Crabbie's Fox Hunters’ Chase |
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| £40,000 added, Aintree 16:15 6yo plus, 2m 5f 110y, Class 2  |
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| Thursday 9th April 2015 | |
1 On The Fringe 5-2F
2 Pacha Du Polder
7-1
3 Last Time D'Albain 10/1
4 Major Malarkey 40/1
NR: Vincitore (FR)
29 ran Distances: 3¾l, 13l, 5l
TIME 5m 24.40s (slow by 3.40s)
On The Fringe and Nina Carberry cruises to victory in the Fox Hunters Chase
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On The Fringe, who became the first horse to complete the Cheltenham and Aintree Fox Hunters' double since Double Silk in 1993, was skilfully guided to a three-and-three-quarter-length success by rider Nina Carberry.
After riding her first winner over the Grand National fences following two previous placed finishes in the Crabbie's Fox Hunters' Chase, Carberry said: "He really enjoyed the fences. I was a little bit on the outside so I missed the chaos at the start. I was happy all the way and I was just hoping I could jump the last two.
"He just seems to come to himself now and Enda [Bolger, trainer] has done a fabulous job to get him here in as good form as he did at Cheltenham, if not better, because he was up against better horses today. It was a very good performance. That's helped me get my eye in for Saturday."
Carberry, whose father Tommy has won the Grand National as both a jockey and trainer, while brother Paul is also a Grand National-winning jockey, rides First Lieutenant for Mouse Morris and Gigginstown House Stud in Saturday's big race.
She added: "He's the right sort of horse for the race but it's all about luck. If he's there at the last then he'll definitely have a right chance. He's won around Aintree on good ground before but I hope I haven't used up all my luck already."
Fox Hunters' Chase
£40,000 added, 6yo plus, 2m 5f 110y, Class 2
29 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Good in places
| Pos | Dist | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | On The Fringe (IRE) 5/2f | Ms N Carberry 12-0 |
E Bolger | 10 | |
| 2nd | 3¾ | Pacha Du Polder (FR) 7/1 | Mr W Biddick 12-0 |
P F Nicholls | 8 |
| 3rd | 13 | Last Time D'albain (FR) 10/1 | Mr K E Power 12-0 |
L P Cusack | 11 |
| 4th | 5 | Major Malarkey (IRE) 40/1 | Mr S Clements 12-0 |
N A Twiston-Davies | 12 |
| 5th | nk | Bound For Glory (IRE) 40/1 | Miss H Lewis 12-0 |
D M G Fitch-peyton | 9 |
| 6th | 10 | Twirling Magnet (IRE) 14/1 | Mr Thomas M O'Brien 12-0 |
Jonjo O'Neill | 9 |
| 7th | 1¼ | Bobs Law (IRE) 25/1 | Mr C Gethings 12-0 |
M Bowen | 11 |
| 8th | 1¼ | Big Fella Thanks 8/1 | Mr Derek O'Connor 12-0 |
T R George | 13 |
| 9th | 5 | Douglas Julian 50/1 | Mr T Hamilton 12-0 |
Katie Scott | 13 |
| 10th | 6 | Shoreacres (IRE) 20/1 | Mr S Drinkwater 12-0 |
Mrs Gillian Jones | 12 |
| 11th | 1½ | Brunswick Gold (IRE) 100/1 | Mr Stuart Robinson 12-0 |
Miss R Grissell | 10 |
| 12th | ¾ | Rouge Et Blanc (FR) 40/1 | Mr H A A Bannister 12-0 |
O Sherwood | 10 |
| 13th | 8 | Illusion Of Time (IRE) 100/1 | Mr J J King 12-0 |
R K Watson | 7 |
| 14th | 6 | Earth Dream (IRE) 66/1 | Mr James Ferguson 12-0 |
J P Ferguson | 12 |
| 15th | ½ | Soleil D'avril (FR) 100/1 | Mr W Easterby 12-0 |
Mrs Sarah Easterby | 9 |
| 16th | 10 | Good Egg (IRE) 100/1 | Mr D Skehan 12-0 |
Mrs L Fowler | 12 |
| F | Allerford Jack 100/1 | Mr Joshua Guerriero 12-0 |
Mrs Kayley Woollacott | 11 | |
| F | Boxer Georg (IRE) 100/1 | Miss K O'Farrell 12-0 |
S O'Farrell | 13 | |
| F | Ockey De Neulliac (FR) 33/1 | Miss C Walton 12-0 |
N Mechie | 13 | |
| F | Out Now (IRE) 40/1 | Mr D Maxwell 12-0 |
P J Hobbs | 11 | |
| F | Sergeant Dick (IRE) 100/1 | Mr Danny Burton 12-0 |
Andrew Turnell | 10 | |
| F | Tartan Snow 66/1 | Ms Annabel Roberts 12-0 |
Mrs A Brook | 15 | |
| F | Warne (IRE) 7/1 | Mr S Waley-Cohen 12-0 |
B R Hamilton | 11 | |
| F | Chosen Milan (IRE) 20/1 | Mr E David 12-0 |
