TRAINER Fergal O’Brien has enjoyed a very successful season and things became even better when Chase The Spud, backed down to 11/1, landed the Listed Betfred Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on Saturday.
The going was officially soft and this is the second-longest jumps race in the calendar, so the emphasis was always going to be on stamina.
Chase The Spud has that in abundance and, while he almost certainly traded at bigger than 11/1 with Paddy Brennan pushing and shoving a long way from home, the nine-year-old got there in the end.
Alfie Spinner made much of the running but Eider Chase winner Mysteree came to collar him with three to jump. It took a while for his 6lb higher mark to take its toll because the horse is very game but Chase The Spud, rallying well from four out, could even afford a messy jump at the last before wearing him down in a slow motion finish to score by a length and a half.
Warrantor came next, followed by Houblon Des Obeaux, who receives no mercy from the handicapper but ran his best race for a while under the considerable burden of 11st 12lb.
“He was a bit of a monkey last time at Carlisle but was trying to give the second horse 10lb when beaten by him at Haydock in November and was much better off today,” O’Brien said. “He’s had to be tough. He missed out the last but found another gear and got there. Christine Banks owns and bred him and has been with me since I was training point-to-pointers. I’m delighted for her.”
“If he never wins another race what he’s done today is unbelievable. This is a race I’ve always wanted to win and I’ve done it now,” Paddy Brennan said.
“In the Gold Cup I just needed to know that Cue Card was all right, which he is, and hopefully he’ll be back at Aintree. It was a strange race; they were actually going too slowly to bring the best out of him,” the jockey added.
Mysteree, 13lb worse with Chase The Spud compared to Haydock, clearly ran a blinder and Michael Scudamore was delighted with him. The plan is next year’s Grand National as the ultimate objective.