| Course: AINTREE | Race date:06/04/06 | Race time:4:55 | Runners:11 |
| Race distance:2m4f | Going:Good | Winners time:4m 52.40s |
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Stall | Weight | Age | RPR | OR | Odds | B High | B Ave | B Low | In run | Finished | Dist Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natal | R Walsh | P F Nicholls | 11-3 | 5 | 156 | 142 | 7/2J | 14 | 4.15 | 1.5 | 1.01 | 1 | ||
| Blazing Bailey | Robert Thornton | A King | 10-7 | 4 | 143 | 140 | 7/2J | 6 | 4.42 | 1.68 | 1.03 | 2 | 1½ | |
| Harmony Brig | Tony Dobbin | N G Richards | 11-3 | 7 | 125 | 132 | 9/1 | 15 | 10.64 | 2.2 | 1.14 | 3 | 28 | |
| Boychuk | Richard Johnson | P J Hobbs | 11-8 | 5 | 130 | 134 | 7/1 | 11 | 8.19 | 2.08 | 2 | 4 | shd | |
| Chiaro | P J Brennan | P J Hobbs | 11-1 | 4 | 115 | 139 | 15/2 | 11.5 | 8.13 | 2.74 | 2 | 5 | 8 | |
| Buena Vista | A P McCoy | M C Pipe | 11-5 | 5 | 109 | 140 | 4/1 | 7.4 | 5.03 | 1.76 | 1.7 | 6 | 10 | |
| Regal Heights | S J Craine | D McCain | 11-0 | 5 | 101 | 132 | 66/1 | 1000 | 65.95 | 6.4 | 6 | 7 | 3 | |
| Some Touch | G Lee | J Howard Johnson | 11-0 | 6 | 99 | 122 | 16/1 | 1000 | 17.72 | 3.65 | 3.1 | 8 | 2 | |
| Patman Du Charmil | Carl Llewellyn | N A Twiston-Davies | 10-7 | 4 | 0 | 128 | 33/1 | 70 | 34.64 | 4 | 3 | 9 | dist | |
| Craven | Mick Fitzgerald | N J Henderson | 11-0 | 6 | 0 | 120 | 33/1 | 80 | 36.64 | 2.4 | 5 | PU | ||
| Marshalls Run | Timmy Murphy | A King | 11-0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 66/1 | 270 | 104.89 | 8.4 | 60 | PU |
This left the Triumph third Blazing Bailey and Supreme Novices' sixth NATAL to fight out the finish and uphold the race as a Grade 2 contest. Their future will depend how the Handicapper reacts to them having cleared away from solid 130-rated performers. Natal, whose future lies over fences, can be rated a clearer winner than the bare form even though he was driven right out as he was running green, pricking his ears and running around even before the last but more so up the run-in. He had cruised up between rivals and he looks a five-year-old going places but his rating will reflect that to probably bring the switch to fences as he has been found out at the highest level.
Blazing Bailey ran a stormer for a juvenile against his elders, although. He was a modest stayer on the Flat but has found his forte over hurdles. The worry is that his good first season will leave him hard to place to advantage in his second as stablemate Penzance has found this year.
Patman Du Charmil was most disappointing even though he was up against it on official figures. He had caught the eye with his flying finish in the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham but was beaten before stamina became an issue over this longer trip. Some Touch was not given a hard time after weakening into the final bend after going with the pace but lasted longer than the likes of Craven and Regal Heights.[BJ]
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