R E Luke | 8 | |
| UR | Current Event (FR) 20/1 | Miss B Frost 12-0 |
Mrs Loxton | 8 | |
| UR | Neverownup (IRE) 25/1 | Mr O Greenall 12-0 |
Dr R D P Newland | 10 | |
| UR | Nowurhurlin (IRE) 66/1 | Mr N Orpwood 12-0 |
Mrs S Stilgoe | 8 | |
| UR | Quinz (FR) 25/1 | Mr Joe Hill 12-0 |
A Hill | 11 | |
| BD | Siro Demur (FR) 50/1 | Mr Alex Edwards 12-0 |
Philip Rowley | 9 | |
| NR | Vincitore (FR) 33/1 | Miss C V Hart 12-0 |
Miss C Hart | 9 |
SILK-SMOOTH FRINGE EMULATES FAMOUS DOUBLE
Victory in the Crabbie's Fox Hunters' Chase came four weeks after he landed the St James's Place Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham - it was a double last achieved in 1993 by Double Silk. Pacha Du Polder took second, beaten three and three-quarters of a length, while Last Time D'Albain was third another 13 lengths behind.
On The Fringe has been a leading hunter chaser in Ireland since he won Punchestown's Champion Hunters' Chase as a five-year-old in 2010, but until this season he had not recorded a win in Britain. He has come off the fringe and onto centre stage in 2015, and Bolger believes jockey Nina Carberry has been a factor.
Bolger said: "The ride Nina gave the horse was perfect - copybook style. She had him out of trouble, he had a nice clear path all the way round and just kicked at the elbow [on the run-in]. That was the plan last night and while they don't always work it came off today.
"I've run horses here before [he won the race with Elegant Lord in 1999] and know you have to be up there out of trouble. Nina was smart at the gate and from there it was a case of hoping he stayed on his feet - it was a great bit of riding.
"He measures his fences well so it was a long-held plan to come here - I expected a good performance, but not that good. Better ground seems to suit him, but also he's ten now, and a bit of age doesn't seem to have done him any harm. I have Punchestown in mind for every horse, and if he gets over this and is in the same frame of mind in three weeks he could go there."
NICHOLLS HAPPY WITH PACHA
Trainer Paul Nicholls was happy with the performance of Pacha Du Polder after the 7/1 shot finished second behind three and three quarter length winner On The Fringe.
The eight-year-old was given a lovely ride by Will Biddick and the pair really seemed to be relishing the challenge of the big National fences but they couldn't quite match the class of the winner, who was completing a famous double as he won the St James's Place Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival just under a month ago.
"Pacha's given it absolutely everything," said Nicholls.
"He's jumped super and we've just been beaten by a better horse on the day. They were well clear of the rest though. This has been our aim all season and he's done it well and we'll hopefully come back here next year.
"Will has given him a lovely ride. The winner was the one to beat though but we'll be back to give it another crack."
Nicholls also had news of some of his Crabbie's Grand National runners ahead of Saturday's race.
"They're all really well," said the trainer.
"I'm happy with them all. Unioniste is well as is Rebel Rebellion and Mon Parrain. I'm hoping they'll all run well."
Liam Cusack, trainer of Last Time D'Albain, who finished a further 13 lengths back in third, said: "I'm very pleased. He jumped super and got a lovely run round. He travelled nicely. The ground was maybe a shade quick for him - I thought he might be able to go with them after the third-last - but he ran a lovely race.
"The winner was very impressive - he's obviously a serious horse - but I was delighted. He kept out of trouble and got a lovely ride. He had a lovely position and everything was going right, but he just failed to pick up a bit going down to the second-last.
"He might go to the hunter chase at Punchestown if he's in good shape after this."
