Review and free video replays from the first day of the Grand National Meeting at Aintree

Arise Sir Gino

It has been a torrid spring for Nicky Henderson with his stable coming under a cloud before the Cheltenham Festival, ruling several of his big stars out of the meeting including Sir Gino (11/10 favourite).

Henderson had saddled only two winners since Cheltenham so there were still doubts as to his string's form and wellbeing but Sir Gino will have gone a long way to assuaging those concerns with a game performance in the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.

Triumph Hurdle runner-up Kargese pulled hard in the first half of the race and, a little surprisingly, took up the running over three flights from home. She travelled well for Paul Townend whereas a couple of scruffy leaps put Sir Gino under pressure but he responded to Nico de Boinville's urgings and joined the filly at the final flight.

From there, it appeared as though the unbeaten French import and one time ante-post Triumph Hurdle favourite was always going to prevail and so it proved as he ground out a three and a quarter length victory.

De Boinville told Racing TV: "It's been two months of real struggle for everyone in the yard so Sir Gino has really given us a bit of light. Through those two months he was really a light that shone bright in the yard and it was a shame we couldn't run him at Cheltenham but I think he's been vindicated by that today.

"He's still young, he's still novicey and I had to keep him covered because every time I saw a bit of daylight he lit up but as soon as I pulled him out and he's gone again, he's winged the last and I think that shows where he's really going. I knew that if I could get on terms and get on her girth then that was good."

Henderson said: “We knew what we were walking into and while it is a relief, one swallow doesn’t make a summer as they say.

“He galloped right through the line in what was a messy race, it was awfully stop-start. His jumping was untidy up the straight but you could see from the speed on the screen, it got slowed up dramatically, the second was pulling hard as well but he’s done what he had to do.

“He is a very good horse but he’s got a long way to go. He is in Punchestown but that was in case of protestors or bomb scares or something stupid, but I wouldn’t have thought that was high on the agenda.

“I always had the feeling he was going to pick up the second but you could get a tidier race than that.

“He’ll have to stick to hurdles next season but I’m not going to think about that now. I know where one person (Constitution Hill) is going so we’ll have to see if there’s an alternative route.”

Townend times it right

Il Etait Temps (3/1) ran out an impressive winner of the Grade 1 Close Brothers Manifesto Novices' Chase under Townend.

The Arkle third was given a patient ride on this step up to two and a half miles as the other four runners took turns to slug it out at the head of affairs. Ginny's Destiny was always in, or on, the lead and intermittently joined by Blow Your Wad and Colonel Harry while Grey Dawning was always close up on the inside, never letting Ginny's Destiny out of his sight.

By the time they reached the second last the big three had drawn clear and although Ginny's Destiny continued to impress with his jumping, he had no answer to the flat speed of Il Etait Temps who fairly sprinted clear of his rivals to win by nine lengths and put trainer Willie Mullins on the board at the first opportunity.

Grey Dawning rallied having been outpaced but couldn't quite get past Ginny's Destiny who clung on for second by a head; it was the third occasion the pair have met this season with Ginny's Destiny leading home his rival twice but Grey Dawning did come out on top at the Cheltenham Festival last month.

Mullins said: “That was nice and I loved the manner he did it in. I was really taken with how he walked around the parade ring beforehand, I haven’t seen him as loose for a while, and I just thought if he could run like he walked, he was going to run a big race.

“When he jumped off at the start, I think for the first circuit I was very worried, he just seemed very behind himself – I don’t think he’s going to need his hood in future. But he warmed to his task and jumped well later in the race and just kept galloping.

“I think going out in trip is more important than track. He did win over two miles, but his performance today over two and a half was fantastic. At this end of the season, horses are tired and he just took a bit of time to warm up, but I’m happy that he’s going to improve as he goes further out in trip and gets older.

“He’s a fine horse, he’s not your big, 16.3 (hands) chaser, but he turns up for every fight and is made of iron. He turns up and there’s never an issue with him.”

"It's hard work," said Townend.

"Early on we were struggling, for a horse that ran in an Arkle, stepping up in trip I thought I'd be getting him settled but that was no bother. A lot fell in his favour today, he did things right and he's a good horse; he's not getting the credit he probably deserves for what he's achieved."

Paul Nicholls felt both Ginny’s Destiny and Grey Dawning were perhaps feeling the effects of their Cheltenham exertions.

He said: “He ran really well, I’ve said all along there’s nothing between Ginny’s Destiny and Grey Dawning and they both ran their races. Say no more!

“Harry said there’s a really big race in him and considering he had a very hard race at Cheltenham, he’s bounced back really well. He looked good, jumped well but as Harry Skelton said, tired legs probably beat the pair of them as they’ve run really good races.

