Hedgehunter made up for last year's fall at the final jump to romp away from the field and win the ?700,000 (1.02 million euros) Grand National steeplechase on Saturday.
The 7-1 shot, which was leading until his fall a year ago, took advantage of a blunder by clear leader Clan Royal at Becher's Brook to charge ahead of the field and win the 7.2km race by 14 lengths.
Carrie Ford, aiming to be the first woman jockey to win the race in its 166-year history, held on to finish fifth on Forest Gunner, another leading contender. It tied the best finish for a woman jockey by 51-year-old Rosemary Henderson on her own horse, Fiddlers Pike, in 1994.
Ridden by Ruby Walsh, who won the race on Papillon five years ago, Hedgehunter cleared the last jump confidently after being challenged by a group of chasers who looked threatening.
With no more of the 30 fences to clear, he headed for "the elbow," the diagonal route to the finish line. He increased his speed in the long run to the line to finish well clear of 40-1 shot Royal Auclair, which was a length ahead of Simply Gifted.
"What happened at Becher's frightened the heart of me," Walsh said. "But he settled and settled. When Clan Royal got carried out I was left in front. I hadn't planned on being there.
"I thought to myself that, whatever happens, I wouldn't move until the elbow. When we got there, away he went, brilliant."
Of the 40 horses that started, 21 finished. Clan Royal, which finished second last year, was eight lengths ahead of the field when he reached Becher's the second time around having cleared 21 fences. But two rider-less horses got in his way as he approached the most difficult fence of the race, and the horse veered to the left and refused to jump.
For champion jockey Tony McCoy, who has been runner-up twice but never a winner in the most famous race in jumping, it was another disappointment.
Even though she didn't finish in the first four, Ford was delighted with her result.
In the buildup to the race, veteran trainer Ginger McCain, who saddled National great Red Rum to three victories as well as last year's winner Amberleigh House, had said Ford had no chance of winning because she was a woman.
Before the race, however, he presented her with a bouquet of flowers with the greeting "for the first woman to ride the winner of the National."
"It was brilliant to get round, and it was only at the last that we found out that he didn't stay," Ford said of Forest Gunner, which won the Fox Hunters Chase last year over the same National fences.
"But guts and determination saw him through to the end."
After Amberleigh house finished five places behind Ford's mount, McCain said he thought would have to eat his words.
"She scared me to death but gave him a brilliant ride," he said.
Some 70,000 fans were at Aintree and an estimated worldwide television audience of 600 million watched the race. Bookmakers said they took some ?250 million (365 million euros) in bets on the race.
ADVANTAGE ATLETICO: Well off the pace in La Liga, the Copa del Rey represents Atletico Madrid’s best chance of silverware this season Atletico Madrid on Thursday hammered Copa del Rey holders Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final. After an Eric Garcia own-goal sent Diego Simeone’s side ahead early on, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez struck to give Atletico a landslide lead by halftime. Barca defender Garcia was sent off in the final stages, with Atletico maintaining their significant advantage on the record 32-time winners, which they take into the second leg at the Camp Nou on March 3. Both sides missed good chances in the second half, with Barca’s Pau Cubarsi having a goal disallowed before Garcia was sent off
Dasun Shanaka hammered the fastest half-century by a Sri Lankan in T20Is as the cohosts thrashed Oman by 105 runs at the World Cup yesterday in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, for their second win in Group B. The 2014 champions piled up 225-5, the highest total of the tournament, before restricting an outclassed Oman to 120-9. The 43-year-old Mohammad Nadeem waged a lone battle for Oman, compiling an unbeaten 53 to become the oldest player to score a 50 in T20 World Cups. Having promoted himself up the order and under pressure to deliver, Sri Lanka skipper Shanaka smashed a 19-ball half-century. It has been
Kawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. The 34-year-old forward, a two-time NBA champion, matched the second-best road scoring effort of his career as the Clippers improved to 25-27. “Just being aggressive. My teammates trust me,” Leonard said. “Every moment when I touch the ball — assist, shooting the basketball or getting a rebound — I’m just trying to help the team win.” Leonard made three steals in a row at the start of the contest. “Just wanted to come out early in the
FLOP TO CONQUEROR: It was sweet vindication for Sam Darnold, who played for four NFL teams before his debut season in Seattle ended in the ultimate win The Seattle Seahawks on Sunday coasted to Super Bowl glory, routing the New England Patriots 29-13 as Sam Darnold sealed his journey from flop quarterback to conqueror of the NFL’s biggest prize. Brushing off a reputation for wilting in big games, journeyman quarterback Darnold threw for a touchdown and 200 yards on the grandest stage of all to give the Seahawks their second-ever Lombardi Trophy. “It’s unbelievable. Everything that has happened in my career, but to do it with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Darnold said. The victory was buoyed by a dominant defensive display and kicker Jason Myers’
RSS