Silviniaco Conti got back on the winning trail with a determined victory in the Betfred Bowl at Aintree for Paul Nicholls and Noel Fehily.
The King George VI Chase hero led jumping the final fence in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month before wandering under pressure and finishing fourth, and he was a 9-4 shot for his latest Grade One assignment.
Fehily was keen to ensure the three-mile-one-furlong contest was a searching test of stamina and set a good gallop from the outset, closely pursued by last year’s Betfred Bowl winner, First Lieutenant. The pair led their rivals into the straight, with hot favourite Dynaste, Argocat and Menorah all laying down a challenge.
Dynaste eventually emerged as the biggest threat to Silviniaco Conti, who again wandered across the track, but Nicholls’s charge jumped the final fence well and kept up the gallop to hold the market leader by a length and a half.
Argocat came through to grab third from First Lieutenant.
Fehily said: “I think he likes a little bit of company, he likes to go along with other horses. I was ever so disappointed to get beat in the Gold Cup because I thought he was the best horse and in the end I didn’t end up in the first three.”
Nicholls said: “I wanted to be very positive with him — he keeps on galloping. He did the job well. He’s won a King George and this, so it’s brilliant. I’ll talk to the lads, there’s Punchestown but I think we’ll probably end it (the season) on that.”
Nicholls went on: “We’ve needed a good chaser after Kauto and Denman, and he’s done fantastically right. “We’ll try and put that right (his defeat in the Gold Cup) and win some races along the way.”
Guitar Pete came with a strong late run under Paul Carberry to win the Injured Jockeys Fund 50th Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.
Dessie Hughes’ horse had six horses in front of him jumping the second last and three still ahead of him jumping the final flight, but he stayed on really well to land the Grade One prize.
Gordon Elliott’s Clarcam fell in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham when going well and a first-time hood was applied for this assignment. It looked to have done the trick as he set sail for home under Davy Russell, but he had to settle for second in the end.
Calipto, unlucky in the Triumph when Daryl Jacob’s stirrup leather broke, was lit up a long way from home but he hung on for third under Sam Twiston-Davies.
Carberry said: “He made a bit of a mistake down the back at the last, but he stayed on really well.
“I thought I was bit too handy at Cheltenham so this (delayed tactics) was the better option.”
Hughes said with a smile: “He (Carberry) is very good. I said we’d try to get a lead into the straight, but I didn’t mean to be that far back.
“He’s full of heart and is always fresh. He’s a lovely horse.
Father-son combination Robert and Sam Waley-Cohen teamed up to clinch their third victory in Crabbie's Supporting The Hillsborough Families Fox Hunters' Chase as Warne made every yard of the running over the Grand National fences.
The Waley-Cohens landed successive renewals of the race with the admirable Katarino in 2005 and 2006, but while he was trained by father Robert, this year’s representative was making his debut in the owner’s colours, trained by Downpatrick-based handler Brian Hamilton.
Sent off at 7-2 following victory at Fairyhouse in February, Warne jumped beautifully at the head of affairs and began to draw clear from the halfway stage. Hot favourite Mossey Joe and last year’s winner Tartan Snow closed up from the home bend, but Sam Waley-Cohen had clearly been saving some petrol as Warne kicked away again from the final fence.
Despite having the attentions of a loose horse, the 10-year-old stuck to his guns to take the prize by 13 lengths.
Tartan Snow filled the runner-up spot, with 11-8 market-leader Mossey Joe back in third.
Sam Waley-Cohen said: “He was brilliant, but I was terrified of that loose horse — he kept driving me off my rhythm all the way. He jumped so well and travelled so well — he made it easy, really. Brian has done an amazing job getting him ready.”
The rider added: “This is a trophy we actually first gave in memory of my brother, Thomas. When we won the race with Katarino there was no actual trophy for the owners, so we decided to give something in memory of Thomas and we’ve been trying to win it back ever since.”
Uxizandre proved his excellent run in defeat at the Cheltenham Festival was no fluke by claiming Grade One honours in the Pinsent Masons Manifesto Novices' Chase .
Alan King’s six-year-old was a 33-1 shot when pushing Taquin Du Seuil all the way in the JLT Novices’ Chase at Prestbury Park last month, but just 11-4 for his Merseyside mission.
Tony McCoy’s mount jumped well towards the head of affairs and had seen off closest rival and Arkle Trophy winner Western Warhorse early in the home straight.
Hot favourite Oscar Whisky, who fell at the first fence in the JLT at Cheltenham, was being scrubbed along by Barry Geraghty in last place shortly before the turn for home, but responded to pressure once straightened up.
He tried to close down Uxizandre after the final fence, but the JP McManus-owned runner found enough to take the spoils by a length and a half.
King said: “He ran a hell of a race at Cheltenham. We wondered if it was a fluke or not, but clearly not. I’m not saying he’s ungenuine, but you can disappoint him.
“He gets the trip well. We had him in the three-mile race on Friday (Mildmay Novices’ Chase) and it was a toss-up which way we went with him.”
