The Winner
Bindaree
Bindaree today was the toast of Aintree when he won the 2002 Grand National.
Bindaree and Jim Culoty He won the race despite being in the lead and then being headed at the elbow but then his grit and determination came into play when he battled and showed his great determination to get past the fine What's Up Boys on the run in as so many have done before him.
Today Bindaree showed how good he was in a finish when he is up with the pace and was up in the first half a dozen from The Chair fence.
He can sometimes get behind a little in the early stages of his race but his jockey Jim Culloty placed him to give him every chance and Bindaree repaid him in spades.
Bindaree was not thought to be the stables first choice today but he really was magnificent.
It was ironic that the only time he was in a little trouble was over the last two fences where he was being hassled by a loose horse, this was Beau his stable mate who had fallen a circuit before and this was the reason than his jockey Jim Culloty was not able to kick on as he would have liked from the last but he still came on and his jockey summed it up when he said " He really fought for me. He was a brave as they come", praise indeed from the jockey who won this years Cheltenham Gold Cup. Bindaree ran well earlier in the year in the Welsh National in a race where he was held up again. He has in the past been able to front run also so he really is very versatile, and nothing shows this more than his win in the Victor Chandler Chase.
Bindaree is only 8 years old and has a good future in front of him and will certainly win more races. Given this type of ground he could be an interesting runner in this race next year.
Nigel Twiston Davies
Nigel Twiston Davies has not won this great race twice in the space of 5 years.
Nigel Twiston Davies (Image by BBC)Nigel despite being one of out top national hunt trainers has not had a good year. The winners have not been so forthcoming this season but this one certainly put a smile on his face. He famously dislikes giving interviews but he was very happy to do so after this fine win. Of Bindaree he said, "We are very very pleased he did a good job". He has won this race in the past with Earth Summit who went on to win the Scottish National and also won the Welsh National. He trained 47 winners last season which was poor by his standards and was down on the 87 that he sent out the year before however he still earned over half a million pounds in prize money.
He stated after the race that so poor was this season that he had decided that if he did not win the race with one of his three entry's this year that he would give up training and did say that he was still undecided but if he did stay in racing that he would' down size' his yard" He might now find this difficult as more owners may now want to trust their horses in his keeping. He would be a great loss to national hunt racing if he was to give up the sport but could finish with his head held high.
Jim Culloty
Jim Culloty is one of our good jockeys in this country but he is probably not as well known as our other top jockeys as he rides a lot in the north of the country and northern jockeys do not get the recognition they deserve.
Jim Culloty He was 11th in the league of jockeys last year with a strike rate of 21% and earned his connections just less than 396,000 pounds in prize money.
Ha has done the same as the Twiston Davies stable jockey (Carl Llewellyn) has done twice in the last 10 years by taking over his ride in the national from the booked jockey who had broken his leg.
Jim gave the horse a fine ride today and gave the horse every chance by not letting him get adrift in the race. He also did not give up on the horse when he was passed just after the last fence but battled on getting the horse to stretch again and again. Add this fine ride to the great ride he gave Best Mate this year to win the Gold Cup and you can see that his services will be in demand when he is not riding for his retained trainer H.C.Knight.
Second Place
What's Up Boys
What's Up Boys ran his heart out today but was passed as so many others have been on the run in.
What's Up Boys He showed all his heart in his running today and even after 4 ½ miles he was still not giving up at the end despite having to give the winner 1st 2lbs.
He is a fabulous grey horse who no matter what type of race he runs he always comes running on strongly at the end. He has great heart and his connections I'm sure are very proud of his run today. There is nothing wrong with finishing such a close second after running 4 ½ miles in the world's greatest steeplechase.
The key to the horse is that his jumping has improved since he first went chasing and now looks as sound a jumper as they come and looks as if he loves the game.
He is a horse that is genuine and always gives his best in any race he runs. At 8 years old could be another to follow in the next few years over long distances.
It is likely now that he will run in the Attheraces Gold Cup (Whitbread) now so look out for him there.
Philip Hobbs
Philip Hobbs is a top class trainer who finished 4th in the trainers title last year.
Philip Hobbs (Image by BBC) He trains in Minehead and gets a lot of winners in the West Country and indeed all over the country now. He has lot of good horses and will be winning more big prises soon. He was watching the race alongside the winning trainer and although he must have been a little disappointed at not winning after his horse seemed to have in the bag at the elbow. He brushed this off and was one of the first to congratulate the winning connections in the winners enclosure. He is an ex jockey and so was his brother Peter who used to ride for him. He is top class and will have many more successes in the pipeline.
