Silver proves National is still a lottery

Published on Monday 16 April 2007 00:36

NEVER throw any old horses out, you have no idea when you might need one of them to win the Grand National.

Silver Birch's previous connections may well have been thinking along those lines at Aintree on Saturday as they watched the gelding they got rid of on veterinary advice land the 160th running of a race that proved, yet again, to be a law unto itself.

If it's true the Merseyside marathon isn't the lottery it once was, its latest manifestation was only downgraded in the league table of chance to an almighty raffle, the finish fought out by a quartet who went off at 33-1, 12-1, 33-1 and 100-1.

One bookmaking firm described the result as 'Christmas come early', another 'a bookies' benefit', so guess in whose sticky paws the majority of the 250 million-plus bet on the race will be staying?

Of the first four home, only second-placed McKelvey took up a sizeable segment of the acres of newsprint published in the run-up to the race, the remaining trio, Silver Birch included, allowed to go to post almost totally ignored. It wasn't always thus.

Back in his prime, or what we now know was only what we thought was his prime, the winner had seemed an Aintree hero waiting to happen, success in the Becher Chase and the Welsh National proving neither jumping ability nor stamina were an issue.

Ante-post favourite for Liverpool two years ago, a leg injury forced him to take a rain check and although former trainer Paul Nicholls managed to patch him up, he fell at the Chair in 2006 and with hopes of National glory seemingly melted away for ever, he was sent to Doncaster Sales a month later.

Bought there for 20,000 guineas by Irish stud owner Brian Walsh, he found his way to rookie trainer Gordon Elliott, a former amateur jockey with Martin Pipe, who embarked on perhaps the most bizarre route to Aintree ever undertaken, Silver Birch's first five appearances for his new County Meath-based handler coming in three cross country chases, a point-to-point and a hurdle race.

He didn't win any of them either.

Unconventional or not, it worked, the ten-year-old turning in the performance of his life under Robbie Power, a former runner-up at the European Junior Showjumping Championship, to hold the late thrust of McKelvey, with another Irishman Slim Pickings in third and Philson Run back in fourth.

Power only secured the ride when Elliot's best friend Jason Maguire had to turn it down because he was committed to partnering Donald McCain's Idle Talk, the jockey's success ensuring none of the three men behind the 2007 National hero have yet reached their 30th birthday.

Not too far behind the placed horses came Liberthine, who was wrongly thought to be pregnant earlier in the week but whose gallantry is without doubt.

At one stage it looked as if the mare might give Sam Waley-Cohen a fairytale victory. Although she didn't get home, the pair still produced a memorable display, as did, for vastly contrasting reasons, many of the supposed leading lights.

Last year's winner Numbersixvalverde was sixth, Hedgehunter ninth, L'Ami a place further back to ensure Tony McCoy still awaits his first triumph in the event and Gallant Approach bringing up the rear of the dozen finishers. The last named's stable companion Graphic Approach suffered concussion when falling at Becher's on the second circuit, his on-course treatment lasting so long the following race was delayed for 45 minutes and the bumper cancelled altogether.

"He's at the Royal Liverpool Veterinary College," said trainer Charlie Egerton yesterday. "He's stable and there has been some significant improvement overnight."

Both Simon and the Graham Wylie-owned Bewleys Berry were still going well when they fell but supporters of the three co-favourites were never given any reason for optimism.

Point Barrow made it no further than the first, where he fell, and Joes Edge went lame so was pulled up by Graham Lee who reported he was never happy with his mount.

Monkerhostin, the subject of a massive gamble down from 25-1 into 8s, got as far as the seventh before deciding he'd had his fill of this year's Grand National and wanted nothing more to do with it.

Ditto, no doubt, millions of punters.

How they finished

1, Silver Birch (33-1)

2, Mckelvey (12-1)

3, Slim Pickings (33-1)

4, Philson Run (100-1)

5, Liberthine

6, Numbersixvalverde

7, Longshanks

8, Puntal

9, Hedgehunter

10, L'Ami

11, Clan Royal

12, Gallant Approach

13, Kelami

CASUALTIES

1st fence: Tikram (UR), Point Barrow (fell)

6th fence: Le Duc (UR), Livingstonebramble (UR), Jack High (fell)

7th fence: Monkerhostin (refused)

8th fence: Knowhere (UR), Kandjar D'Allier (fell)

9th fence: Royal Auclair (fell)

14th fence: Zabenz (PU)

15th fence: Cloudy Bays (refused)

19th fence: Idle Talk (UR), Billyvoddan (PU), The Outlier (UR)

20th: Joes Edge (PU)

22nd fence: Bewleys Berry (fell), Eurotrek (PU), Celtic Son (PU), Graphic Approach (fell), Homer Wells (PU)

23rd fence: Naunton Brook (PU)

24th fence: Ballycassidy (UR)

25th fence: Simon (fell)

27th: Dun Doire (PU)

29th fence: Bothar Na (PU), Sonevafushi (PU).

30th fence: Thisthatandtother (PU)