04.04.08 - THE GRAND NATIONAL, RACING AT AINTREE

GWANAKO ON SPRINGS

Paul Nicholls, having seen his hot favourite Master Minded beaten in the previous race, the John Smith’s Melling Chase, earned immediate compensation when five-year-old Gwanako jumped his rivals into submission for victory in the John Smith’s Topham Chase.
 
"Did you see how he was jumping?" said Nicholls, watching the replay on the big screen by the winner’s enclosure. "He was brilliant over Becher’s, awesome over the last. It was like he was on springs.
 
"He’s only a little thing, barely 16 hands, and this is only his third chase. Kempton, Cheltenham and here. I rang up Ruby [Walsh] a while back and said, ‘You might think I’m mad to suggest this, but what do you think about him for the Topham?’ and Ruby said, ‘Why not?’ "
 
Gwanako was comfortably clear at the last before the jockey seemed to take him wide coming into the elbow: "I thought he knew the way home better than I did," said the trainer. Irish Raptor closed the winning distance to a neck, but Gwanako held on.
 
Nicholls gave full credit to his jockey for the ride. "It was brilliant, you can see why I wanted him in these colours tomorrow," he said. Andy Stewart, who owns Gwanako, has Turko running in the John Smith’s Grand National, but Walsh has stayed with the 2006 winner Hedgehunter.
 
Nicholls has no plans mapped out for the horse. "God knows what we’ll do now. I can’t believe he would stay four and a half miles, but who knows, he’s only five. I just don’t know. We’ll just enjoy the moment."
 
It was the second win of the day for the owner Andy Stewart, whose Big Bucks won the first race. Stewart admitted that he wabs pessimistic coming into the race, "I thought a little pony like that, he had no chance," he said, "It’s all a bit silly."