SCOTTON BANKS, the 15 length winner of yesterday's £60,000 Martell Cup at Aintree is being spoken in terms of next year's Grand National rather than the Gold Cup, which might appear the natural objective of this lightly raced seven year old who shook off the attentions of a tired Barton Bank after jumping the second last.
The easy to back favourite Couldn't Be Better, was pulled up with a circuit to cover, his rider Graham Bradley obviously ill at ease with the Gold Cup third before he called it a day. "He felt lame and I knew after half a mile that he wasn't right. You couldn't blame the ground. I jogged him back and he didn't feel 100 per cent sound."
Trained in Malton, Yorkshire, by Tim Easterby, who took over from his famous father, Peter, when he retired in February, the Irish bred Scotton Banks was bought as a four year old by his young trainer who feared that he might not have the speed to win this extended three miles.
But in contrast to Haydock, where he was pulled up, the ground was now in his favour and he stays for ever. Scotton Banks may next run in the Whitbread Gold Cup on April 27th.
The winner was ridden by Irishman Lorcan Wyer who was due to ride absentee Toogood Tobe True in the Grand National. He said: Scotton Banks has enabled us to see what he can do, he's done all the talking."
Just when it seemed nothing could go right for Yorkshire trainer Tom Tate, his charge, Ask Tom, won the Sandeman Maghull Novices Chase. Lo Strogone was the last horse in the Tadcaster yard to catch a virus which affected the first of the 18 strong team in December and had to be withdrawn yesterday morning from tomorrow's Grand National.
Another of Tate's horses was pulled up lame on the gallops yesterday and Jamie Osborne, whom the trainer had booked to ride Lo Strogone and Ask Tom, broke a collarbone when falling with Black Humour in the Martell Cup Chase half an hour earlier.
Peter Niven substituted for the unfortunate Osborne in the Maghull Chase and the partnership capitalised when the disputing Lord Dorcet made a dreadful hash of the second last fence leaving Ask Tom eight lengths clear.
Tom Tate said that Ask Tom also fell prey to the virus well before Cheltenham and was probably in need of his race in the Arkle Chase. "But I am delighted the way he jumped this time. He was bought privately in Ireland and was already named by a prominent Irish racing personality. He won a point to point in Ireland as a four year old and he is by the great Strong Gale out of a sister to the Gold Cup winner Royal Frolic. He needs good ground which will be a prerequisite if he is to run at Punchestown."
Tate is just hopeful that Lo Stregone will be fit enough to run in the Scottish Grand National.
Cable Beach settled better on this occasion but having set a good gallop faded to finish third, ahead of compatriots Manhattan Castle, who disappointed, and Gambolling Doc.
Paul Carberry was seen to effect in landing the Howard Johnson trained Joe White the 33 to 1 winner of the John Hughes Trophy. It was the young Irishman's first Aintree winner and his fourth ride over the National fences. Go Universal and Graham Bradley appeared to have the race in safe keeping on the long run home but riding like one inspired, Carberry cut down the deficit to win by a head.
Joe White, the horse, whose fall caused Norman Williamson to sustain a broken leg last October, has had this race as his target since he joined the Johnson stable last summer having been trained by Carberry's father Tommy.
Although my father used to train the horse l was not sure how he would take to these fences. We had no problems most of the way, took a crashing fall on my first ride over these fences when I was just 16, and I have now ridden in the Grand National, Foxhunters, the Bechers Chase and the John Hughes," said Carberry.
Carberry was not so fortunate in the Glenlivet Anniversary Novices Hurdle when his strongly fancied mount Edelweis Du Mulin slipped up on the flat throwing him heavily. But he eventually walked back, smiling.
