Ryan Mania unexpectedly strikes on the back of Auroras Encore - John Smith's Grand National Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
Crossing 30 fences and covering a long distance of 4m3½f were not easy tasks at all for anyone in the Grade 3, John Smith's Grand National Handicap Chase, held at Aintree on Saturday, April 06, 2013. So, the end result was a fairytale, as all the 40 runners
as well as jockeys returned home safely.
Jockey, Ryan Mania emerged as the ultimate champion, as he rode the 66-1 outsider, Auroras Encore, to a surprise victory. The Sue Smith-trained tracked the leaders nicely in the beginning, but a huge error at the 10th fence hurt his chances significantly.
Another mistake four fences before the wire further made things tricky for him. But the 11-year-old, who was taking part in this historic race for the first time, did not lose determination. He continued to run superbly, and took a handsome lead in the final
stages.
Eventually, he collected the first prize of £547,267.50 easily by nine lengths. Cappa Bleu was the fortunate runner-up. The Evan Williams-trained sized the second position near the finishing line, beating Teaforthree only by a neck’s distance. Oscar Time
ended up fourth on the chart, while Oscar Time completed the order of five.
"Crossing the Melling Road I thought we would be in the first three or four. I couldn't believe the way the front two stopped in front of me at the last," said the Scottish-born Mania. "I couldn't quite believe my luck in the Scottish National last year
let alone this year. Again everything went right."
Trainer, Sue Smith was also really delighted over a nice victory. It was the first Grand National success for any Yorkshire-based trainer. She stated after the event:
"It's fantastic. I would have been happy to be in the first four or five and here we are, we've won it. The horse ran a fantastic race, Ryan gave him a fantastic ride and always had the horse where he wanted to be."
The Mountarmstrong Stud-bred had been winless since last April. It was his eight victory overall. The connections are really delighted especially after a few unlucky losses earlier in the year.
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