My Pension Expert Melling Chase (Grade 1)

A BAD mistake cost Jonbon (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) a winning chance when a hot favourite for the Champion Chase last month, but the brilliant son of Walk In The Park was largely fault free under a no-nonsense de Boinville ride.

In contrast, his market rival El Fabiolo made a number of errors before taking a crashing fall at the ditch on the far side which handed the race on a plate to the winner, who was gaining back-to-back successes in this race.

With Matata also let down by his jumping, only Protektorat (Dan/Harry Skelton) could keep tabs on Jonbon, who took up the running at the eighth fence and turned the screw on his rivals from that point, with the 4/6 favourite looking like winning easily between the last two fences.

However, he had to be kept up to his work as his stamina ebbed a little late in the day, albeit he did comfortably hold off the renewed run of Protektorat by three and a quarter lengths, with Matata (Nigel Twiston-Davies/J J Slevin) finishing in his own time back in third place.

Huyton Asphalt Mildmay

Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

THE 11/4 joint-favourite Caldwell Potter (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) put up a bold display of aggressive jumping to win the Grade 1 Huyton Asphalt Franny Blennerhassett Memorial Mildmay Novices’ Chase.

Paul Nicholls has now won this Grade 1 five times although there was an element of good fortune about this victory, with Dancing City falling at the 14th fence and bringing down stablemate Quai De Bourbon, with joint-favourite Handstands also hampered and knocked out of contention.

That left Caldwell Potter with only The Changing Man and Jordans left to beat, and the former’s chance went when he made a bad error at the penultimate fence. Jordans looked a big threat at the last, but a fine jump by Caldwell Potter helped him maintain his advantage, and he kept on willingly to score by one and a quarter lengths from Jordans (Joseph O’Brien/J.J. Slevin) with The Changing Man (Joe Tizzard/Brendan Powell) beaten another 22 lengths in third.

“It took us a while to work out how to train him,” said Nicholls of the expensive recruit. “And I’ve had 10 days of sleepless nights trying to get him right.

“He’s intermittently lame - it’s not a big problem but it’s his feet so we did things a little bit differently. The whole team, especially my head lad Clifford Baker, deserves a lot of credit and we got him right.

“He’s a very special horse and we were confident that he would go very well today. Now we’ve found the key, we need to keep that key, and we’ll look forward to next year with him.”

Trustadtrader Top Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

SALVATOR Mundi (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) left a lacklustre Cheltenham run behind when giving his trainer a fifth Grade 1 win of the week in Trustatrader Top Novices’ Hurdle. A 7/2 shot having finished behind Romeo Coolio (Gordon Elliott/Sam Ewing) in the Supreme Novices’, he travelled with much more purpose as he tracked the Elliott horse here and the pair had the race between them in the straight.

Romeo Coolio had set just a fair pace and still led at the second-last flight, but Townend had moved Salvator Mundi stealthily up to challenge and the writing was on the wall as Ewing went for everything while his rival sat quietly alongside.

Salvator Mundi produced a better leap at the last to put the race to bed and sauntered clear on the run-in to win by seven lengths, with the winner’s stablemate Karbau (Danny Mullins) third, beaten a total of eight lengths. Favourite Tripoli Flyer never threatened having jumped badly right at times and he looked ill-suited to the track.

Willie Mullins said: “His work at home has been very good. I was disappointed that it had taken him this long to win a Grade 1, but we changed tactics a little bit today and decided to let him get at it, and I think it worked finally.

“They went a really good pace and Paul got him settled. He jumped well - just a little bit to the right up the straight, but Paul felt that he was correcting himself. That’s a good sign that he was able to think about that when galloping at speed.

“He thinks he’s faster than he is - that’s what goes on in his head - but he’s learning to settle and with more racing he’ll settle, and he’ll be better.”

Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1)

THE final Grade 1 of the day, the Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle proved a war of attrition for the longer distance novice hurdlers over the extended three miles.

It brought a first Grade 1 win for trainer Jamie Snowden as Gavin Sheehan steered Julius Des Pictons (14/1) through after the last to run out a two-length winner from a group headed by Minella Rescue.

Favourite Califet En Vol had led over the second last as Jonjo O’Neill Jr looked poised to pounce on Mister Meggit but a mistake at the last got him off the bridle and he was run out of the placings on the run-in as outsiders Minella Rescue (50/1) and Crest Of Fortune (25/1) took the placings.

Rest of the card

THE Topham saw 23 of the 30 runners complete the course and only Ash Tree Meadow came back without a rider in a race where the fences did little damage.

Ginny’s Destiny made much of the running pressed by Lisnamult Lad and the latter looked to have taken a decisive lead at the last only for the one loose horse in the field to hamper him twice on the run-in. Having lost considerable momentum, Ian Donoghue’s charge was run down in the dying strides by 14/1 chance Gentleman De Mee (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh), a former Grade 1 novice winner at this meeting and a classy runner for a contest of this nature. The Goffer was third for Gordon Elliott and Danny Gilligan in a race where the first five home were Irish-trained.

Jonjo O’Neill Jr registered his first win at the Grand National meeting when Wellington Arch made most of the running in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle, and despite a couple of errors on the way round, he kept on well enough to withhold the late challenge of Kopeck De Mee (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh) for a neck win at odds of 14/1. Jonjo Sr is hopeful that the winner will flourish when sent over fences next season.

Final challenge

The final race was the Hallgarten And Novum Wines Handicap Hurdle (Conditional Jockeys’/Amateur Riders’ Race) and it saw another close finish as, at first, Slugger and Finny Maguire looked to be set for victory at the last but found little on the run-in. He was overhauled by the favourite Celtic Dino but the final challenge came from the Dan Skelton-trained She’s A Saint under Tristan Durrell, who went away to win by three and a quarter lengths at 25/1, on her first run since last May.

“I’m so proud of her. It just shows what can happen when you give them a bit of time when it’s needed. And she’s got a great ride off Tristan as they’ve gone very hard in front,” Skelton said.