Finian’s Rainbow gets his moment in spotlight

Unforeseen circumstances slightly overshadowed the Cheltenham Festival success of Finian’s Rainbow but he had the attention all to himself in the John Smith’s Melling Chase at Aintree yesterday.

When Wishfull Thinking crashed through a fence, a rail and into photographers with a circuit remaining of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the knock-on effect was for the obstacle to be bypassed and to leave Finian’s Rainbow fighting off Sizing Europe on the run-in. Mercifully, this Grade One was incident-free and even a first try chasing at two a half miles was not enough to thwart Nicky Henderson’s maturing nine-year-old, who could be asked to tackle even longer distances next season with his much-vaunted stablemate Sprinter Sacre pencilled in for the shortest division.

Wishfull Thinking, recovered from his bruising experience, turned out to be the 13-8 favourite’s most potent danger as he harried him over the final three fences but Barry Geraghty, who managed to keep Finian’s Rainbow settled and away from boiling point, eventually pushed his mount seven lengths clear.

The first prize of almost £100,000 ensures Henderson remains neck-and-neck with Paul Nicholls in his attempt to wrestle the trainers’ title from the perennial champion. The majestic Albertas Run, the 2010 winner who has been at least placed at the meeting for each of the past six years, was considered to be below his best in third.

Always Waining made Aintree history, meanwhile, when winning the John Smith’s Topham Chase for the third year in a row and, in the process, ended a barren spell for trainer Peter Bowen.

The Haverfordwest handler had not had a winner since January, but the 11-year-old gave connections reason to celebrate and justify their tough decision to miss the John Smith’s Grand National.

Always Waining springs to life at the Liverpool course. Once again jumping the National fences with aplomb, the 11-1 chance was too strong for Chance Du Roy on the long run-in to score by four and a half lengths with Fistral Beach third and Aimigayle fourth.

A relieved Bowen said: “This has made our season. Our horses have been coughing and they’ve not been right for a while. It’s some achievement to win three Tophams.”

Lovcen (8-1) ruined the winning run of Fingal Bay when getting the better of the favourite in the John Smith’s Sefton Novices’ Hurdle. Fingal Bay was a 13-8 shot to make up for missing the Cheltenham Festival due to injury but was beaten by a length and a three-quarters by Alan King’s charge who was ridden by Robert Thornton. Darlan won the Tangle Teezer Top Novices’ Hurdle under Tony McCoy. The five-year-old was sent off the 7-4 favourite and won from stablemate Captain Conan by three-and-three-quarter-lengths.