Randox Topham Chase
Grade 3 Handicap,
Aintree 16:05
£150,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus,
2m 5f 19y, Class 1   
Friday 12th April 2024

Boylesports

1 Arizona Cardinal 20/1
2 James Du Berlais 6/1
3 Kandoo Kid 10/1
4 Celebre D''Allen 28/1
5 Aime Desjy 16/1
24 ran NR: Lounge Lizard Distances: 1l, 1l, shd
Time: 5m 42.92s (slow by 22.92s)

There was a fierce battle over the Grand National fences between two talented contenders.

Arizona Cardinal, staged a remarkable comeback, overtaking James Du Berlais in the final stretch.

Throughout the race, both horses remained prominent in the field, covering the challenging two-mile five-furlong distance. However, early drama unfolded when last year’s winner, Bill Baxter, made a costly mistake at the third fence, known as The Chair, unseating his rider.

Another strong contender, Life In The Park, seemed to struggle with the demanding course and eventually dropped out, retiring after jumping the eleventh obstacle.

As the race entered its closing stages, a select group of runners emerged from the pack. Arizona Cardinal, Kandoo Kid, Celebre D’Allen, and James Du Berlais pulled away from the rest, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.

James Du Berlais, known for his smooth traveling style, appeared poised to secure victory. However, in a twist of fate, his finishing effort fell short, allowing the winner to surge past him in the final moments.

The jubilant jockey, Ciaran Gethings, and trainer, Stuart Edmunds, celebrated as Arizona Cardinal reclaimed the lead on the run-in.

Kandoo Kid secured third place, followed by Celebre D’Allen in fourth, and Aime Desjy finished fifth in this exhilarating race.

FormRatings

"I think I've gone beyond smiling, it's unbelievable," exclaimed Gethings.

"I love the horse, I always have, he's just a fantastic little horse. Stuart has trained him to the minute, I rode him at Ludlow last time and he bolted up and I came in and I said 'that wasn't the real horse'. Even though he won by 20 odd lengths, he didn't feel the same horse and Stuart said 'that's fine, we've won a few quid so we'll spend a few quid on him'. We got him right, brought him down to Lambourn to school and I thought we had a good chance. 

"I've fancied him for a long time. I haven't told Stuart that or a lot of people but I told a lot of friends and I ride out at Kim Bailey's and told them as well that I really did fancy him to run a big race, he's made for it. I thought I was beat to be honest and I was delighted with second and he just never stopped to the line; it's unbelievable."

Edmunds added: "I don't think he made a mistake, thought he was beat on the run in but then he stayed on very strong, unbelievable. He's not the most conventional, he's long backed, flings his legs out to the side but he's got the heart of a lion.

"We were going mental! I was with my daughter and the girl that looks after him. For all the world, we were happy to finish second but then when he rallied and came back it was unbelievable. He has a will to win which you can't train it into them, they have to do it. 

“It was seven or eight months ago when we started looking at this race, mainly because we thought his jumping was superb.

On a possible future tilt at the Grand National, Edmunds added: “He’d jump round, quite whether he’d get that trip (I’m not sure). We might try to stretch him to the Becher Chase and give it a try. He’s obviously relished the fences.”

FormRatings

Randox Health Topham Chase (Grade 3 Handicap)
£150,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 5f 19y, Class 1
24 ran
Going: Soft, Heavy in places

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Arizona Cardinal 8 10-10 Stuart Edmunds Ciaran Gethings 20/1
2 1 James Du Berlais 8 11-10 W P Mullins Paul Townend 6/1
3 1 Kandoo Kid 8 11-1 Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 10/1
4 shd Celebre D'Allen 12 10-10 Philip Hobbs & Johnson White Micheal Nolan 28/1
5 8 Aime Desjy 9 11-0 W P Mullins Danny Mullins 16/1
6 4¼ Fantastic Lady 9 11-3 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 18/1
7 5½ Shantreusse 8 10-9 Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe 25/1
8 ½ Grandads Cottage 9 10-7 Olly Murphy Sean Bowen 18/1
9 8½ Empire Steel 10 11-4 Sandy Thomson Ryan Mania 28/1
10 shd Richmond Lake 8 11-2 Donald McCain Theo Gillard 50/1
11 5½ Embittered 10 11-2 Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy 66/1
12 5 Killer Kane 9 10-2 Joe Tizzard Brendan Powell 28/1
13 4 Good Boy Bobby 11 10-8 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 66/1
14 4¾ The Edgar Wallace 9 10-9 Kim Bailey David Bass 33/1
15 6½ Ciel De Neige 9 10-3 Ben Haslam Richie McLernon 33/1
16 9 Francky Du Berlais 11 10-7 Peter Bowen Robert Dunne 80/1
17 26 Shakem Up'arry 10 11-8 Ben Pauling Ben Jones 5/1F
PU Quel Destin 9 10-11 Paul Nicholls Bryony Frost 50/1
PU Flegmatik 9 11-2 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 25/1
PU Frero Banbou 9 10-4 Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 14/1
PU Your Darling 9 10-10 Ben Pauling Kielan Woods 12/1
PU Classic Getaway 8 12-0 W P Mullins Mr P W Millins 25/1
PU Life In The Park 7 10-13 Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore 11/2
UR Bill Baxter 8 10-7 Warren Greatrex James Bowen 13/2
NR 17 Lounge Lizard 7 10-9 Henry Daly NON RUNNER

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