Aintree Randox Grand National review: Nicky Henderson back as Sir Gino wins on day one

Nicky Henderson having to pull his star horses out of the Cheltenham Festival must have felt how a particularly gluttonous fan of December 25 would feel having been struck down with a bug a matter of hours before the turkey goes in the oven.

We’ve all been there; sitting silently, staring family members in the face with genuine hatred as they soak up the last of the lovingly-prepared gravy with a perfect roast potato. All crisped up on the outside, light and fluffy in the middle. What a miserable experience.

With nine winners over the four days, including in the Champion Hurdle, Triumph Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup, for which Henderson had looked to line up the stable stars, a fighting-fit Willie Mullins was practically mopping his plate with a finger by the time Galopin Des Champs stormed up the hill to record back-to-back victories in the big meeting’s Friday feature.

But, like a chilled New Year celebration hot on the heels of an over-hyped Christmas, there’s always time to be ready for Aintree, a meeting which has so often offered hope to those for whom Cheltenham may have gone awry.

There was no hiding place for Henderson too after declaring himself happy with the string over the past couple of weeks, sending rising star Sir Gino out to bat first for the yard in the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle - just 35 minutes after having to watch Mullins collect another top-class prize courtesy of Il Etait Temps in the opening Manifesto Novices’ Chase.

The youngster Sir Gino didn’t let anyone down, and while it wasn’t particularly pretty – it was never going to be following 45mm of rain at the track since last Wednesday – there was a genuine feelgood factor among the day-one Merseyside crowd as a smiling Nico de Boinville tipped his cap on returning to the winners’ enclosure.

Different story, different day.

“Through all these years there have been plenty of downs before the ups,” said Henderson.

“And we all know what it’s like, every trainer in the world has been through these sort of things. Unfortunately, ours became rather more public than was probably necessary, but it literally just bumped into Cheltenham.

“We had him (Sir Gino) sat at home watching the Triumph Hurdle, thinking eek! But at least we’ve got through a little bit of it.

“(The whole yard) will be very happy, it’s a relief to everybody and they’ve been brilliant. It’s been a long old winter of slaving away in foul weather to get them ready for Cheltenham – and then when it doesn’t happen, it’s horrible for all of us, and they’ve worn this battle really well with us. Thank you to them.

“Sir Gino has done what he had to do but he is a very, very good horse. And hopefully he’s got a long way to go. But one swallow doesn’t make a summer.”

Hold my cheekpieces, the message from Shishkin, before rather letting the side down with a sluggish run in the William Hill Bowl Chase, victory going to the Gordon Elliott-trained Gold Cup second Gerri Colombe.

Along with Henderson’s high-profile struggles since the turn of the year, the other major question that Aintree is going to go some way to answer concerns the British trainers’ championship.

Prior to Cheltenham, Mullins was miles down the table on account of not considering it anything like a priority, and he was still publicly playing it cool despite creeping up into third place behind Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls following another four memorable days in the Cotwolds.

But the tide has seemingly turned and, with the lure of £500,000 to the winner of Saturday’s Randox Grand National and eight hopefuls officially declared, it’s fair to say a Mullins title charge is now well and truly on.

Impaire Et Passe pocketing in excess of £140,000 in the William Hill Aintree Hurdle will have done nothing to cool such talk, although it was not a success devoid of controversy, the six-year-old finishing first past the post in a messy conclusion of noses and short-heads with Bob Olinger and the Skelton-trained Langer Dan, who appeared to have suffered something close to full-blown interference courtesy of the winner’s waywardness on the run-in.

“There were pluses and minuses, but on the balance of it I thought it was a hard result to change,” said a very diplomatic Mullins.

It’s fair to say the reaction to the BHA’s ‘placings remain unaltered’ announcement on X were eye-opening, and the press room was no less divided. Who’d be a Steward?

Thankfully not I, but if the title race ultimately comes down to another exciting three-way go, this particular Grade 1 may prove to be a pivotal moment in deciding where the trophy ends up.

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