Thursday's start to the Grand National festival saw Michael O'Leary not only win the Aintree Hurdle with Abacadabras but maybe also feel himself entitled to a sense of "told you so".
His beloved dual-Grand National hero Tiger Roll proved what the Ryanair boss has insisted all along which is that he isn’t Gold Cup standard.
Pitched into Grade 1 company for the first time in almost six years – and running over 'park' fences for the first time in three and a half years – Tiger Roll struggled to a distant fourth behind Clan Des Obeaux in the Betway Bowl.
“He was just completely outclassed and he couldn’t go the gallop the other horses were going. He is home safe and sound so that is the main thing,” jockey Jack Kennedy said.
Whether the outcome vindicated O’Leary’s decision to remove Tiger Roll from a shot at a historic third Aintree Grand National win on Saturday is a question hardly likely to muster similar unanimity.
It’s still easy to argue the British handicapper’s rating of the little star is way too much over ordinary fences but that fifth Cheltenham festival success in last month’s Cross-Country suggests singular challenges such as the National can provoke Tiger Roll into a class of his own.
In the absence of definitive proof it all smacked of a rather Pyrrhic point made that was in contrast to Abacadabras’ success in the festival’s big hurdles prize which was comparatively straightforward.
That isn’t a word usually associated with the quirky but talented runner but everything fell into place for him here where even his loose compatriot, Jason The Militant, conspired to help.
Rachael Blackmore was unseated from that horse at the seventh flight and while the loose Jason The Militant did no favours to Buveur D’air he proved an invaluable target for Jack Kennedy to aim at up to the final obstacle.
“I got there way too soon on him but the loose horse helped massively and it worked out great,” said Kennedy as Abacadabras bounced back in style from his fall in last month’s Champion Hurdle.
The horse is a general 14-1 shot to make up for that at Cheltenham next year.
“I would have loved to have seen what way he would have run at Cheltenham as I was very happy with the position I was in but he just made a silly little mistake and he tipped up. That was great to get that today.
“I think he is underestimated. He is a horse with a lot of ability. But I suppose probably the reason for that is things have to click with him and when they do he is an extremely talented horse,” Kennedy added.
On a day when owners were allowed back onto the track in Britain, the former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was able to enjoy first-hand a superb Grade 1 hat-trick in the first three races.
Clan Des Obeaux's 26 length rout in the Bowl came on the back of Monmiral in the Juvenile Hurdle and Protektorat in the Manifesto Chase, all of them owned by a combination of syndicates in which Ferguson is involved.
The Scot, who famously raced the brilliant classic miler Rock Of Gibraltar on the flat 20 years ago, described it as “the best day I’ve had in my time in racing.”
Ferguson, who didn’t appear enthusiastic about taking Clan Des Obeaux to Punchestown later this month, is also involved in a National starter on Saturday, Give Me A Copper, but believes the favourite Cloth Cap is the one to beat.
Paul Nicholls didn’t rule out supplementing Clan Des Obeaux for a clash with Minella Indo at Punchestown after having his judgement vindicated in skipping Cheltenham with both that horse and Monmiral.
“He’s been to Cheltenham and had two hard races in the Gold Cup. The best thing we did was not take him there. He doesn’t like it and being a fresh horse here makes a big difference. It’s hard to do both, and today was always the plan,” he said.
A couple of blunders by Billaway over the National fences contributed to him finishing only fifth as a 2-1 favourite for the Foxhunters under Patrick Mullins. Victory went to the 66-1 outsider, Cousin Pascal.
Rachael Blackmore had her first winner in 19 days when the Arthur Moore-trained Me Too Please landed the concluding Grade 2 mares' bumper. A Down Royal winner on St Patrick's Day, the 14-1 shot overcame a tendency to hang left and won by a length-and-a-half. Blackmore hadn't ridden a winner since Myth Buster at Thurles the day after Cheltenham.
