Zeus Power too much for the rest in Sefton success Zeus Power left enough in the tank to wear down Catchintsavo and win the Oddschecker Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree. Catchintsavo had disputed the lead with Dalston Lad for much of the race but the field were well bunched as the extended three-mile Grade One began to take shape. The Joseph O’Brien-trained Zeus Power (3-1) came to challenge Catchintsavo at the final hurdle and jumped slightly ahead before J J Slevin had him assert his authority as they charged for home to hold off Catchintsavo by two and three-quarter lengths. The fast-finishing Johnny’s Jury took third. Slevin said: “I suppose he went to Cheltenham (third in Turners Novices’ Hurdle) under the radar. We rode him to run well, but I suppose in hindsight if we’d ridden him differently he could have finished a bit closer. “It was a very good performance today. He was quite keen and he missed the odd hurdle here or there, but it was a very good performance. “I suppose the smaller field today and he enjoyed the good ground might have helped. “There were plenty of horses coming into this today who had run well in the Albert Bartlett which looked very strong form so we had loads of respect for them all, but in saying all that we were hoping he’d run well. “He was a big price at Cheltenham, probably rightly so given his profile going into it, but he showed what he could do that day to be fair.” Anthony Honeyball was proud of Catchintsavo after his brave effort and said: “He’s such a class horse and we thought his best chance was in this three-miler. “He’s got a bit of speed but we thought he’d be able to travel a bit more comfy here. When he turned in I dared to dream that we might win our first Grade One, but he’s run a blinder. “I think next season he’ll be a chaser and I’d be sure he’ll be coming back here for the three-mile novice. He’s already schooling over fences and he’s a really accurate jumper. He’s got scope as well so maybe that’s where he’ll get his Grade One.” Meanwhile, Johnny’s Jury may have failed to add to his Cheltenham Festival win in the Albert Bartlett when staying on for third, but trainer Jamie Snowden was far from despondent. He said: “He’s finished third in a Grade One so it was a mighty effort. The track was probably a bit sharp and he’d probably want a bit of softer ground. He got caught in a bit of traffic up the home straight but when he got a clear run he carried on galloping. In another 100 yards he’d probably have been second. “I think we’ll probably go novice chasing next season. He jumps very well and he’s built like a chaser.”
