Uttoxeter Saturday

Midlands Grand National

THE Saturday after the Cheltenham Festival is the big day of the year at Uttoxeter, with the Boulton Group Midlands Grand National the focal point.

That race, at four miles, two furlongs and eight yards is only marginally shorter than the Grand National itself, and typically proved a thorough test on soft ground.

Major Dundee (Alan King/Rex Dingle) coped well with conditions to prevail by three lengths from Tile Tapper (Chris Honour/Sean Bowen), with the winner’s stablemate Notachance (Tom Cannon) 18 lengths back in third.

Major Dundee was returned at 12/1 in a race where fourth-placed Guetapan Collonges started favourite.

Held up in mid-field, Major Dundee was always travelling comfortably, and was clearly travelling best when produced to lead early in the straight. He looked vulnerable briefly when Tile Tapper threw down a challenge at the last, but soon picked up again when

The winner jumped impeccably throughout and is clearly well suited by marathon events having finished third in the Scottish Grand National last season. He’s likely to head back to Ayr, and must have an excellent chance, especially if the ground there puts the emphasis on stamina.

Winning trainer Alan King has always had a soft spot for the Scottish National, and is looking forward to another crack at a race he won with Godsmejudge a decade ago.

He was also assistant to David Nicholson when ‘The Duke’ took the contest with Moorcroft Boy and Baronet in the 1990s. Major Dundee will be 5lb higher in the handicap when third 12 months ago, but looks an improved performer on this evidence having run at an inadequate three miles on his previous starts this season.

“I’m absolutely thrilled” said an absolutely thrilled Alan King after the race. “It’s been a difficult season because we ran him at Ascot in the early season and he just got jarred up. It’s been a struggle to get him back, he ran okay at Kempton the other day but he’s just much better going left-handed.

“It’s the first ride that Rex has ever had for me and the one thing I said to him was just to try to get into a rhythm and then see what happens. That’s exactly what he did, got him travelling, got him jumping. I was very pleased all round.

“He’s had a hard race today on that ground, I would imagine it would be the Scottish Grand National or that’s him for the year, we’ll see. I’m delighted to win that race and he’s still a young horse, so there’s hopefully more to come.

“As a novice last year he finished third in the Scottish National. He’s a typical Hemmings type of horse so it’s very special.”

Kempton Saturday

Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden took the honours at Kempton last Saturday, with the feature handicaps (both races for horses balloted out of Cheltenham races) going back to Ditcheat.

Complete Unknown was the best-backed horse on the card and justified the gamble to run out an easy winner of the Virgin Bet Fives Handicap Chase, while Outlaw Peter provided the first leg of the double in the Virgin Bet Handicap Hurdle, the 3/1 favourite jumping on at the final flight for a comfortable success over The Bomber Liston.