Betway Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus)
2m 4f Good to Soft
held up towards rear, headway on inside 2 out, hit 2 out, challenging when mistake last, soon led, ridden out
held up towards rear, not fluent 2nd, headway 8th, switched right before 2 out, stayed on well flat, went 2nd inside final 100 yards, not trouble winner
mid-division, headway after 8th, pushed along 3 out, stayed on flat, went 3rd inside final 75 yards
tracked leaders on inside, raced keenly, left challenging 7th, led next, bumped by loose horse 3 out, joined last, soon headed, no extra and lost 2 places inside final 100 yards
held up in rear, pushed along 3 out, switched left before 2 out, never in contention, kept on flat, went 5th last strides
in touch in mid-division, closed 7th, ridden after 3 out, outpaced and no impression on leaders from next
chased leader, not fluent 6th, hampered and left in lead next, headed 2 out, losing place 2 out, hung left and weakened before last
handy on outside, shaken up 3 out, outpaced when not fluent 2 out, weakened flat
held up in rear, not fluent 2nd, outpaced from 7th, well beaten 3 out
led, not fluent 6th, jinked right and unseated rider next
never going well, soon mid-division on outside, dropped to last 5th, pulled up before 7th
| Type | Winnings |
|---|---|
| Betfair SP | £6.54 |
| CSF | £105.42 (1, 5) |
| Tricast | £7,573.79 (1, 5, 8) |
| Win | £5.70 (1) |
| Place | £2.00 (1), £5.40 (5), £9.70 (8) |
| Swinger | £17.70 (1, 5), £43.40 (1, 8), £127.80 (5, 8) |
| Exacta | £101.60 (1, 5) |
| Trifecta | £2,780.00 (1, 5, 8) |
Ultimately a rather weak renewal in quality terms, with none of the principals coming on from the Champion Hurdle, the favourite departing at halfway, and little more than 10 lengths covering the first eight, a 101.0% race finishing speed and a decent overall time at least suggesting that the form will prove reasonably solid.
ABACADABRAS (158 here and previously) has his quirks but plenty of ability, both of which were in evidence here, and he is capable of being a danger to the best when things drop his way. A repeat of the best of his previous form was all that was required in this instance, travelling strongly held up, leading at the last, which was earlier than ideal in his case, but having the company of the loose Jason The Militant on the run-in and finding enough. He has the physique of a chaser, though whether he has the bottle for that discipline remains to be seen. Ridden as he is, he could well stay further than 20f in due course.
BUZZ (157 here, 154 previously) has gone from strength to strength, raising his own bar still higher with this effort out of handicap company, held up and slightly interfered with as he came through, staying on well late on at the longest trip he has encountered. He should win at Graded level but this may have been a particularly good chance at this highest level of all.
MILLERS BANK (154 here, 147 previously) showed himself to be better than ever, the form worth accepting despite the surprise implicit in his big odds, staying on well from mid-field. His handicap mark is sure to suffer for this but he has done nothing other than improve of late.
BUVEUR D’AIR (153 here, 159 previously) showed plenty of his old zest, which took him to success in this race in 2017 and in the Champion Hurdles of 2017 and 2018, for all that he ended up some way below that level, going more freely than ideal, pulling his way into the lead at the eighth, bumped 3 out but still going well until emptying on the run-in. Time is against him now, but he could yet have another good race in him kept away from the very best.
BREWIN’UPASTORM (149 here, 155 previously) ran respectably despite jumping less than fluently, this tougher than the tasks he faced previously.
SILVER STREAK (149 here, 160 previously) is probably a two-miler (he never raced beyond a mile on the flat and is a son of a sprinter) not really seeing his race out. NOT SO SLEEPY (147 here, 152 previously) had a stiff task again and did not convince with his stamina, free and left in the lead briefly before fading.
MCFABULOUS (146 here, 154 previously) is no longer building on earlier promise, finding little having tracked the pace out wide.
JASON THE MILITANT (165 previously) had possibly achieved a lot the time before – the clock suggested so – and was well-backed but got only as far as the seventh, taking it a bit awkwardly (as he had the previous flight) and unseating. He seems likely to stay, or even be suited by, this far.
SONG FOR SOMEONE (158 previously) ran his second lacklustre race in a row, the writing on the wall here at an early stage.
