Going - Good.
Placepot Pool - £584,311.91 Dividend - £205.80 Winning Units - 2071.76. Quadpot Pool - £36,698.54 Dividend - £44.90 Winning Units - 604.14.
Henderson and McGrath win Aintree opener
He deserved that as he was brought down early at Cheltenham when I couldn't split him and Thomas Campbell. It was the same this time as they've finished first and fourth. It's great for Matt (Morgan, owner) after what happened at Cheltenham. Some might see what happened there as a blessing but it was annoying at the time, I can tell you.
Power rides Grade 1 winner for Potts
He ran a bit disappointingly at Cheltenham (10th in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle), but he's really come in his coat now. I never felt in any danger and couldn't believe how well he was going the whole way, the race worked out perfectly. He ran and jumped immaculately. Robbie came and sat on him the other day and he gave him a great ride. It's worked out brilliantly and I'm as surprised as anyone. We need winners, we definitely haven't been firing between Cheltenham and here but they are firing again now. We've got to appreciate winners when they come, you never know what will happen in this game, in our wildest dreams we couldn't envisage him winning like that.
Grade 1 brace for Potts/Tizzard and Power
When I schooled him at Colin's last week I had no doubt two and a half miles would play to his strengths and he's travelled everywhere, jumped from fence to fence. He was never in any danger and running down to the last he met it well. He's a very classy horse and he could well be a King George horse, he could be as good over further, he's a very relaxed horse and has a great cruising speed. If we got nice ground that could be the race for him. It's lovely when this happens, especially after what it was like at Cheltenham, that was hard work. This boy could have won the Champion Chase, there wasn't much in it and he's got better with the trip, I think. It took all of two miles last year for him to get into third in the Arkle. He's not very fast at home when you think he would be but I think he'll make up into a King George horse. That's seven Grade Ones this season which is lovely. We had a good time early in the season and then we had to go through a bit of pain, but that's all gone now.
Tizzard brings up treble at Aintree
That was my first spin over the fences. Unbelievable. That was his first run over them too and he was back off his winning mark - I actually fancied him. He was very clever, dancing over ditches. There was a bit of carnage at Canal Turn but he knew what to do. That was amazing, this racing game is something else. He ran quite well at Cheltenham and was dropped a few pounds and then he goes and wins a huge race like this. The people who own him are all good owners of ours and they got a partnership going. He wasn't what we thought we were buying, we thought he'd be a three-mile-two horse but he's ended up winning over two miles and that was two and a half today. Harry has hunted alongside me since he was a little boy. Three out I was just thinking 'sit still' and he did. He's a great little lad.
Lalor lands Aintree bumper
James McNeile died on one of our horses on Saturday in a point-to-point, one of the owners (Dick Westcott) has died and my two-year-old daughter Arabella is in hospital. This has been the worst week of my life. Hopefully she will be out of hospital tomorrow. Thanks to all the staff. They've done all the work. We're so lucky.
