04.04.08 - THE GRAND NATIONAL, RACING AT AINTREE

TRIP BEATS MASTER MINDED

Trainer Paul Nicholls felt that the two and a half mile trip of the John Smith’s Melling Chase beat runaway Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Master Minded.
 
The five-year-old made a bad mistake at the second last but Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh believed that it was the extra distance, rather than that error, that caused the defeat of the 2/5 favourite.
 
"Ruby said he was cruising in the back straight but was running on empty after turning for home," said Nicholls. "He said the horse simply didn’t stay and that he made the mistake because he had nothing left - he’s a two-miler pure and simple and there was a suspicion that that might be the case beforehand.
 
"When he won at Sandown Ruby said that he might want two and a half miles, but at least we now know. He’ll be sticking to two miles and there’ll be no temptation to go for something like the King George."
 
Master Minded is as big as 7/4 with Cashmans, and as low as 5/4 with totesport, for the 2009 Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase and Nicholls added:
 
"We’ll go to the Tingle Creek next and his two targets are that and the Champion Chase next season. Kauto Star is fine after yesterday’s race and he and Master Minded will be out in a field together very shortly.
 
"They’re not going to win every time and we like running them, it’s good for racing and we learn things from running them. Voy Por Ustedes deserved to win a good race, we probably owed him one."
 
Owner Clive Smith added: "It was that second last again, we’ll have to have it moved! He twisted a bit on landing, somebody said maybe he’ll be sore tomorrow but he seemed alright just now. Ruby said that he just didn’t stay and so we’ll stick to two miles now. You value every win in this business. I’m happy enough."
 
David Pipe, trainer of third home Tamarinbleu, was happy with how his eight-year-old ran, saying: "He’s run a fantastic race - just beaten by two very good horses. We’ll see how he comes out of this run before deciding if he’ll run again this season."