Excellent performances at Aintree for Tattersalls Cheltenham graduates
One of the stand-out features of the three-day Aintree Festival were the competitive nature of the races with expected results changing up the run in and the finish-line verdicts decided by the shortest of margins.
The closely fought finishes saw the results for Tattersalls Jockey Club sale graduates go both ways – Arizona Cardinal, having looked booked for second place, got his head down and overhauled James du Berlais on the run-in in the Grade 3 Topham Handicap Chase, alternatively, despite Master Chewy landing from the last in front in the Grade 1 Mughall Novice Chase, he was headed up the straight by the Gordon Elliott-trained Found A Fifty.
Stuart Edmunds, trainer of Arizona Cardinal, said of the Oakman Racing Club-owned eight-year-old: “I thought we were beat and I would have been happy with second, but he stays well and he just kept galloping to the line.”
Arizona Cardinal, who is from the immediate family of the Gold Cup winner Long Run, was collecting a third win this season.
“He really does stick his head down and tries very hard. His jumping is very strong, and that was the reason to head to the Topham; we thought the fences would bring out a bit of improvement,” said Edmunds, who added that he does not think a future Grand National challenge will be on the cards as the Kayf Tara gelding is unlikely to appreciate the 4m2f trip.
Bought by JD Moore and David Mitson at the Tattersalls Cheltenham May Sale as a £16,000-winning point-to-pointer from Milestone Stables, Arizona Cardinal has now won over £140,000 for seven race victories from 16 runs and is BHA rated 142.
Master Chewy’s connections looking forward to the future
Master Chewy’s second-place finish in the race after the National left trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, jockey Tom Bellamy and owners Anne-Marie and Jamie Shepperd a little frustrated not to collect the victory, but they were also delighted with the excellent performance put in by the son of Walk In The Park. He was beaten just a head by the previous Grade 1 novice chase winner and Cheltenham Festival Arkle Challenge Chase (G1) runner-up Found A Fifty.
Master Chewy’s run was made all the sweeter as he was on something of a retrieval mission having fallen previously in that Arkle when looking as though he could have collected a podium finish.
Twiston-Davies reported this week: “He has come out of Aintree in great shape, he is 100 per cent. He is a really straight-forward type of horse, he jumped great and we are delighted with the run.
“He is on his summer holidays now, and we will be aiming at all the top 2m chases in open company next season.”
Victory would have given jockey Tom Bellamy a break-through success at Grade 1 level and it would have been a first top victory for the trainer since Bristol de Mai won the Betfair Chase at Haydock in 2020.
Immediately after the race, Bellamy said: “That was a massive run, I am heartbroken obviously, but I am also delighted to put the fall in the Arkle behind us – we think he might have been third then and we were left with a case of what might have been.
“He had to back it up and he has run an absolute cracker. The owners [Anne-Marie & Jamie Shepperd] wanted to see if they have got a Grade 1 horse – I can safely say that they have!”
Master Chewy was bought by Willie Twiston-Davies for £300,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale 2021 from Pat Doyle’s Suirview Stables
The gelding has really come into his own since he has progressed to a chasing career – he has won or finished second on five of his seven starts over fences, and is now on a career-high rating of 154.