have a second jockey like him things like that can happen.

“When (bloodstock agent) Anthony Bromley bought him from France he said we’d be disappointed when we saw him. I thought they were having a joke when he arrived because he was so narrow and only about 15.2 hands, a typical horse from France. I said I couldn’t let Mr Hales see him for a while and fed the horse up!

“That’s seven championships now but it will be incredibly difficult to win another next year. Neptune has now retired and with Denman gone, and possibly Kauto Star as well, we’ve got to find some new ammunition for next season. I said to Nicky (Henderson) that I thought the championship was dead and buried for us after he won with Oscar Whisky today so it’s a surprise. Nicky’s a mate as well and I ain’t going to win it next year, we need to regroup.”

Speaking about the sad death of Synchronised, Nicholls added: “Neptune here has shown how much these horses mean to us. All sports have an element of risk and we all take a certain amount of risk each day. We take every effort to minimise risks but even in Flat races accidents can happen.”

Jockey Daryl Jacob dedicated his victory to former weighing-room colleague and housemate Kieran Kelly, who died in a fall in 2003.

“Kieran looked after me when I went to work for Dessie Hughes in Ireland and he virtually kicked me out of the house to tell me I had to go and ride in England so without him I wouldn’t be here. It is the same with people like Robert and Sally Alner, I’m just happy to repay them for all they did. This means the whole world to me, it’s the race every jockey wants to win,” said Jacob.

“It was a very, very close finish and I didn’t know where the finishing line was. I just kept driving until 10 yards after the line. He was going as fast as he could at the start as at the finish, I just steered him. He went his own pace, I just sat there.

“He’s a real stayer and a class horse and he just stayed on the whole way to the line. We were reeling them in all the time.”

Owner John Hales said: “This is so emotional for me and he retires today. I just wanted to get him round safely but I never dreamed he would win. I thought the handicapper had given him 6lb too much.

“My wife Pat watched with Paul but I was on the move half-watching. My thought after he jumped the last was just ‘thank God’, he’s home and well. I have nothing against Aintree but after what happened here in 1998 with One Man the place has owed me that one, so thank you Aintree.

“We had not thought about coming here but then he went to Haydock last time and, with a big weight and ground he didn’t like, I thought we were only going through the motions running there. But he ran a brilliant race, he would have won in a couple more yards and he earned his right to come here.

“He was going to retire win, lose or draw after today and will retire at my home now. It meant a lot to me when J P (McManus) congratulated me, giving me his good wishes after a terrible moment for him. It says a lot about the man that he could do that.

“My family was split about running here, my wife was 50/50 about coming here and my daughter Lisa is showjumping in South Wales although I think she might have jumped off when she hears what has happened.”

