Momentum behind Willie Mullins’ tilt at a historic British trainer’s championship extended from the track to the steward’s room when the Grand National festival opened at Aintree on Thursday.
Trailing his cross-channel rivals Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton by almost €800,000, Mullins immediately narrowed the gap in the opener with Il Etait Temps successful in the Grade One Manifesto Novices Chase.
Both he and jockey Paul Townend subsequently secured a top-flight double with Impaire Et Passe in the Aintree Hurdle but only after a desperate three-pronged finish and a prolonged stewards enquiry.
The evens favourite just beat Bob Olinger by a nose with Langer Dan between the Irish pair just a short head back in third.
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Impaire Et Passe looked to have the race in safe keeping on the run-in but appeared to idle significantly under an increasingly desperate Townend and only the nod of his head got him the verdict.
Despite Rachael Blackmore’s eloquent argument to the stewards that Bob Olinger should get the verdict, there was no alteration to the places.
“It was a long wait but I was pretty confident we’d keep it once I’d seen the overhead angle, I thought that gave us a great chance,” Mullins said.
“When Paul and Harry [Skelton on Langer Dan] crossed after the last hurdle there was never any interference and I thought it would be hard to change it. On balance, it was a hard result to change as Paul thought he was idling in front, which is a legitimate excuse,” he added.
Not surprisingly, Bob Olinger’s trainer Henry De Bromhead took a different tack and commented: “I thought we were unlucky to be fair. He got bumped at the second-last, crossed at the last, and bumped after the last. But that’s the way the stewards looked at it and we just have to accept that.”
The near €163,000 first prize to the winner could yet prove a crucial factor in Mullins’ attempt to become the first Irish-based trainer since Vincent O’Brien 70 years ago to land the British title.
Most important of all in that contest will be the outcome of Saturday’s Grand National which is worth half a million pounds to the winner and in which Mullins has a massive eight-strong team.
In comparison, Skelton has a single National runner, Nicholls has none, and some firms were prepared to only go 15-8 about their Irish rival landing the big race with one of his powerful team.
Mullins’ title odds were also slashed after Thursday’s results, and he is a 7-4 second favourite in some lists with Nicholls still odds-on to ultimately secure a record-equaling 15th cross-channel championship when the season ends at Sandown later this month.
Nicholls’ cause was helped when his Sans Bruit landed the Red Rum Chase from Mullins’ 4-1 favourite Saint Roi.
“I think Dan Skelton was £44,000 in front earlier on, and we’ve won some money, we were a grand in front at one point, then he won some money, and I think that’ll have put us back in front. It will be a close battle between us two between now and the end of the season, and if Willie wins the National, then it will get really interesting,” Nicholls said.
Gordon Elliott also has eight National hopefuls - the same as the entire home team - after a maximum 34 runners were declared on Thursday.
A huge Irish team of 26 runners equals last year, when there were 39 runners. They also include the 2022 winner Noble Yeats and a trio from the De Bromhead camp. Scotland’s Corach Rambler is still favourite to defend the National crown he secured a year ago.
Elliott also got his Liverpool eye in early as the Cheltenham Gold Cup runner up Gerri Colombe returned to action with a gutsy victory in the Aintree Bowl.
Jack Kennedy didn’t think the 9-4 favourite was at his best, but he still had a half a length in hand of Ahoy Senor with the novice Corbetts Cross in third.
“Believe it or not, I actually think he could be a bit better on better ground. All roads lead back to the Gold Cup next year, we’ll probably go the same route again and keep dreaming,” said Elliott.
The fourth Irish winner on Thursday was Its On The Line who justified 3-1 favouritism in the Foxhunters under veteran jockey Derek O’Connor.
“We gave him a speculative entry and once it turned up heavy ground it was always going to bring stamina into play. That was the biggest sway into running him,” trainer Emmet Mullins said.
Even in this race though, Willie Mullins kept the prize money ticking over with Annamix finishing third.
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