ENGLISH training legend Jenny Pitman completed a Grand Slam of Grand Nationals at Fairyhouse yesterday hut even she could hardly believe that her horse Mudahim had beaten Amble Speedy in the photo finish at the end of an incident packed Jameson Irish Grand National.
To be fair, she wasn't the only one who could hardly credit it when Mudahim was called the winner. The bookmakers offered 1/8 Amble Speedy winning the photo with Mudahim offered at 3/1; Amble Speedy's rider Francis Woods was confident he had won the race for the third time in four years and Mudahim's jockey Jason Titley had even apologised to Pitman.
Significantly, though, the only break in the general consensus came from Amble Speedy's trainer, Arthur Moore, who allowed some dark doubt to enter his mind and told Woods not to ride into the winner's enclosure. For fans of the Irish team, Moore's instinct proved regrettably well founded.
The subsequent contrast with the uninhibited joy of the Mudahim team told the National story in stereo. Shannon born Titley hugged Pitman, who also supplied him with his 1995 Aintree National winner Royal Athlete, and had to re adjust his post race analysis.
After unsaddling Mudahim, Titley had bemoaned the field's enforced bypassing of the third last and second last fences due to fatal injuries to the Noel Meade trained pair, Coq Hardi Affair and The Latvian Lark. "I'd have won if they had been there. The fences were helping him to concentrate," Titley, who won the race with Vanton in 1992, said sadly.
His mood five minutes later was joyously different, but it was Pitman who was the focus of attention. Three times previously the Lambourn based trainer had won the Welsh Grand National Corbiere and Royal Athlete had won the Aintree version; Willsford won the Scottish National two years ago and yesterday Mudahim completed the Grand Slam.
"To come here today and win like this is a dream come true. I'm just over the moon," she laughed. "I always wanted to come here today, the owners wanted to go to Aintree on Saturday and I told them that would be a mistake. The Aintree fences would have been too big for him and we have Nahthen Lad and Smith's Band in that anyway. If one of them wins I might just pack my bags!"
It was a terrible anti climax for Woods, who had won the race previously on Son Of War in 1994 and Feathered Gale last year. "I knew it was tight but I thought I had it. Jason even said `well done.' He did well to stand up after his mistake at the last and we were about half a length up when he changed legs 50 yards and hung," Woods said.
Jockey Tony Dobbin said the ground was "far too firm" for his mount, the favourite The Grey Monk, who just held off Papillon for third place. Charlie Swan received a dangerous fright on the run in when the loose horse Aardwoll, who had fallen at the second, ran down the course towards him and hampered Papillon. "It was some shock, but my horse has run really well and will be a lovely horse next year," Swan said.
Racecourse photographer Liam Healy wasn't so fortunate in avoiding the loose Aardwoll, who crashed into him and left him with a suspected broken nose.
Richard Dunwoody had a luckless National ride, pulling the lame Percy Smollet up before the sixth last, but he made up for that with a treble among the other races, although it was a shock for most on the course that he didn't make it a four timer.
When the hot favourite Finnegan's Hollow dropped out of the Jameson Gold Cup on the turn in it left Dunwoody's front running mount Humbel looking the likely winner. A mistake at the last by Humbel, however, suddenly put the maiden Gazalani in the picture and he pounced late to provide a 33/1 shock.
Gazalani's trainer, Oliver Brady from Castleblaney left no one in doubt of his origins as he vociferously shouted "Up Monaghan" over and over again in the winner's enclosure. Considering the price of Gazalani the crowd's response to Brady's announcement that "Monaghan might never have won Sam but now we've got the Gold" was generous. Swan reported that Finnegan's Hollow "went out like a light, just like when he was beaten at Navan."
Humbel's trainer Dermot Weld provided Dunwoody with his first winner when Stylish Allure hooked his ticket for Punchestown with a smooth victory in the opener and Gravity Gate found impressive reserves to overcome early impetuousness in the Dunshaughlin Handicap Hurdle for Downpatrick trainer Russell MacNabb.
Prate Box brought up the Dunwoody treble in the Nuzum Handicap Chase. Shane Broderick got the better of Conor O'Dwyer on Royal Oasis in the Beginners Chase.