Richard Johnson
Richard Johnson is one of the very top jockeys we have here in this country.
Richard JohnsonWith 161 winners last season he was second in the jockeys table and 55 of them came for the Hobbs stable with which he is the stable jockey.
He has tried his luck before in the Grand National and has never completed before despite having a very good run 2 years ago on the horse that was going as good as any up front star traveller before having to pull him up through injury.
Now he has got the Aintree hoodoo out of the way in the next few years I'm sure he will be able to relax and enjoy his rides in the national.
A fine horseman who will undoubtedly get more winners this season and will be successful for many seasons to come.
Third Place
Blowing Wind
His jockey said, " I think he is the perfect Grand National Horse" in the run up to the National.
Blowing Wind I must say that I had my doubt's that he would stay the distance despite getting around last years after unseating Tony in last years race. He ran very well indeed and despite being left behind a when the first and second horses kicked clear two out he still ran a very fine race to be second. Tony McCoy said that he thought that Blowing Wind was better on last years ground and given that the "normal ground" for the national is somewhere between the both he could be one to follow in next seasons National.
He really did run well and his jumping was very good indeed and it would have to be for a horse to be third in successive Nationals. He is still only 9 and although he would probably not have too much improvement to come with a racing weight he will have a good chance to go one or maybe two better next year.
He ran and jumped bravely today and did nothing wrong but just found 2 too good today. His connections must be very proud of their horse.
Martin Pipe
Martin PipeMartin Pipe is the top trainer in the country. Last year he sent out an amazing 834 runners and won 168 races. He finished top of the trainer list again. He has won many good races and indeed has won this race in the past when Miinnehoma won the race in 1994. He will of course be a little disappointed but the horse not winning but he will be more philosophical about his run than the jockey. A man at the top of his trade he will have many more good days to add to this third.
Two more of Martins horses finished in the 11 finishers in 8th and 7th positions.
Tony McCoy
Tony is a jockey at the very top of his profession. He is without doubt the most successful national hunt jockey ever. Last year he won 191 races and this year he has broken all racing records for the most wins in a season.
Tony McCoy He has a determination to win that is unparalleled in any sport. It is said that he was once talking to another jockey who was training to run in the London marathon. And when be bragged that he would get home in four hours. Tony replied to him. "You mean you are not going to win? Well what's the point in running then?"
He is a fine jockey but before this run he had not got around the Aintree fences without falling and the only time he finished previously was when he remounted last year.
None of his pears have anything to say about him other than to praise his riding and also to say how nice a person he is.
Given that he is a top-notch jockey riding for the best stable in the country he has a good chance to go better in future years. The only thing against him is that there is only one Grand National a year and many other champion jockeys never won the national.
Fourth Place
Kingsmark
A fine effort by this chaser off a weight of 11st 9lbs.
Kingsmark He ran very well for the better part of the race and his jockey thought he was going very well. His jockey said that he changed his legs and lost his action for a few strides and you could see Ruby looking behind at the horses rear to see if he was sound. He decided that he would carry on and the horse ran on bravely despite feeling something and finished a fine 4th. He is a fine jumper and has won the Edward Hanmer at Haydock twice. He probably would have preferred it a little softer and would have been closer. A few pound lower in the weights would also have seen him a bit closer. Would he have won? Well his jockey, who has been 1st 4th in previous Grand Nationals, thought that he would have.
He is sure to have more good runs in him and will surly win some more good races in the future.
Martin Todhunter
Martin is one of the smaller trainers to send out a Grand National runner. Last season he sent out 65 runners and had 7 winners. His win and place prize money totalled over 91,000 pounds.
Kingsmark has been a good servant to him and Martin gets the best out of the horse and always turns him out fit and well.
Ruby Walsh
Ruby comes from a very good Irish racing family. His father trains horses and Ruby won this race two years ago on a horse trained by his father Papillion.
(Image by BBC) He gave the horse a peach of a ride today and had the horse in the perfect position at the third last and that is all a good jockey can do. Horses will then either go on or not. It was unfortunate that the horse seemed to go wrong for a few strides and Ruby was concern for a while. Ruby said after the race "I thought I would win at the third last".
He has given the horse every chance and on the day, given the weight and the ground, a bit faster than he would perhaps have liked the pair ran well and into a deserved fourth place.
Ruby ride his fathers good horses and is so well respected in this country that he will pick up many good spare ride in this country and has a bit future still ahead of him. |
