Aintree serves up a story of heroism and heartache
Tributes to late owner Grech after I Am Maximus triumphs
WILLIE MULLINS, jump racing’s dominant trainer, won the Randox Grand National with 7-1 joint favourite I Am Maximus for champion owner JP McManus, but do not believe for one second that this was a result devoid of the great race’s traditional colour.
The reason the public love this Aintree spectacular is because it delivers stories filled with heroism, romance and occasional heartache.
It is an annual sporting melodrama. It even inspired a feature film about Bob Champion’s 1981 win on Aldaniti after recovering from cancer and yesterday a new chapter was written, but one tinged again with sadness.
Paul Townend-ridden I Am Maximus did not always race in the colour of McManus. He was once owned by the late Salford businessman Mike Grech, who named him after his wife Maxine, after being bought for him by his racing manager, three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winning trainer Henrietta Knight.
Originally trained by Nicky Henderson, Grech moved I Am Maximus to Mullins when he switched his horses to Ireland. The gelding was then sold to McManus just before he won the Irish Grand National in April last year when Grech was forced to sell his string — just five months before his death at the age of 63.
Knight, speaking from her Oxfordshire stable, said: ‘I saw this horse as a three-year-old and fell in love with him at the Costellos’ farm (in Ireland) where I bought Best Mate and had to have him. Mike even flew over in a helicopter to see him. All he ever wanted was to have a runner in the Grand National, let alone entertain thoughts of winning it. Maxine and his five children are at Aintree today. It is all very emotional.’
There must have been a pang of regret in watching the race for Henderson, who has never won the Grand National during his illustrious career.
He recommended to Mullins, now in pole position to win his first British trainers’ championship thanks to the £500,000 first prize, that he ‘put his hand up’ for I Am Maximus knowing the gelding was extremely talented despite having his fair share of quirks.
The 17-time Irish champion trainer believes the eight-year-old is capable of holding his own in next season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup. Mullins, who won the 2005 Grand National with Hedgehunter and had had 48 runners since without success before saddling eight starters yesterday, said: ‘I had said before the race we don’t know how good this horse is. I thought he was still a bit ahead of the handicapper and he has proved
it. He is quirky but he is learning all the time. Nicky could see the talent he had, we just had to nurture it.
‘He’s unremarkable at home. If you saw him in the field you wouldn’t pass any remark, but he’s obviously got an engine. We think he can go the whole way and be a Gold Cup horse.
‘Paul gave him an excellent ride up the inside. You could see him looking for the gaps between the last two fences. When he got it he set him alight.’
That was an understatement.
Jumping the last fence I Am Maximus, whose jumping had contained a couple of serious blemishes, still had half a dozen horses in front of him and it did not look obvious he would pass them.
But at The Elbow on the iconic run-in, the turbocharger kicked in and he sprinted clear of Delta Work, with fellow 28-1 shot Minella Indo in third.
It was a first Grand National win for Townend, 33, who also landed last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup for the fourth time on Mullinstrained Galopin Des Champs. He is the seventh jockey to win both races in the same season and the first since Jim Culloty in 2002.
Townend said: ‘The Gold Cup is the Gold Cup but Grand Nationals are a bit different and you need so much luck. I can’t believe it. I’m a lucky boy. It’s what every young boy with a pony wants to do.’
Yesterday’s race was also notable for a relative lack of incident. Twenty one of the 32 starters finished and with only two of the 30 fences left, 22 horses were close enough to lay down a challenge.
In those closing stages hopes were raised that eventual fifth and first British runner home Kitty’s Light could deliver a fairytale win for trainer Christian Williams, while Rachael Blackmore must have thought a second win was within her grasp on Minella Indo.
Latenightpass finished 12th but for a few strides he looked capable of winning for jockey Gina Andrews and her trainer husband Tom Ellis. But Maximus velocity then kicked in.
The big disappointment was that Lucinda Russell-trained 2023 winner Corach Rambler only got as far as the first fence, unseating Derek Fox.
But Russell managed to salvage a positive, saying: ‘He just overjumped at the first fence.
‘But everything is fine with him. The owners think that getting him back safe and sound this time is as good a feeling as winning last year.’