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Knight Salute scores controversial Aintree win

Updated / Thursday, 7 Apr 2022 16:05
Knight Salute and Paddy Brennan (right) and Pied Piper ridden by Davy Russell finished in a dead heat before the stewards intervened
Knight Salute and Paddy Brennan (right) and Pied Piper ridden by Davy Russell finished in a dead heat before the stewards intervened

Knight Salute was awarded a dramatic Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle by the stewards at Aintree after initially dead-heating with Pied Piper

Pied Piper, third in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham last month, was sent off favourite to get back to winning ways and certainly brought the strongest form to the table.

Knight Salute has been a revelation this season for his resurgent trainer Milton Harris, but had finished well beaten at Cheltenham, some 17 lengths behind Pied Piper.

That looked an outlier, though, as prior to that he had won his other five races this season, including two Grade Twos, and he was right back to his best on this occasion.

Paddy Brennan had clearly decided to play his hand last of all, and he tracked Davy Russell on the Gordon Elliott-trained market leader for the whole race.

Approaching the last Russell must have felt he had matters in hand as he had not asked a single question – but Pied Piper did not jump the final flight well and gave Knight Salute a nudge, which caused a stewards' inquiry to be called after the long wait for the initial photo to be announced.

Despite the coming together at the last, 14-1 chance Knight Salute was able to edge in front on the run-in, only for Pied Piper to battle back and claim a share of the spoils right on the line – or so it seemed.

A lengthy inquiry followed and even though Brennan told the stewards he felt the contact did not affect the result and he was happy with the outcome, the officials disagreed which meant Harris had landed his first Grade One winner to cap a great season.

The Boodles winner Brazil checked out on the run to the last and was beaten 12 lengths back in third.

Harris said: "He cost 14 grand and gives everyone a bit of optimism.

"Brennan is his own man and said thank you for sticking with him, and he didn’t knock the horse about when his chance had gone in the Triumph.

"He could run anything down, this horse, but the juveniles are still 15lb below the Champion Hurdle horses.

"That’s why we were going to take him for a race in America later in the year with a view to possibly selling him."

He added on ultimately getting the race after the inquiry: "It doesn’t sit well with me, it’s not the way I like to play sport.

"But that’s the rules, and if the rules say that – I just feel sorry for the second, I thought it was a good battle and it’s a shame to see someone demoted."

Trainer Alex Hales and jockey Kielan Woods celebrated the biggest success of their careers as Millers Bank (7-1) displayed a fine turn of foot to run out a clear-cut winner of the SSS Super Alloys Manifesto Novices' Chase.

Having finished a close third in the Aintree Hurdle 12 months ago, connections held high hopes he could reach the top over fences this season – but to date not much had gone right.

While he won on his chasing debut he then unseated the next twice at Newbury and Cheltenham, after which he underwent wind surgery.

He showed a return to something like his best last time out behind Pic D’orhy at Kempton and faced that rival again but on 5lb worse terms.

A jolting blunder down the back straight put paid to the chance of the Paul Nicholls runner and by then the favourite Erne River had already fallen.

Rachael Blackmore was dictating on Gin On Lime but having run keenly in the early stages, by the second-last she was running on empty which meant it was between the two Colin Tizzard runners, The Widdow Maker and War Lord, and Millers Bank.

Having briefly been caught flat footed, Millers Bank surged through to the lead and powered away from War Lord to win by 10 lengths.

Striking at Grade One level for the first time, a jubilant Hales said: "That was fun, wasn’t it? It’s quite emotional, it’s wonderful really. It took a long time to get here, it’s a massive team effort. Suddenly it gets you a bit, we’ve worked so hard for so long and to find a horse like this and do it here is wonderful.

"It’s massive because this is a hard game. It’s hard to compete at this level and to have winners anywhere. For small trainers like us, we’re working really hard every day so it’s brilliant to come here on the top stage and do it. Sally (wife) and I bred him as well, it’s quite an incredible story."

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