Strong winds and steady downpours meant challenging conditions for horses and racing fans alike, but Nassalam as mud enthusiast walked clear over 34 distances in the Coral Welsh Grand National to round off an outstanding afternoon for Gary Moore’s stable There were no complaints from their connections. In Sussex.
By the time Caoilin Quinn and Nassalam set off as 9-2 joint favorites for the biggest race of the Welsh racing year, the field had already recorded the Finale Juvenile Hurdle and the Grade Two double in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton. Like all but two jockeys in the front-running Amateur and Total Unknown, Quinn’s white silks were a muddy brown a few minutes into the three-and-a-half-mile ride, but the conditioned rider had settled into just the perfect position. He was behind the leaders and was still advancing a few minutes later as he passed the Amateur and took the lead with about a mile to go.
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Echoes of Carvill’s Hill’s unforgettable success at the top weight in 1991 echoed in Nassalam’s relentless ease as he galloped home in the straight, moving further and further away from his pursuers with every step. Iron Bridge crossed the line in second place with a score of 8-1, while Iwilldoit, who won two years ago, finished third.
Jamie, who is now wearing a neck brace and is recovering from injuries suffered in a fall at Lingfield in November, was in the winners’ section here to welcome the first athlete of the field, with Gary Moore’s son and stable jockey opting to be at Kempton. winner of the race.
“Obviously the extreme distance suits him,” Moore said. “It was a great performance and now we will go to the Grand National. He couldn’t meet these conditions last season, but this year he experienced some soft ground and came into his own. “It’s definitely better on soft ground, but at Aintree they’re putting in a lot more water than before.”
Moore’s younger brother Josh announced his retirement from the saddle earlier this year following a fall at Haydock in the autumn of 2022, and Moore has ruled out returning to the saddle in time to ride Nassalam at Aintree. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen,” he said. “I’ve been out for at least three months. Caoilin is a very good driver, I think with him and Houli we have the two best conditions in the country [Niall Houlihan].”
Quinn was completing the double after leading Salver to a similarly easy feat in the Finale Juvenile Hurdle. The absence of Burdett Road, the last favorite for the Triumph Hurdle, as the ground softened made the task easier, but it was still a promising performance and was enough for Triumph’s odds to drop to around 16-1.
Houlihan, meanwhile, was aboard Editeur Du Gite, who won Kempton’s Desert Orchid Chase for the second year in a row. It was an emotional victory for the nine-year-old’s part-owner Trevor Jacobs, who was hospitalized for Editeur Du Gite’s victory 12 months ago after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, but challenged his horse back to the winner’s race. Preservation in person on Wednesday.
“Last year I was in the hospital bed screaming because I couldn’t move,” Jacobs said. “While everyone thought I was having a heart attack, all the bells were ringing in the intensive care bed and I was screaming and shouting. “They couldn’t believe it, but it was my first big winner.”
There were two Grade One contests on the card on the second day of the Christmas meeting at Leopardstown, but the highlight of the afternoon was Marine Nationale’s impressive debut over fences in the two-mile beginners’ chase.
Barry Connell’s six-year-old is in conflict with some companies for the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham in March and his coach is looking further ahead. “He is the fastest horse I have ever had,” Connell told Racing TV. “If we wanted to squeeze in a Flat race at one stage it would probably be a Flat graded horse.
Leicester 12.14 Tedley 12.49 Saint Davy 1.24 Swinging London 1.59 Missed Tee 2.34 Rare Clouds 3.09 Invincible Nao 3.43 The Gardener
catterick 12.30 Trac 1.05 New Order 1.40 Guillaume 2.15 Parkin Fine 2.50 Elleon 3.23 God’s Own Escape
newcastle 3.30 Blue Yonder 4.00 Cosmos Raj 4.30 Inverlochy 5.00 August 5.30 Jahidin (toffee) 6.00 Filly One 6.30 Professor Tickle (nb) 7.00 Secret Path
“I want to win a Champion Challenge with him, that’s where we’re going. It’s my favorite race, everyone wanted to have a Gold Cup horse but when I was a kid I was going to Cheltenham, Badsworth Boy, Viking Flagship, all those horses. That’s what really gets the pulse racing, a horse going at full speed. “It’s a little far off, but that’s our long-term goal.”
Willie Mullins, who will saddle last season’s Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Thursday, took the first Grade One of the meeting with Gordon Elliott’s Caldwell Potter also in the race as Dinoblue led the kart in the two-mile chase. There is a bid of around 8-1 for the Supreme Novice Hurdle following six and a half length success in the Grade One Future Champions Novice Hurdle.