Appreciate It lives up to billing as favourite
APPRECIATE It routed the field to land a superb victory in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Willie Mullins’ young star, sent off the hot 8-11 favourite, ran out a widemargin winner to give his trainer a record seventh victory in the Grade One contest.
Under Paul Townend, the six-year-old was always travelling well off the leader For Pleasure. And on the turn for home, Appreciate It came through stylishly, sauntering home by 24 lengths from fellow Irish raider, the Henry De Bromhead-trained Ballyadam (6-1). For Pleasure (40-1) stayed on to be third.
Mullins will send Appreciate It to the Punchestown Festival next month, before deciding whether he will stay over hurdles next season or begin a novice chasing career.
It may be the changing of the guard at Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows stable as Shishkin sauntered to victory in the Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy.
With previous two-mile chasing star Altior out of the today’s Queen Mother Champion Chase due to injury, stablemate Shishkin put down a marker for next year’s Grade One feature with a peerless performance.
Sent off a warm 4-9 favourite, the seven-year-old landed a seventh straight victory and is now 5-2 for next year’s Champion Chase with Coral and William Hill.
Shiskin came home by 12 lengths, with Eldorado Allen staying on for second ahead of Captain Guinness and Allmankind.
A delighted Henderson said: “We’d always hoped (to win like that), but you never expect. We knew there was going to be plenty of pace, I didn’t know the other horse (Captain Guinness) would take him (Allmankind) on as well. But he’s got a high cruising speed and just sat on their tails.
“He came wide and had plenty of space, but he was impressive the way he came up the hill.”
Vintage Clouds finally won the Ultima Handicap Chase at the fifth attempt when he ran out a shock 28-1 victor in the 3m 2f contest.
Five of those in the line-up are also entered in the Randox Grand
National at Aintree Racecourse on April 10, but this time not the winner.
The nearest Aintree hopeful was Milan Native – now trained by Denise Foster, who has taken over the banned Gordon Elliott’s stable – who finished well back in ninth.
But it was the Grand Nationalwinning team of trainer Sue Smith and jockey Ryan Mania – who landed the Aintree showpiece in 2013 with Auroras Encore – who came out on top with 11-year-old Vintage Clouds.
The grey was always near the head of affairs with National entrant Pym and Alnadam.
Owned by Trevor Hemmings, who will bid for a record fourth Grand National win with favourite Cloth Cap next month, Vintage Clouds went one better than when second in the Ultima in 2019, scoring by five-and-ahalf lengths from 10-3 favourite Happygolucky.
Harriet Graham’s Aye Right (11-2) was again placed in another top staying chase, when finishing a further two-and-a-half lengths back in third, with the Venetia Williamstrained Cepage (14-1) fourth.
It was a fine victory by Smith’s grey, who jumped superbly and finally grabbed a deserved success in the Ultima.
After being told he was a Cheltenham Festival winner, Mania said: “I’ll be honest, I never ever thought I’d hear those words mentioned.”