“I don’t know what route we’ll go down next year. He will get three miles but while Dan’s horse looks a Gold Cup type trip-wise, I’m not sure ours is because he has plenty of boot.

“What he has done is gone from lowly handicaps to Grade Ones and if we’d have jumped the second last at Cheltenham, it would have been interesting. There’s nothing between those two, they are good, solid, proper horses.”

Dan Skelton added: “Harry lost an iron but it is irrelevant to the outcome. Obviously Cheltenham has taken the gloss off him, though it makes no difference to his season as he was ready to run and ran creditably. Next season he will start over two and a half miles then graduate to three.”

In front On The Line!

Cheltenham Festival second Its On The Line (3/1 favourite) went one better in the Randox Foxhunters' Open Hunters' Chase.

Ridden by Derek O'Connor, in the famous silks of owner JP McManus, and trained by Emmet Mullins, the seven-year-old crept into the race as Bennys King and Time Leader rolled along in front.

The experienced O'Connor bided his time before joining issue on the run to The Elbow where the front two were done few favours by two loose horses (all runners were reported to have returned safely) but in truth the result was in little doubt as Its On The Line galloped on relentlessly to win by four and a quarter lengths.

Bennys King ran a fine race to be second, finishing in front of Annamix, Time Leader and Tea Clipper.

It was a second win in the race for O'Connor who said: "It's a privilege to ride in these colours every day and it's an absolute privilege to be associated with the McManus team. I'm in a great position.

"They went a ferocious gallop and he was a little bit of the bridle but he's a brilliant jumper so he kept jumping his way into it all the way. He is game, he got a little bit of stick after Cheltenham, he lacks that bit of class to travel in a race but he leaves it on the line every day, he puts it all in when it comes down to it and he's done that today.

"I was quietly confident (that I'd catch the leaders) as he'd had a good round of jumping and handled the conditions and because they'd gone such a strong pace I felt they'd have to come back to me at some stage."

Bruit of a display

The well-supported Sans Bruit (5/1) posted a scintillating success in the Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase providing Bryony Frost with a welcome winner on a big stage.

The French import showed little on his first two starts over hurdles this season having joined Nicholls over the summer but a switch to chasing sparked a marked improvement as San Bruit missed out narrowly at Chepstow. There was little danger of him suffering the same fate again as he put his rivals to the sword under a bold front-running ride from Frost.

Saint Roi, the 9/2 favourite, and fellow Irish raider Path d'Oroux gave vain chase but never looked like reeling in the winner whose winning margin was a comfortable four lengths.

A further seven lengths separated second and third but there was just another half length back to 33/1 shot Mayhem Mia in fourth.

"It's just awesome!" said Frost. "The start was a nightmare but it always is round here. Two miles around Aintree it was always going to be blistering off the front, luckily playing into my hands as he's quite keen for the first two furlongs, so I could travel there. He absolutely loves being on that attack mode into his fences, he was an absolute brilliant partner to have out there.

"Got a few breathers on the bend and down the back on the cross fence and somebody just came to his skirts there and he picked up and I thought 'if you've got that much petrol let's start rolling again' and he just put them all to the cosh and away he went.

"There is a frustration (that she doesn't get more rides) but you can only do with the opportunities you're getting and I'm thankful for everyone that I get. Today I was given the opportunity by the home team and Sans Bruit's owners and it's fantastic to deliver them the big winner when they have the confidence to give you that opportunity.

"10-2. I missed breakfast to do it but it paid off."

Diva shines in finale to boost Pauling

Diva Luna's (13/2) success in the Goffs Nickel Coin Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race will have cheered trainer Ben Pauling who learnt earlier in the day that owners the Megsons were to remove all 18 horses from his yard.

Given a confident ride by Kielan Woods, the Market Rasen winner galloped on strongly in the straight to deny Jubilee Alpha and La Marquise.

The winning distances were three and a half lengths and half a length.

The Mullins-trained favourite Baby Kate never landed a telling blow.

The winning trainer said: "She came to us (from Ireland) and I just liked her from day one. We chucked her into the Listed race hoping she was good enough, and she was, and that was always the plan then to come here after that and it worked.

"You never quite know with a bumper because the form isn't always that solid. They really need to do it twice to confirm themselves as worthy of getting really excited about but hopefully she's a lovely filly for the future. She's got the size and scope and an amazing attitude to hopefully be lovely for the rest of her career."

Woods added in the pouring rain: "It's absolutely unbelievable, she was so professional. She's so talented and just brilliant, fantastic for Ben Pauling and the owners.

"It's been a tough season for me through no one's fault but my own. It's well documented what I was banned for and I actually dropped my whip today which is a bit of story on its own! I don't know if I dropped it because I was thinking about it but I definitely do think about it.

"It's just fantastic. It's actually been a good season considering what's happened. The horses are flying, good support behind me and I couldn't ask for anymore."

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