Reporter: Paul Jones
Last year’s race
- Winner: Baby Run
- Jockey: Willie Twiston-Davies
- Trainer: Nigel Twiston-Davies
- Owner: Nigel Twiston-Davies
- Age: 10 Weight: 12st 0lb
- Starting Price: 3/1f
- Season Form Figures: 11U
- Previous Best: 1st - Walrus Hunters Chase, Haydock
Although the race now attracts a maximum field don’t be fooled into thinking it is an open event as the front four in the market have an extraordinarily strong record over the last 19 years winning on 17 occasions, Baby Run being the latest 12 months ago when justifying favouritism. Being on a horse that likes to be ridden prominently is also an advantage and no hunter was ever going to lead Baby Run last year who made virtually all the running.
They don’t hang about in this big-field amateur riders’ contest and, time and again, it pays to be in the front rank from early on as it does with the Topham and Grand Sefton over this trip on this course. Front runners tend not to come back to rest of the field en masse; one or two usually keep up the gallop.
The victories of Silver Adonis and Baby Run during the last two years saw a return to the domination of ex-handicappers, six of his kind having landed this from 2002-2007.
I unquestionably prefer to look at the younger hunters for the Cheltenham Foxhunters’ where 20 of the last 22 winners were aged nine or younger (including the first four last month) but it is completely the opposite for Aintree’s big hunter chase over the Grand National obstacles where all but two of the last 28 winners were aged at least nine. Common sense dictates it should be the other way round as this is more of a test of speed but experience counts for an awful lot over these big fences and older and therefore more experienced horses are just better equipped to deal with it hence their very strong record and it is a similar story with the Grand National.
Trust Fund and Christy Beamish had won in 2008 and 2009 for horses which had started out as pointers, but the victories of Silver Adonis and Baby Run during the last two years saw a return to the domination of ex-handicappers, six of his kind having landed this from 2002-2007. Another strong statistic is that 16 of the last 19 winners finished placed at worst last time out. One of those was last year’s winner, Baby Run, who unseated his rider two when leading the Christie’s Foxhunters’ at the Cheltenham Festival. The point I am really getting at therefore is to only consider in-form horses.
The two best guides have been the Christie’s Foxhunters’ at Cheltenham in which Salsify beat Chapoturgeon and Oscar Delta which has featured three ten winners and the Walrus Hunters’ Chase at Haydock won by Unowatimeen who beat Turko after the favourite, Description, fell on the back straight of the second circuit. No Irish hunter chase features as a leading guide as only Enda Bolger’s Elegant Lord in 1999 has inscribed his name on the Roll of Honour in the last 28 years for the Irish which is a desperate indictment on a nation steeped in history in the point-to-point and hunter chase field.
At a glance summary
- Positives
- First four in the betting
- Prominent racers
- Contested the Christies’ Foxhunters’ or Walrus Hunters’ Chase
- Negatives
- Aged eight or younger
- Failed to finish in the first four last time out
- Trained in Ireland
Previous Winners
| Year |
Winner |
Trainer |
Jockey |
Age/Wt |
OR |
SP |
| 2011 |
Baby Run |
Nigel Twiston-Davies |
William Twiston-Davies |
11/12:00 |
136 |
3-1f |
| 2010 |
Silver Adonis |
Dr. Richard Newland |
Tom Weston |
9/12:00 |
116 |
50-1 |
| 2009 |
Trust Fund |
R Barber |
Mr T Greenhall |
11/12:00 |
136 |
13-2 |
| 2008 |
Christy Beamish |
P Jones |
Mr Joshua Guerriero |
11/12:00 |
121 |
6-1 |
| 2007 |
Scots Grey |
Nicky Henderson |
Mr R Burton |
12/12:00 |
130 |
9-2 |
| 2006 |
Katarino |
Robert Waley-Cohen |
Sam Waley-Cohen |
11/12:00 |
/ |
11-2 |
| 2005 |
Katarino |
Robert Waley-Cohen |
Sam Waley-Cohen |
10/12:00 |
/ |
100-30f |
| 2004 |
Forest Gunner |
Richard Ford |
Carrie Ford |
10/12:00 |
120 |
13-2 |
| 2003 |
Divet Hill |
Ann Hamilton |
Dale Jewett |
9/12:00 |
125 |
11-2 |
| 2002 |
Torduff Express |
Paul Nicholls |
Polly Gundry |
11/12:00 |
122 |
8-1 |
