Trustatrader Top Novices' Hurdle |
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| Grade 2, Aintree £100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 103y, Class 1  |
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1 Mystical Power 11/10F
2
Firefox 9/4
3 Lookaway 20/1
6 ran NR: Dysart Enos, Golden Ace
Distances: ½l, 9½l, 1½l Time: 4m 11.57s (slow by 18.57s)
Mystical Power is TOUGH 💪
— Aintree Racecourse (@AintreeRaces) April 12, 2024
He holds off Firefox to win the @TrustATrader Top Novices' Hurdle 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hAIrQAgYd9
In the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the second and third positions were claimed by Mystical Power and Firefox. Those two horses dominated here, leaving the rest of the field behind as they secured the top two spots.
Despite some of the initial excitement waning due to the withdrawal of Dysart Enos and Golden Ace on race morning, the Grade 1 event still delivered an exhilarating finish, showcasing the form seen at the Cheltenham Festival.
During the race, Lookaway set the pace, but the spotlight soon shifted to the big contenders. Mystical Power, known for his smooth racing style, effortlessly surged ahead. In contrast, Firefox had to work harder to keep up when the pace quickened. As they approached the finish line, Firefox gradually found his rhythm and closed the gap, finishing just half a length behind the leader.
This thrilling contest marked a second Grade 1 victory for jockey Walsh and owner JP McManus, who had earlier triumphed in the opener with Inothewayurthinkin.
Walsh said: "I didn't actually travel as well as I thought I would, I just had to keep him up as close to Jack as I could. Down to the third last I was happy with how I was going but down at the second last Jack seen where I was and I think he was going to try and close the gap and I had to go and commit which was a lot sooner than I wanted but he's a tough horse that ground it out well and done it well.
"He has a turn of foot and I didn't want to turn it into a staying race which I ended up doing but in fairness he stays well as well. He'd be a different horse on better ground I think, he'd travel a lot better, I think you'd see a better horse."
Top Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2)
£100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 103y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Soft
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Mystical Power 5 11-7 W P Mullins Mark Walsh 11/10F
2 ½ Firefox 6 11-7 Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy 9/4
3 9½ Lookaway 7 11-7 Neil King Jack Quinlan 20/1
4 1½ Mistergif 5 11-7 W P Mullins Paul Townend 13/2
5 2¾ Lump Sum 6 11-7 Sam Thomas Sam Twiston-Davies 9/1
6 26 Personal Ambition 5 11-7 Ben Pauling Kielan Woods 18/1
NR 7 Dysart Enos 6 11-0 Fergal O'Brien NON RUNNER
NR 8 Golden Ace 6 11-0 Jeremy Scott NON RUNNER
