There was a cracking afternoons racing at Leicester on Tuesday, with the highlight being the return of Jack The Giant to the larger obstacles and, in the same race, the seasonal re-appearance of the Grand National favourite Butler’s Cabin.
The big race, over 2½ miles saw Jack The Giant, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Mick Fitzgerald, drift in the market from 8/13 to 10/11, touching evens at one point.
The favourite was settled towards the rear by Fitzgerald, with only Butlers Cabin sitting further back in the field. Indeed there were many comments afterwards that the champion jockey, Tony McCoy, on Butler’s Cabin played too much of a waiting game.
The early pace was shared by 100/1 outsider Bronson F’Sure and the very well backed second favourite, Iron Man, who ran almost stride for stride until the end of the back straight on the final circuit. At that point Butler’s Cabin was well adrift.
Turning into the home straight the whole complexion of the race changed with firstly Fundamentalist and then Jack The Giant making strong challenges.
By the first in the home straight it was a two horse race with Fundamentalist initially looking the better runner. At the second last the favourite jumped into the lead and never looked back, despite brushing the top of the last, running out a 6 length winner.
Fundamentalist took second place with Butlers Cabin running on to take third place, 13 lengths behind the runner up.
A convincing run from the winner who is likely to be aimed at the Ryanair, come the festival. Butlers Cabin was running on well over an inadequate trip and when I briefly spoke with his trainer after the race he deemed the run to be satisfactory and he agreed the National was still the target.
The card opened with a simple little 19 runner handicap chase, where they went 9/2 the field. In an exciting race Susan Nock’s, Mylord Collonges justified favouritism beating top weight Abraham Smith (a 12/1 chance) by 1¼ lengths with 100/1 outsider Massini Sunset a further ½ length back in third.
In the selling hurdle the veteran Totally Scottish was sent off the 6/5 favourite. Playing a waiting game it wasn’t until three out that he launched a challenge on the long time leader and topweight Axinit winning by 1¼ lengths, the front two beating the remainder of the field by a distance. In the subsequent auction it looked as though there would be no bit for the old boy, however a late bid triggered a bidding war, resulting in connections having to lay out 5,300 guineas to take the victor home.
Controversy followed the novice chase, with the result eventually being decided in the stewards room. Disappointment of the race was the favourite Marcus who finished a disappointing fifth of six. Up front there was a dramatic finish between first past the post and 25/1 outsider Sheriff Roscoe and Gidam Gidam. The latter had shared the lead with the favourite for most of the race but looked to be tailed off half way down the back straight. Three out he rallied and came with a blistering run from the last to be beaten only by a short head.
However the stewards deemed that Sheriff Roscoe had interfered with Gidam Gidam and although they deemed the interference to be accidental they did reverse the placings. I think the connections of the first past the post must consider themselves very unlucky and I would not be surprised if there was an appeal.
The most eye catching winner of the day was the Gary Moore trained Numide in the novice hurdle. This newcomer went off second favourite to the well regarded Planet of Sound and ended up a 2½ winner over another newcomer Matuhi, with Alan King’s Bormo in third and the favourite a never nearer fourth. It may not have been the greatest of fields but the manner of his win was impressive.
In the beginners chase Fleet Street, another Henderson /Fitzgerald combination, was the convincing even money winner beating Orpen Wide by 8 lengths, although the distance may well have been less if the runner up had not made a mess of the last. The race was overshadowed by a crashing fall by Jim Old’s Kingtobee.
The final race of the day gave the bookies a bashing as the 7/4 favourite, Honour George romped home by 11 lengths in the handicap hurdle.