Position	Horse Trainer	Jockey Weight	Starting Price Beaten Distance
1	Neptune Collonges P F Nicholls	D A Jacob 11st 6lbs	33 - 1 Winner
2	Sunnyhillboy Jonjo O'Neill	R P McLernon 10st 5lbs	16 - 1 Nose
3	Seabass T M Walsh	Ms K Walsh 10st 12lbs	8 - 1 5 lengths
4	Cappa Bleu Evan Williams	Paul Moloney 10st 10lbs	16 - 1 7 lengths
5	In Compliance D T Hughes	N P Madden 10st 0lbs	100 - 1 2 3/4 lengths
6	Ballabriggs D McCain Jnr	J M Maguire 11st 9lbs	12 - 1 2 1/2 lengths
7	Hello Bud N A Twiston-Davies	S Twiston-Davies 10st 0lbs	33 - 1 3 3/4 lengths
8	Tharawaat G Elliott	B T O'Connell 10st 4lbs	125 - 1 3/4 length
9	Shakalakaboomboom N J Henderson	B J Geraghty 10st 12lbs	8 - 1 6 lengths
10	Swing Bill D Pipe	Conor O'Farrell 10st 3lbs	100 - 1 27 lengths
11	The Midnight Club W P Mullins	A Tinkler 10st 8lbs	40 - 1 22 lengths
12	Planet Of Sound P J Hobbs	R Johnson 11st 5lbs	33 - 1 14 lengths
13	Neptune Equester B Ellison	Felix de Giles 10st 0lbs	100 - 1 24 lengths
14	Calgary Bay Miss H C Knight	D Elsworth 11st 6lbs	33 - 1 14 lengths
15	Midnight Haze K C Bailey	S Quinlan 10st 0lbs	80 - 1 10 lengths
Fell 6th	Synchronised Jonjo O'Neill	A P McCoy 11st 10lbs	10 - 1
Fell 27th	Weird Al D McCain Jnr	T J Murphy 11st 8lbs	28 - 1
Fell 7th	Alfa Beat J J Hanlon	D N Russell 11st 5lbs	50 - 1
Fell 8th	Black Apalachi D T Hughes	D F O'Regan 11st 3lbs	25 - 1
Pulled Up Before 19th	Deep Purple Evan Williams	J E Moore 11st 3lbs	25 - 1
Fell 2nd	Junior D Pipe	T Scudamore 11st 2lbs	16 - 1
Brought Down 5th	Chicago Grey G Elliott	P Carberry 10st 13lbs	20 - 1
Unseated Rider 8th	Tatenen R Rowe	A Thornton 10st 13lbs	100 - 1
Fell 2nd	West End Rocker A King	W Hutchinson 10st 12lbs	16 - 1
Brought Down 22nd	According To Pete J M Jefferson	Harry Haynes 10st 12lbs	28 - 1
Fell 22nd	On His Own W P Mullins	P Townend 10st 11lbs	14 - 1
Unseated Rider 15th	Always Right J Wade	J Reveley 10st 10lbs	25 - 1
Brought Down 5th	Rare Bob D T Hughes	Bryan J Cooper 10st 9lbs	40 - 1
Unseated Rider 8th	Organisedconfusion A L T Moore	Miss N Carberry 10st 8lbs	20 - 1
Fell 10th	Treacle T J Taaffe	A E Lynch 10st 8lbs	22 - 1
Pulled Up Before 22nd	Mon Mome Miss V Williams	Aidan Coleman 10st 8lbs	50 - 1
Unseated Rider 10th	Arbor Supreme Jonjo O'Neill	M P Walsh 10st 7lbs	100 - 1
Unseated Rider 8th	Killyglen S R B Crawford	R M Power 10st 4lbs	14 - 1
Fell 17th	Quiscover Fontaine W P Mullins	D J Casey 10st 4lbs	50 - 1
Unseated Rider 8th	Becauseicouldntsee N F Glynn	D J Condon 10st 3lbs	25 - 1
Unseated Rider 5th	State of Play Evan Williams	N Fehily 10st 3lbs	40 - 1
Pulled Up Before 22nd	Postmaster Tim Vaughan	D C Costello 10st 2lbs	100 - 1
Pulled Up Before 11th	Giles Cross V R A Dartnall	P J Brennan 10st 1lbs	20 - 1
Refused 19th	Vic Venturi D T Hughes	Harry Skelton 10st 0lbs	80 - 1
Fell 1st	Viking Blond N A Twiston-Davies	B Hughes 10st 0lbs	80 - 1

KATIE WALSH GOES CLOSE ON SEABASS

Katie Walsh came closer than any other female rider in John Smith’s Grand National history when finishing a good third on Seabass, trained by her father Ted, five lengths behind winner Neptune Collonges and Sunnyhillboy, who was just a nose behind at the line.

Seabass
© Caroline Norris

Walsh, 27, who was having her first ride in the National, said: “He gave me an unbelievable spin. I was wrong a couple of times and he put me right but it’s just a fantastic experience and great to get round. I want to go out and do it all over again.

“Up to the third last. I was going okay. I pulled down my goggles and turning in Barry [Geraghty, on Shakalakaboomboom] said to me ‘You’re not going too bad’, but I knew then was never going to win. I was just delighted to be placed.”

Ted Walsh, who trained Papillon to win the National in 2000 under son Ruby, added: “I’m really proud of them both. I just thought for a few moments there we were going to see history. It was brilliant.

“I was a little worried about stamina and he probably ran out of it a little bit at the elbow but he jumped well and ran well.

“A real top-class horse beat him and also Sunnhillboy, who ran well at Cheltenham. It was a good National and it was great to be part of it.”



EVAN WILLIAMS THRILLED WITH THE INEXPERIENCED CAPPA BLEU’S FOURTH PLACE FINISH

Cappa Bleu, only having his ninth start under rules, ran a terrific race to finish fourth in the John Smith’s Grand National, despite a number of horses falling in front of him during the four and a half mile marathon.

Williams said: “Cappa Bleu nearly got brought down a few times. It was carnage out there with a number of horses falling in front of him so he had no luck in running, getting shuffled back, but he then stayed on again. He is still unexposed as that is only his ninth start and it’s probably his inexperience that has beat him.”

Paul Maloney has now placed in the past four renewals of the John Smith’s Grand National after finishing in the money aboard Cappa Bleu’s stable companion State Of Play, who failed to finish this year.

Maloney said:“It didn’t go to plan really. I nearly got brought down at Foinavon and I’ve just had to use Cappa Bleu a bit to get him back into rhythm, but he a ran a tremendous race. I would certainly like to ride him again next year.”

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