FAIRYHOUSE REPORT:JUST NINE days after Mon Mome's 100 to 1 skinner at Aintree, the English-trained 33 to 1 shot Niche Market came to the bookies' rescue again with victory in an incident-packed Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse yesterday.
Ridden by 19-year-old Harry Skelton, son of the former Olympic show-jumper Nick, Niche Market led home a pair of Michael Hourigan-trained 50 to 1 shots, Church Island and A New Story, with the gambled-on favourite, Rare Bob, only fourth.
However, the race was marred by the death of another cross-sea raider, Wichita Lineman, in a fall at the first fence. Barry Geraghty’s mount, Drumconvis, was also killed in a fall at the 12th, the final fence on the last circuit which had to be bypassed. In all, 11 of the 28 runners failed to finish.
The casualty rate added a sombre note to an Easter Monday highlight that provided a second British winner in three years and which gave trainer Bob Buckler the ideal end to a stressful 24 hours.
“He got cast in his box in the stableyard here last evening and ripped a shoe off. So that was a minor panic, to put it mildly,” said Buckler, who praised the Fairyhouse authorities’ decision to water ground that was already officially good.
That wasn’t enough to tempt Jim Dreaper into running the original topweight, Notre Pere, who was taken out, but Buckler stressed: “They did a brilliant job watering or it would have been too quick for our horse otherwise.”
Whether connections of fast-ground horses would agree is debatable, but that didn’t matter to Skelton who was enjoying the biggest success of his fledgling career.
Paul Nicholls’ conditional jockey won December’s Silver Cup at Ascot – Niche Market’s only previous win in 13 starts prior to yesterday – and also tasted the big time with a win on Nozic at Wetherby last Christmas.
“I followed Ruby (Walsh) for the first circuit because I figured he’d go the right places and my horse jumped from fence to fence,” Skelton said. “It’s been an unbelievable season for me and having my Dad here makes it a great day.”
Hourigan came agonisingly close to a perfect result as Church Island led or disputed the lead for much of the race, while A New Story stayed on well for third.
“Both of them had finished fourth in the race before,” the Co Limerick trainer said. “Church Island got a super ride from Luke (McNiff) and jumped brilliantly.”
Coolcashin sprang a 25 to 1 surprise in the Grade Three Ladbrokes Hurdle for his 27-year-old rider Keith Clarke and trainer Michael Bowe. It was just a 13th career winner for Clarke and he got Coolcashin home a head clear of Essex to further improve Bowe’s remarkable Fairyhouse record.
“He got a bad fracture of a fetlock joint this time last year and I thought it was curtains for him. But I took him to the Troytown hospital and they did such a good job he walked out two days later with three screws in,” said Bowe.
Ruby Walsh was out of luck in the National aboard Pomme Tiepy (fifth), but he rode a second treble in two days with victory on the Willie Mullins pair Taipans Way and Serpentaria, added to by Lochan Lacha’s success for owner Mick Bailey in the novice handicap chase.
Big Zeb heads for the Kerrygold Champion Chase at Punchestown after a confidence-boosting success over Psycho in the conditions hurdle. “He is back on track after hitting the deck the last two times,” Colm Murphy said. “It was getting a bit frustrating but it’s back over fences now.”
Yesterday’s Grand National attendance of 15,076 was down 650 on last year’s corresponding figure and bookmaker turnover took a major drop of €606,000 to a total of €946,000. The Tote total of €450,000 was down €61,000 on last year.
1 Niche Market (33/1)H Skelton
2 Church Island (50/1)L McNiff
3 A New Story (50/1)AP Cawley
4 Rare Bob (8/1 fav) P W Flood
5 Pomme Tiepy (9/1) R Walsh
How they finished
