Randox Topham Chase |
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| Grade 3 Handicap, Aintree 16:05 £150,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 5f 19y, Class 1  |
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1 Will The Wise 9/1
2 Ile Atlantique 11/2
3 Madara 7/2F
4 Gentleman De Mee 17/2
27 ran NR: Jipcot, Prairie Wolf, Theatre Native
Distances: 1¼l, 1¼l, 5½l Time: 5m 19.19s (fast by 2.81s)
Stranger things have happened! 🧙♂️
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 10, 2026
Will The Wise holds on in the Randox Topham Handicap Chase! 🥇
A first winner at Aintree for Conor Stone-Walsh 👏#ITVRacing | @conorstonewalsh | @gavincromwell1 pic.twitter.com/hy4YD9mbFR
This is rarely a race that lends itself to simple narratives, and this year’s renewal was no exception, a contest run at a relentless tempo over the National fences where position, rhythm and resolution all played their part.
At Cheltenham, Will The Wise had found one too strong in Madara, the latter quickening away up the hill, but here the roles were reversed, Gavin Cromwell’s gelding producing a performance of both patience and precision to turn the tables.
From the outset, the familiar sight of Mahons Glory attacking the fences from the front ensured the race was run at a searching gallop, his bold jumping once again putting pressure on those in behind. For much of the contest, the eye was drawn elsewhere — Madara travelling strongly under Harry Skelton, initially wide before edging closer to the inside, and Ile Atlantique, carried into the race with quiet confidence by Paul Townend, his challenge delayed until the closing stages.
As the field began to concertina turning for home, it was those two who appeared to hold the aces. Madara loomed with intent, Ile Atlantique crept closer still, yet neither could quite assert. Instead, it was Will The Wise, under Conor Stone-Walsh, who emerged from the pack, having been momentarily shuffled back before finding both space and momentum at precisely the right time.
Sweeping around The Elbow, he struck for home, and from there his advantage never looked in serious jeopardy. Madara kept on without quite threatening to reverse the earlier Cheltenham form, while Ile Atlantique’s late progress, delivered from the inside, came too late to trouble the winner. Gentleman De Mee, last year’s victor, stayed on from the rear to claim fourth, but the race belonged to the one who had timed his effort best.
Stone-Walsh, reflecting on the ride, was candid in both relief and satisfaction.
“Unreal. If I got beat I’d be annoyed as I missed the start. He jumped well and travelled. He’s a good horse and fair play to everyone, the whole team at home.”
Cromwell, meanwhile, pointed to a number of factors that had aligned in their favour, not least a slight edge at the weights and the rider’s valuable claim.
“I supposed we had a little pull at the weights with Madara and Conor claiming the three pounds was a help as well. I thought it would be a perfect fit for him. He stays three miles, but I think he is a real good stayer over this type of trip where you can ride him forward and he is a real good jumper so you are not taking him back. He got a little bit shuffled back in the race today, which I was surprised about, but it was a great result.
“I thought the King Of Prs was running a lovely race, and he fell, and I also had Addragoole, so I was trying to keep an eye on all three and it was all going well for all of them. I thought Will The Wise was getting shuffled back, but he came home strongly.
“It is a long way home from The Elbow, but thankfully he stayed on well. He is a very straightforward horse and he is a pleasure to train.
“You couldn’t rule it out going for a Grand National in the future. He has won over three miles and that type of horse can genuinely stay further. He is still a young horse as well so you never know.”
In a race where so many held chances at various stages, it was ultimately the combination of resilience and timing that proved decisive. Will The Wise, having been second best at Cheltenham, found both his moment and his measure here, confirming that over these fences and this trip, he is a horse very much to be reckoned with.
Randox Health Topham Chase (Grade 3 Handicap)
£150,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 5f 19y, Class 1
27 ran
Going: Good to Soft
