RACING AINTREE REPORT:IT MIGHT have been "Liverpool Day" at Aintree yesterday, but Alex Ferguson brought more than a shade of Manchester red to the feature when What A Friend upset the odds in the Totesport Bowl.
Considering the new festival moniker was inaugurated to celebrate the local city, there was more than a dash of irony – if not shock – to see many a Scouser’s nemesis hijacking the headlines.
“He’s his only bloody friend!” quipped one onlooker with an unmistakable Merseyside accent.
But overall, Ferguson’s reception was remarkably civil, even allowing for a stalled attempt at an “Arjen Robben” chant near the winner’s enclosure.
Of course that might have had something to do with the sort of financial gain that can often get the better of mere parochialism.
Despite starting favourite, the Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Imperial Commander was noticeably weak in the betting and looked anything but the powerhouse he seemed three weeks ago before unseating Paddy Brennan at the 14th fence.
In contrast, What A Friend was a solid second choice and, despite looking at times to hardly have his owner’s ruthless desire to win, Ruby Walsh eventually persuaded him to victory ahead of Carruthers and Nacarat.
“I didn’t know Imperial Commander had gone but he was jumping so bad I was concentrating on the ones in front of me anyway,” Walsh said. “I was always niggling but he jumps so well and that always helps.”
General quotes of 20 to 1 about next year’s Gold Cup are available about What A Friend and Ferguson is in no doubt that will be his target.
“He had an opportunity to run this year but Paul (Nicholls) was right not to. He’s only a young horse and the Gold Cup is a helluva hard race.
“Imperial Commander never looked like winning today,” the Manchester United manager said, inevitably answering questions about the previous night’s Champions League defeat.
“Life is like that,” he shrugged. “No one died. You move on. I’ve been very lucky in racing and this is a great racing country. It doesn’t matter if you own them, or back them. Everyone needs something to take them away from normal life and this is mine.”
Nicholls and Walsh had earlier initiated a Grade One double with Big Buck’s completing a Cheltenham-Aintree double, but the star stayer hardly won like a long odds-on shot.
Still, unlike other Cheltenham victors yesterday, he managed to actually win.
Pigeon Island was tailed off in the Grade Three Red Rum Chase behind the trail-blazing 20 to 1 shot Chaninbar, while Baby Run unseated his rider at the sixth in his attempt to complete the Cheltenham-Aintree Foxhunters double.
The first race of the festival over the big fences went to the 50 to 1 shot Silver Adonis, but the long-prices didn’t end there as the 40 to 1 shocker Orsippus beat Barizan and Sanctuaire at the end of the Grade One Juvenile Hurdle.
The Triumph Hurdle runner-up Barizan fought off Sanctuaire, who was unsuited by a sedate early pace but was mugged on the other side of the track by Davy Condon on the winner. Robert ‘Choc’ Thornton ended the day with a 16 to 1 winner on board Sir Harry Ormesher in the handicap hurdle, but he had earlier endured a nightmare on Somersby who finished runner-up to Mad Max in the Grade Two novice chase.
