grand national 2012 /

Grumeti Douses Countryside Flame in Matalan
12/04/12

1 Grumeti 11/4F
2 Countrywide Flame 4/1
3 Sadler's Risk 9/2
NR: Kapga De Cerisy (FR), Pearl Swan (FR)
11 ran Distances: 1l, 21l, 1¼l
TIME 4m 3.70s (slow by 10.70s)

Already a Grade Two winner over hurdles, race 11/4 favourite Grumeti recorded his first top-level win in style to outbattle Countrywide Flame, to whom he finished third in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Grumeti
© Racehorse Photos

“I think that this is the third time we have won this race but I was worried leaving the back and turning in because I didn’t think that he was travelling well,” said Grumeti’s trainer Alan King, who also saddled Walkon to win this race for for the same owners, the McNeill Family, in 2009 and subsequent Champion Hurdle winner Katchit in 2007.

“He is a horse that shows a lot of pace at home but I don’t know where it went today.

“He has battled on very well and it was the right horses at the finish. He’s beaten a Triumph Hurdle winner and they have gone a long way clear. I was surprised that he didn’t travel better than he did because he shows a lot at home.”

Owner Max McNeill added: “Choc (Thornton) did the job well. He said he knew the horse had one run and he had to time it right.”

Grumeti, a son of Arc winner Sakhee, is now 40/1 for the Champion Hurdle 2013 with William Hill and as short as 25/1 with Paddy Power and 20/1 with Boylesports.

Position	Horse Trainer	Jockey Weight	Starting Price Beaten Distance
1	Grumeti A King	R Thornton 11st 0lbs	11 - 4 Winner
2	Countrywide Flame J J Quinn	D C Costello 11st 0lbs	4 - 1 1 length
3	Sadler's Risk P J Hobbs	R Johnson 11st 0lbs	9 - 2 21 lengths
4	Eagle Rock T P Tate	J Reveley 11st 0lbs	33 - 1 1 1/4 length
5	Zarzal Evan Williams	Paul Moloney 11st 0lbs	66 - 1 Neck
6	Dodging Bullets P F Nicholls	R Walsh 11st 0lbs	4 - 1 10 lengths
7	Lyvius N J Henderson	B J Geraghty 11st 0lbs	20 - 1 3 lengths
8	Beyeh M Appleby	J M Davies 10st 7lbs	100 - 1 3 lengths
9	Bradbury J D Bethell	F Davis 11st 0lbs	100 - 1 2 3/4 lengths
PulledUp	Gottany O's D McCain Jnr	J M Maguire 11st 0lbs	16 - 1
Fell	Hinterland P F Nicholls	N Fehily 11st 0lbs	7 - 1
NonRunner	Kapga De Cerisy Miss V Williams	Aidan Coleman 11st 0lbs	-
NonRunner	Pearl Swan P F Nicholls	R Walsh 11st 0lbs	-

QUINN HAS COUNTRYWIDE PLAN FOR FLAME

Malton trainer John Quinn had to accept defeat when his Countrywide Flame was beaten into second in this Grade One juvenile hurdle, but he has high hopes for later this year.

Countrywide Flame
© Racehorse Photos

Countrywide Flame won last month’s JCB Triumph Hurdle when Grumeti was third, but that rival turned the tables today when scoring by a length. Sadler’s Risk, sixth at Cheltenham, was third today, but 21 lengths behind the runner-up.

Quinn said: “He’s run a great race, and been beaten by a better horse on the day. I should think the first two have improved from Cheltenham because they’ve beaten the rest out of sight. Perhaps we’ll beat the winner next time.

“We’ll put him away for a holiday now and give him two months off, then bring him back for a race on the Flat. We’ll win the Cesarewitch with him and then the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.”

Philip Hobbs, trainer of Sadler’s Risk, said: “He was beaten further today by the first two than he was at Cheltenham, but he did his usual thing of hitting a flat spot and then running on at the end. I should think he’ll go to Punchestown, but we haven’t discussed anything beyond that.”